Perú - imperio de los Inca

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Descripción en español...

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COSA - Community Organizing and Social Activism

Learn the practical skills to be an active agent of change and social justice. Study the many international efforts in history, learn from these efforts and use them to develop a persponal ethic of service, advocacy and civic engagement. COSA will teach you the skills of community organizing and will empower you to create sustainable change in your own communities. 

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This unique IPSL program has been developed to build an on-going commitment to the Cusco community through a variety of service-learning placements in partnership with local NGOs. Students have the opportunity to work on a variety of sustainable social responsibility projects. IPSL's commitment is to promote responsible stewardship of our planet and to building a life-long commitment to responding to the needs of others through hands-on service.

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Experience Cusco from a Local Perspective

Cusco is one of the most important cultural and tourist destinations in the world and is the capital of the Inca Empire. Situated at the base of the Andes, it is the entryway to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The city of Cusco was declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity site by UNESCO in 1983 and boasts charming cobblestone streets, stone buildings made by the Incas and exciting nightlife and cafes. In short it is a perfect blend of the old and the new. Excursions may include a city tour, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu. Students arrive in Lima and spend several days visiting this important Latin American capital" the "City of Kings".

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Program Highlights

Language of Instruction: Spanish and/or English

Transcript will be issued from the IPSL School of Record

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Courses & Credits - Semester

Students may take up to 18 credits per semester. Courses are 3 credits each.

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Required Courses

• Spanish Language (Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced) 

• COSA in Peru (Community Organizing and Social Activism) 

• Introduction to COSA 

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Elective Courses

• Indigenous Cultures and Traditional Health and Healing

• International Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples

• Environmental Sustainability and Biodiversity of Peru

• Environmental Justice as a Social Movement

• Quechua Language (Beginning)

 

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Courses & Credits - Summer

• Spanish Language (Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced)

• COSA in Peru (Community Organizing and Social Activism)

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Service Opportunities

• promoting entrepreneurship - business sustainability for women and youth

• teaching English

• child development and education - teaching English in a rural school

• health care - working with children/young adults with disabilities at San Juan de Dios hospital

• social work and rehabilitation - working at residential home for abandoned children with Downs Syndrome

• promoting intercultural work - assisting at a short term residential facility for low income rural people relocating to the city

• working on environmental projects with Indigenous peoples

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Housing

Students will live in a homestay with a middle-class Peruvian  family who provide full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days per week) and introduce you to Peruvian family life. An integral part of the program, the homestay offers you the opportunity to make life-long friends, reinforce language skills, and experience the culture from "the inside." All IPSL host families are carefully selected and experienced with hosting students.  Living with local residents is part of the immersion experience. Instead of being a tourist, an IPSL student gets to know what it's like to be a "Cusqueño." Living with a family also means that IPSL students' Spanish proficiency improves dramatically!

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Why IPSL?

• We're really nice and support you in your journey!

• We're the most experienced group in the field of International Service-Learning

• You can make a real difference to people in need

• You can FINALLY learn that language

• You can dive deep into another culture!

• To support our service organizations in a SUSTAINABLE way

• GROW - expand your horizons and challenge your assumptions!

   

Program Director: Christian Lopez

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Eligibility 

The program welcomes students of any nation who have a high school diploma or equivalent credential. TOEFL equivalent 550. Academic studies are taught in Spanish and/or English. (See individual course descriptions.) There is no minimum Spanish prerequisite. The program can accommodate novice to advance Spanish language abilities.

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What's Included

Tuition and academic fees; academic transcript; homestay housing and 3 meals per day seven days per week; service placement and supervision; health insurance; academic excursions; on-site and on-line orientation, and pre-departure materials. 

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What's typically NOT Included 

Passport; visa  (not typically required); vaccine fees; international airfare; books; spending money; local personal transportation; local cell phone and internet access and independent  travel.