Community Engagement Abroad
2022 Bonner Program – Puerto Rico
Location
PUERTO RICO –
Duration
May 2022(10 days)
Cost
$100 application fee
$2521 (+ up to $____ meals on travel days, COVID testing and vaccination costs)
Application Deadline
Community Engagement Abroad Program Vision
Bonner Scholars will travel to Puerto Rico for an international experience rooted in service and culture exchange. The framework for the trip will be the Bonner six commitments: international perspective, community building, diversity, social justice, civic engagement, and spiritual exploration. Students who are not part of the Bonner program are welcome to apply, however priority will be given to Bonners.
Students will gain a global perspective by traveling to a territory of the United States that is quite different from the state of Tennessee, by exploring different regions of that territory, and learning about the history and the people of Puerto Rico.. The group will build community prior to departure in preparation meetings and during the program through participation and reflection. We also hope to build community in each region of Puerto Rico as we serve, eat, and interact with locals. Diversity will be celebrated in culture, language, religion, economics, and more. As a group, we’ll learn and discuss the similarities and differences in the social conditions in PR and Tenessee and the US. We’ll engage in hands on service projects in PR. In addition to these activities, we’ll also take a few excursions. Through this experience, we hope to help students who are already committed to community engagement better understand their service and future both through the cross-cultural experience of serving abroad and by gaining tools to analyze that service in a historical and cultural context.
Leader(s)
Director of Community Engagement
CCM/Bonner Coordinator
Program Highlights – most of these highlights will be accompanied by a group discussion to contextualize and process each respective experience.
– El Yunque (only tropical rainforest national park in the US)
– Old San Juan visit (oldest continuously inhabited city in the US and territories)
– Bomba y Plena Interactive Dance/Musical Workshop (Loiza or Santurce)
– Bioluminescent Bay Excursion (likely Fajardo)
– Family Coffee Farm Visit (Central Mountains)
– Indigenous Taino Ceremonial Center and Museum (Central Mountains)
– Agro-Ecological Rural Experience
– Cultural & Culinary Workshop (North Coast)
– Salsa Music, Fresh Cooking, and Dominoes Outing in a Local Neighborhood (North Coast)
– Syncretism and Spiritual Practice in Puerto Rico (Church Experience and Optional Spiritual Workshop)
Tentative cost
$2521
Program Fees Include:
$200 deposit
Round-trip airfare
Local transportation
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily (except travel days)
Housing
Group excursions
Health Insurance
Not Included:
$100 application fee
Meals (airport days) $40
Vaccinations (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/costa-rica?s_cid=ncezid-dgmq-travel-single-001 up to $138 (approx)
COVID-19 Testing
Souvenirs
*costs subject to change based on number of participants
How it Works:
- Travel with experienced group and travel leaders
- Travel with a group of Maryville students on a short term community engagement opportunity abroad
- This is a full immersion experience. You are learning about the country, people and community engagement environment abroad
Who can participate?
You! Bonners have first priority, but we generally have space for more students with a passion for serving others! These programs are open to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. This program will admit approx.10+ students
Special Considerations:
Many locations will not be wheelchair accessible and terrain may be uneven in many places. There will be a moderate amount of walking 2-3 miles at a leisurely pace.
Apply
Please apply using the Community Engagement Abroad Application Form and pay the $100 application fee as per the timeline below
(This fee DOES NOT count towards the cost of the program. )
| Application Available | Now | Apply Online |
| Application Deadline | Dec 9 | All online materials, including scholarship application must be submitted by 12noon |
| Application Review | Dec 9-14 | All students will interview with the leader(s) |
| Notification of Acceptance | Dec 15 | Via email before 5:00pm |
| Confirmation of Acceptance Due | Jan 12 | Confirmation of acceptance with $200 deposit due by 12noon |
| Payment 1 Due | Feb 10 | 50% of payment due by 12noon |
| Final Payment Due | Mar 10 | Remaining balance due (full balance must be paid at this time) |
| Mandatory CGE Orientation | Mar 1 | Required for all participants. 3-part webinar |
| Program Specific Pre-departure | TBD | To be determined by Leaders |