Natik and AAPLAC!
hope you’re enjoying the pumpkins and leaves of October! 🍂🍁🍂
In addition to supporting our grassroots partners in Guatemala and Chiapas, one of Natik’s strategic goals is to cultivate ways that Natik and our partners can contribute to the north-south dialog in meaningful ways.
An exciting step in that direction is that Natik will co-host the 34th Annual AAPLAC Conference on Culture, Sustainability, and Environment in Latin America on March 8-11, 2023,
The AAPLAC conference is the gathering of academics who organize and lead travel abroad programs and on site program providers like Natik. We all share the conviction that it’s worth the effort to create circumstances for reciprocal exchanges between students from the US who have the privilege of being able to travel at will and people who live in marginalized areas who have fewer choices. Find out more by visiting the AAPLAC Conference Page.
Many study abroad programs prioritize expediency by contracting language schools that add on touristy excursions and/or volunteer activities to satisfy University "cultural exchange" requirements.
By contrast, Natik belongs to AAPLAC because the members prioritize long-term relationships of trust and reciprocity in the communities where the students visit. That is easier said than done, and it helps when we can share our frustrations and innovations with each other.
It’s an honor to belong to a group of professionals who are committed to participating in an ongoing, collective process of experiential knowledge construction regarding the north-south dialog.
Natik is also always looking for creative ways for students to contribute to our partners' work in their communities, and it's inspiring to learn about how other organizations do it!
The AAPLAC conferences are lively events, and we'd love it if you'd like to join us in Palenque! Also, if you know someone involved in study abroad in Latin America or the Caribbean, please be sure to forward this email.
As always--- Thanks for being there!
🍀 🌞 🍀 Anita
Executive Director
