Learning, Growing, Sustaining:
A radically reciprocal and experiential curriculum centering environmental issues and global engagement in Rural San Jose, Costa Rica
Dr. Brian Egan; Assistant Director of Student Affairs & International Engagement Coordinator Senior Academic Specialist, College of Social Science, Michigan State University
Casey Christy; Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Liason, MIchigan State University
Mauro Ramirez Azofeifa; Community Liaison, BA; Human Ecology with a focus on Sustainable Business, College of the Atlantic
Which of the Radical Reciprocity themes does this project align with?
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Inclusivity
Community enfranchisement is intentionally sought by the re-construction of university-community borders as permeable. Communities see the university as both university and community space. Community partners have decision-making power in the university-community projects. (See Eisenstein’s notion of the ability to set the table and co-create the menu vs. a place at the table).
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Co-construction
Projects, programs and relationships are intentionally co-generated from inception.
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Reciprocity
Relationships co-create and sustain clear benefits for all involved.
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Multidirectional
Knowledge, including lived experience, flows both ways between university and community.
This project ensured co-generative participation by creating activities that served MSU stakeholders and local youth. The activities required the knowledge and expertise of both community and university partners occupying the roles of teachers and students simultaneously. In this way, we aim to uplift and uphold co-generative participation in that all parties have the knowledge to contribute and the ability to gain.
Another asset of the project is the shared values and varied skills that Mauro, Brian and Casey share. We aim to make the world a better place through meaningful engagement, genuine connection, and collaboration across borders. To this end, each team member has their own stories embedded into this project, manifesting themselves in unique and complementary skill sets and goals. At the partnership’s core, Mauro co-founded Visionarios de Paz and carried community, entrepreneurship, and sustainability knowledge. Brian brings the wisdom of experiential learning, specifically the impacts of experiential learning on short-term education abroad programs. More specifically, those programs include reflection and community engagement. Finally, Casey carries an arts and humanities approach and skills in documenting and disseminating knowledge as a recent MSU and RCAH alum. The shared values and skills made this project implementation successful and unique.
-Brian Egan
-Casey Christy
-Mauro Ramirez Azofeifa
Community Partners
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The Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible de San José (ADESSARU), or in English, “Association for the Sustainable Development of Rural San José” has an ecolodge and protects 42 hectares of land that supply water to more than 50,000 inhabitants in surrounding areas. They also collaborate with other organizations on green projects.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nacientespalmichal
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nacientespalmichal
Webpage
https://nacientespalmichal.com
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Visionarios de Paz, or in English “Visionaries for Peace,” has the primary mission to implement an experiential environmental education to increase the environmental awareness among youth and their families with nature, oriented around the preservation of biodiversity and water resources The foundation currently has a twenty-youth membership from surrounding towns, with youth ages three to fifteen. One of its principal functions is to create and strengthen partnerships with other organizations such as MSU. Visionarios de Paz is interested in partnering with other organizations in order to provide more activities and reach a larger population.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/visionariosdepaz
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/visionariosdepaz/
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/visionarios-de-paz/
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Provided custom suggestions for authentic local and sustainable meals and lodging.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/greentico
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/greentico/
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/greeentico/
Webpage
www.grenticocr.com
Recent Programs
Projects for Peace Grant - Summer 2021
Visionarios de Paz’s first $10,000 grant to provide environmental education and build a greenhouse that currently works as an open classroom. During summer 2021, The organization took local and regional field trips to learn more about sustainable practices and projects doing similar work.
Clinton Global Initiative University (GCIU) Grant - Summer 2022
In the summer of 2022, GCIU provided economic support to continue experiential and environmental education and legally registered the foundation in Costa Rica.
Links
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/visionarios-de-paz-477976269/
Contact Information
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eganbria@msu.edu
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chris740@msu.edu
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