Voices from Our Community

Northwestern Michigan College, NMC, is a two-year college located in Traverse City, Michigan.  They have “partnered” with Great Lakes Friends of Safe Passage and are promoting student involvement.  They have a trip planned to visit Guatemala in May.

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Students must be prepared to work and learn effectively in a global and multi-cultural environment.  Northwestern Michigan College has made a conscious attempt to explore ways to prepare students to be socially responsible leaders.  As the world becomes more interconnected, NMC has made a commitment to educate students who are engaged global citizens.  Toward that end, during the fall semester of 2007, the NMC Safe Passage organization was developed to meet that need.

The NMC Safe Passage Organization is affiliated with the established Great Lakes Friends of Safe Passage and works collaboratively with them to accomplish the goal to help educate the children whose parents work on the Guatemala City dump.   In May of 2008, 11 students and 2 faculty members will be the first participants in a program designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience a cross-cultural exchange and to participate in a service-learning experience in a developing country.

A unique feature of the program is the requirement that students must attain a level of cultural competency before they participate in this volunteer opportunity.  This cultural learning requirement expects that students will attend presentations, events, speaker forums specifically related to topics and issues specific to Latin America, in general, and Guatemala, in particular. The purpose of this aspect of the program is to prepare students for their volunteer experience in Guatemala by increasing their awareness of a global culture, integrating ideas and becoming aware of the differences and similarities between the Guatemalan culture and their own.