SGC El Salvador & Guatemala Experience

This 3-credit summer travel course is open to Shomer Shabbat undergrads at any university, especially those who are career-minded, communally minded, and chessed-oriented. 

It will primarily benefit students interested in finance/economics, STEM, sociology, pre/public/allied health, education, politics, art, history, psychology, and Jewish studies. 

Reconsider if you are looking for luxury accommodation, do not enjoy packing light, or are not good with deadlines.

Testimonials:

"Serving as a faculty chaperone on the mission to Guatemala and El Salvador was one of the most memorable student opportunities I have experienced in nearly ten years working at YU. Our trip was a whirlwind adventure that fostered a profound appreciation for the rich heritage of Central America and expanded students' understanding of their own place in the world."                            - Jon Greenfield, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations, YU

From past mission participants: 

"A highly rewarding investment in yourself and your future."  - Leora S.  

"Hands down the most fun, intense, and meaningful course at YU."  - Donny Y

“Amazing opportunity to make new friendships, a huge Kiddush Hashem, and balloon animals!”  - Shmuel D.

"To truly understand why migration from Central America happens and why it remains such a hot topic, there's no better way than to immerse yourself in a program like this where you'll see how people eke out a living, meet political leaders, and return with a renewed appreciation for our material blessings."   - Shayna L.

Application

Use YUCL ID #233860 to apply by April 16th to receive the $500 Shevet Glaubach Center (SGC) subsidy and FREE flights. 

You'll need both an approved resume and a detailed cover letter (Tip: Carefully review the position posting on YUCL for instructions re: what to include. Additional resume & cover letter templates/guides are available on our canvas resource hub). 

Non-YU students should email these directly to daniel.coleman@yu.edu along with a Rabbinic reference.

Course fee

The course fees cover the cost of the trip, including your insurance, accommodation, domestic travel, food, and activities while overseas. 

An initial non-refundable deposit of $1300 will be due by April 21st.

The balance will be due by May 15th.

Your timely payments are crucial for us to pay our overseas deposits on time. Failure to meet these deadlines may mean that you'll be unable to participate in this program and forfeit your deposit. 

Students that sign up late (if there's still space on the Mission) will be responsible for booking flights at their own expense before the program begins.

Fundraising

We ask that you raise $100 (minimum) to support specific programs/NGOs while in Guatemala. This will enable us to make a bigger impact during our trip, as will friends/family members who help you purchase supplies from the wish-list that our partners request to bring with us. 

Yes. But don’t drink the tap water! 

This is YU's 4th trip to Guatemala since 2003 (and second to El Salvador). Each Mission is reviewed by YU's Risk department, and additionally, we liaise with the local Israeli embassy.

We'll stay near Comunidad Judia de Guatemala (CJG), the Orthodox community's campus in the capital's upscale hotel district, and also in the idyllic UNESCO World Heritage town of Antigua. 

Scores of Jewish and general groups (and tens of thousands of families and individuals) visit the region each year, thankfully without incident. These range from medical missions, groups of Jewish young professionals, Jewish high schools, and others.

Guatemala is one of the world's most pro-semitic countries and was among the first to move its embassy to Yerushalayim!  Their President even speaks fluent Hebrew!

A lot. 

You'll learn Spanish (through formal lessons and speaking with the locals)

You’ll learn about yourself and your peers. 

You’ll learn and build on the 8 NACE career competencies that employers most desire. 

You’ll learn about healthcare disparities and the social determinants of health. 

And much more! 

Plenty. 

We'll pack in a lot on our long layover in El Salvador, seeing major sights and visiting the Jewish community.

You'll get a really good feel for Guatemalans, their history, country and culture. 

Weather-permitting we'll get up close to a live volcano, see some of the country's most popular tourist attractions, and enjoy the beautiful countryside.  

1. Purchase and read our core text: (TBD) in preparation for our first group discussion.

2. Prepare to share a 2-5 minute Dvar Torah with your peers and/or Jewish community.

3. Engage in some pre-reading about the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and NACE competencies.

4. Consider the types of things that NGOs/communities/families in poor areas without access to clean water and regular electricity may need. (We'll aim to bring with us many of the items they request.)

5. Read about Ethical Volunteering and the Savior complex. Start here.

Once your full application has been reviewed and accepted, we'll proceed to create a group booking to Guatemala's international airport (GUA).

If you're coming independently:

Be sure to arrive by noon on Tuesday May 26th and depart no earlier than 5pm on Thursday June 4th.

We recognize that students may come from different regions and encourage you to use Google Flights or an agent/site of your choice to book the option that works best for you.  Sample outbound and return flights. (Note: you don't have to take the same airline in both directions and will likely have less luggage on the return as we'll have donated many of the items we bring with.)

~2 weeks before departure, we'll share a spreadsheet with everyone's travel details to help you coordinate travel with others on your flight, and we'll confirm transport arrangements to meet up with the group.

The course will be led by Rabbi Daniel Coleman, Sr. Associate Director of Career Advising at the Shevet Glaubach Center (SGC), and Chaplain in the US Air Force Reserves (USAF-R). He's led multiple groups to both El Salvador and Guatemala; Read about his first YU trip here. 

He will be accompanied by Dr. Jill Katz, Department Chair, Sociology, on her 3rd YU trip to Guatemala, and Dr. Ronnie Perelis, Chair of Sephardic Studies Department. 

Email daniel.coleman@yu.edu

Pictures from prior mission.

Testimonials from past mission participants: 

"Enjoyed exploring topics like law, lawlessness, and restitution, subsequent to their Civil War... especially the Israeli ambassador discuss her work and how Guatemala became one of Israel’s closest allies..."   Shiffy M.

"Hands down the most fun, intense, and meaningful course at YU."  - Donny Y.

"A highly rewarding investment in yourself and your future."  - Leora S.  

“Amazing opportunity to make new friendships, a huge Kiddush Hashem, and balloon animals!”  - Chaim H.

"To truly understand why migration from Central America happens and why it remains such a hot topic, there's no better way than to immerse yourself in a program like this where you'll see how people eke out a living, meet political leaders and return with a renewed appreciation for our material blessings."  - Shani Z.

Here are some items to source from family, friends, peers, and community members to support the communities, clinics, and schools we'll visit Iy"H:

Pro tip: Outsource some of this to a sibling and/or ask a parent to post on your Shul/community WhatsApp group or newsletter!

Got a friendly dentist?    Ask if they can donate a bunch of toothbrushes and mini or full-size toothpastes.

Got a Doctor/pediatrician?    Ask if they’ll share/donate (sample size) baby formula and a box/pack or 3 of face-masks (any size)

                  Also:  Pediatric nutritional supplements, vitamins/supplements for children, Syringes (oral and medical use), Baby bottles, Baby wipes

Got a relative or sibling who works in or goes to a school?    Ask them to run a short drive/collection for common classroom items (not notebooks  - they’re too heavy)  e.g. packs of pens/pencils/crayons, glue sticks, liquid glue, bright and black construction paper, packs of sharpeners and erasers, whiteboard and permanent markers, medium scissors, masking tape, thick popsicle sticks, silicone glue sticks + glue gun(s), skewer/BBQ sticks, tempera paints, origami paper, balloons, colored cellophane, contact paper; Bluetooth speakers; feminine hygiene pads

Know a pharmacist?   One of the clinics we’ll visit seeks OTC medications (eg. Multivitamins, pain relievers) – they can be close to expiry for pharmacists wanting to offload “almost expired” products