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URACCAN Exchange

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The Dartmouth-URACCAN (University of the Autonomous Region of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua) Exchange will bring six URACCAN students, one faculty advisor from URACCAN, and one Nicaraguan adult advisor from the non-profit Bridges to Community, to Dartmouth in July 2007 as part of Tucker Foundation’s Cross Cultural Education and Service Program in Nicaragua. In harmony with the purpose of the CCESP overall this exchange aims to enhance both learning and service by integrating the two through a reciprocal cross-cultural arrangement between Dartmouth and URACCAN.

The aim of the exchange is to foster learning opportunities for both Dartmouth and URACCAN students in order that they may be better prepared to speak and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in a global community. This goal will be met by involving both Dartmouth and URACCAN students in a range of leadership opportunities during a two-week visit to Dartmouth College and by having them participate in academic programs, extracurricular activities, a service project, community presentations, and critical reflection sessions on the exchange experience.

URACCAN students have graciously hosted Dartmouth through CCESP in Siuna, Nicaragua for the last six years. This exchange is an opportunity for CCESP to realize the goals of service, learning, and cross-cultural exchange in a new, creative way, and to show our gratitude towards our hosts in Nicaragua by becoming their hosts in the United States.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES FOR THE DARTMOUTH COMMUNITY:

• CCESP strengthens its commitment of care towards the Siuna community through the reciprocity of this exchange.
• Exchange students will contribute to diversity on campus, providing opportunities for the Dartmouth community to learn from a foreign culture and to develop intercultural skills.
• Academic and extracurricular presentations and participation by exchange students inside and outside the classroom.
• Leadership opportunities for Dartmouth students to oversee the exchange through the Tucker Foundation, especially for sophomore students.
• Discussion and analysis of the exchange for Dartmouth students involved in order to nurture a life of self-examination and reflection.
• Greater partnership with URACCAN, strengthening the possibility of additional collaboration in the future.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES FOR THE URACCAN COMMUNITY:

• URACCAN students deepen their knowledge and expand their understanding of cultures other than their own.
• Leadership opportunities for URACCAN students to organize and prepare for the exchange.
• Immersion in English will enhance URACCAN students’ efforts to learn English.
• Preparation and presentation for academic and extracurricular presentations to the Dartmouth community.
• Learning opportunities through classes about U.S. topics in Spanish by Dartmouth faculty.
• Service work together with Dartmouth students in the Upper Valley that parallels Dartmouth students’ own service work in Nicaragua.
• Discussion and analysis of the exchange for URACCAN students involved in order to nurture a life of self-examination and reflection.
• Greater partnership with Dartmouth, strengthening the possibility of academic and service-learning exchange in the future.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS:

• Participants will be better prepared to speak and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in a global community
• Participants will better understand diverse cultures and develop intercultural skills.
• Students will integrate academic interests with service learning experience.
• Participants will adapt and nurture a life of self-examination and reflection.

MORE INFORMATION:

• Tucker's press release
• An article on the Dartmouth