• Are you graduating from high school?
• Do you want to have an amazing international experience before going to college?
• Have you ever wondered about how to create impact  in a developing country?
• Do you want to help empower your peers?
• Are you ready to begin learning how to change your world?

Social Entrepreneur Corps has recently launched a new Gap Year Program in Guatemala for participants between high school and college called Youth Empowerment Corps.

Through classes, case studies, discussions, analysis, living with the local population, as well as through visits and active participation with NGOs, schools, local organizations and by shadowing and supporting local social entrepreneurs, Youth Empowerment Corps participants will have been impacted themselves while impacting their world.

Program Summary Facts

Youth Empowerment Corps participants will immerse themselves in three areas: rural economic and educational development, Guatemalan culture, and Spanish language.  Throughout the program, participants will:

Rural Economic/Educational Development    

• gain an understanding of the key differences, advantages, and disadvantages of varied international relief and development models
• gain knowledge of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the creation of successful social entrepreneurship models, implementation strategies, and tactics.
• learn effective strategies for training, mentoring, and supporting local low-income beneficiaries
• contribute to the identification and design of new social entrepreneurship opportunities for local constituents

Culture

• gain an understanding of Guatemala as well as the specific challenges confronting the rural Maya and low-income population
• feel comfortable interacting with the local population on a general, family, and individual level
• gain an understanding of the cultural and professional "do’s" and "don'ts" of living and working in a rural development environment such as Guatemala
• gain an understanding of how the rural population lives, works, and what they aspire to achieve

Spanish Language

• significantly improve their Spanish language capabilities
• gain an understanding of the nuance of language in developing country environments

Youth Empowering Youth

Youth Empowerment Corps participants will also have the opportunity to focus their time on working with Guatemalan youth.  Through volunteering in youth organizations and schools, developing a website about youth opportunities, creating community youth groups, and more, YEC participants will help to empower their peers in Guatemala.  While working to create access to knowledge and opportunities for youth in Guatemala, participants will find themselves learning a great deal as well from their Guatemalan peers.  “Youth empowering youth” is a mutually beneficial relationship – throughout the program, YEC participants and Guatemalan youth will learn to learn from each other.

Interested in learning more about this opportunity for 2010?

Download our Program Guide here.

If you are interested in this program, please contact us at [email protected].

Back to top>>>