New Adventure

I am so excited to share that John and I will be traveling to Pondicherry, India from December 28-January 12. John is establishing a new service learning trip for students that will take place next year. He and Dr. Dan Close from the College of Education at the UO are conducting the on site visit to move this project forward. And, as a result I am going to tag along!

Here is what I know so far:
This is where we will be going and spending most of our time. Pondicherry, India

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The organization that John is working with is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. We will meet with people from the community so we can plan out the curriculum and logistics for the trip the students will take a year later. When the students are there they will engage in individual and group projects in village settings that will be directed to education, village development, environmental and facility development. The purpose of these projects in the service-learning setting is to teach students about partnerships, reciprocity, capacity building, sustainability, cross-cultural understanding and problem solving skills. Students learn about partnerships by building and maintaining relationships with local leadership, Indian students and other stakeholders who come together to advance these projects.

I am really excited to accompany John on this trip and to visit a country I had hoped to visit! More to come as things shape up. Any tips or recommendations for us? If so, leave a comment!