Community Based Child Welfare in Guatemala (SASS 375D/575)
3 credits
Develop an international perspective in social work, and learn about child welfare from a community development perspective in a low-resource Central American country. Understand the socio-political factors that influence child welfare programs in the nongovernmental sector in Guatemala. Experience living, learning and traveling in a small-group setting while studying child welfare issues, social services and indigenous community practice.
Enhance your Spanish-speaking skills with one-on-one Spanish lessons every morning. In the afternoon, explore the roles of the helping professions in child welfare via agency visits, lectures and collaborations with Guatemalan professionals. Participants will develop a learning activity and administer the program to Guatemalan children as part of an after-school program.
The study abroad trip to Guatemala reaffirmed for me why I chose to join the social work profession. It was inspiring and encouraging to spend a week in another country and to learn from the people who live there along with my classmates. I am so happy I had this opportunity, and I cannot wait to draw on my experiences in Guatemala for years to come.
—Meghan Kusina, social work student, Guatemala 2017