We are defined by our focused commitment to the undergraduate experience. It builds an extraordinary foundation from which you can build an extraordinary future.

Student Application Submissions:

1. Please complete the online application form between December 1, 2022, and January 6, 2023. You can find the application HERE.

2. Submit a letter of support that confirms you are a strong fit for the opportunity from someone (Elder, Professor, community member, employer or other) who can speak to why you are an excellent candidate for this program. Please submit your letter of support HERE.

 

Students will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of January.

 

Application Requirements:

Student applicants should:

• Have completed at least one term of studies at their home university

• Be in good academic standing at the end of the Fall 2022 term

• Demonstrate curiosity about other cultures and have an interest in international experiences

• Be open to sharing their Indigenous culture with fellow participants and partners in Belize through language, knowledge, teachings, and ceremony

 

Previous international experience is not a requirement, nor will students with previous international experience be disadvantaged.

 

Other Considerations:

• Students will be required to participate in a Pre-Departure Gathering from May 3 – 5, 2023

• There will be walking and/or hiking in hot temperatures that requires a moderate level of physical fitness

• Accommodations in Belize will be of a different style than in Canada and may require students to double up in their room

 

Program Funding:

Through the generous funding of the Government of Canada Global Skills Opportunity program, students are eligible for up to $10,000CAD to cover the following:

• Tuition for one 3-credit course 

• Return airfare to Belize  

• Accommodation in Belize for 14 days 

• Meals (3 meals per day for 14 days)  

• Travel health insurance  

• In-country transportation and other program-related fees 

• Costs related to the pre-departure gathering (travel, meals, etc.)

 

A supplemental application form will be available for students to apply for additional funding to cover costs such as dependent care, passport applications, vaccinations, and other.

 

Passport:

If you do not have a passport, please apply for one now. It is important that students ensure that their passport expiration date is not within six months of the completion of the trip. If your passport is set to expire within six months of completion of the trip, please apply to renew your passport now, as the process can take several weeks.

 

Information About the Program Coordinators:

Genner LLANES-ORTIZ - Is a Maya researcher from Yucatán, México, currently working as an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies in the Department of Sociology at Bishop's University (BU). The university is located in the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki people. BU has also nominated Genner for a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Digital Indigeneities. His research examines the creative ways in which Indigenous Peoples employ digital media and technologies to reclaim, revitalize and mobilize their linguistic and historical heritage as well as their vibrant contemporary cultures. Genner also investigated how Indigenous knowledge is represented and integrated in intercultural education projects in Latin America. His work has also examined the role of Indigenous artistic forms (music, cinema, performance) in language revitalization, anti-racism and decolonization. In all these research projects, Genner has worked collaboratively with NGOs and Indigenous organizations in Mexico, Ecuador, Belize and Guatemala.

Genner graduated as a Social Anthropologist from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY) in Mexico and obtained a DPhil in Social Anthropology at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the “Indigeneity in the Contemporary World” project at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), and later at the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) in Mexico City. Before moving to Canada, Genner was an Assistant Professor of Heritage of Indigenous Peoples in the Faculty of Archaeology and a board member of the Centre for Indigenous America Studies (CIAS) at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

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Contact Information:

Mount Allison University: studyabroad@mta.ca

Acadia University: chelsea.hanoun@acadiau.ca 

Bishop’s University: exchange@ubishops.ca

St. Francis Xavier University: exchange@stfx.ca