Delegations

ATRAVES arranges innovative, custom programming for group delegations to Nicaragua. We invite students, professionals, women's groups, service organizations, and any group with an interest in learning or working in Nicaragua to read on.

If you're curious about participating in a delegation, let us know. There may be a delegation already being organized that you could join, or we can work together to design a program of effective volunteering, learning opportunities, cultural exchange and fun for you and your group. If you have an interest or idea for a trip, but no organization or group yet, we can work together to find people who share your interests. To get started, contact Brady Dunklee to discuss your ideas.

We'll have a conversation about your trip, and plan an itinerary and program. As each delegation is unique, we do not charge a flat fee, and we have experience in running extremely economical group programs. We can help you design a fundraising plan if you'd like to raise money to support your costs. Contact us to find out more.

Previous Examples of Group Trips

Service. In May 2008, ATRAVES hosted 18 undergraduate student volunteers from the Pangea World Service Team at the University of Michigan who played a key role in the organization and implementation of a month of health-related projects in the Barrio Anexo Camilo Ortega. Students lived with Nicaraguan host families and were directly involved in a 10-day community health clinic, participatory health workshops, distributing vegetable seedlings for home planting and programming to provide educational play for local children.

After working intensively throughout the week, students had the weekends off to visit other parts of Nicaragua on their own or through ATRAVES-led tours. We worked closely with Pangea World Service Team in the months leading up to the trip to assist with fundraising, to tailor the experience to their needs and to collaborate on project design. A group of the volunteers we hosted in May have formed an organization at their university to support the work of ATRAVES and plan to return to Nicaragua with us next May. Check out our project report to learn more about Health Month 2008.

ATRAVES can organize delegations to Managua and to many of our partner communities. We are committed to tailoring volunteer work to fit community priorities, fulfill participant interests, and achieve real results for everyone involved.

Study. In 2005 ATRAVES partnered with the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, in Providence, RI, to organize "Democracy, Citizenship and Education." This college-accredited course focused on comparative politics and history of education in the United States and Nicaragua. Participants attended a special lecture series from professors at a Managua university, visited schools and cultural events, and came to understand their experience through writing and reflection.

Many members of ATRAVES are professional teachers, including both executive directors. This professional background, and our contacts at a number of academic institutions, especially the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN), allows ATRAVES to providea wide variety of educational programming for delegation participants. We can deliver lecture series, workshops, reflection sessions, and hands-on, experience-based educational opportunities in a wide variety of topics related to Nicaragua.