Alternative Winter Break 2018: Maun, Botswana

From Maun, Botswana, Livingston, Zambia and Hwange, Zimbabwe.

After travelling for over 19 hours/30 minutes and 7,484 miles, 16 students, 2 administrators, 2 Faculty and alumni arrived in early January to the bustling little town of Maun. Filled with enthusiasm, the students were ready and excited to embark on a two-weeks service and leadership adventure in Maun, Botswana, Livingstone, Zambia and Hwange, Zimbabwe.

Each year the Division of Campus Life sponsors leadership and service trips which focus on the intersections of race, class and gender.  Students selected to participate will agree to pay a travel fee, with a portion of the experience subsidized by the Division of Campus Life.  This year, we are excited to announce that we will be traveling to Maun, Botswana, January  2-14, 2018 to explore the intersections of privilege and desperation.

During the trip we will be working with Love Botswana Outreach Missions located in Matlapaneng, Maun with planned visits to the Royal Tree Lodge and Victoria Fall in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Students can expect to:

  1. examine trends (e.g. demographic, historical, legal) in race, ethnicity, class, and gender that shape and reshape diversity in Southern Africa.
  2. Study issues of social injustice and economic inequality that emerge from and also influence these trends.
  3. Critically examine the systems of power and privilege used to exploit and control varying segment of global community.
  4. locate yourself in a multicultural society and thoughtfully consider (and reconsider) what you think and how you act toward “others”
  5. Explore and discard stereotypes of “others” and yourself
  6. Develop a responsible position toward social justice issues and public policy

How to Apply

Please submit cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please highlight why you are interested in participating in the program, what social issue(s) you have a personal interest in examining and what you hope to be able to bring back to the campus as result of your participation in the experience. All material are due to Union 214 by October 4, 2017.

Program Advisors

  • Maggie Cross, Director of the Office of Co-Curricular Programs
  • Sidiq Soulemana, Assistant Director for the Center for Intercultural Advancement