Cross-Cultural Education Workshop 2012

Omprakash Cross-Cultural Education Workshop:
Connecting Communities, Opening Minds
Playa Potrero, Costa Rica
July 2nd – July 6th, 2012

The Omprakash network facilitates dialogue, collaboration, and experiential learning between a wide range of volunteers, classrooms, and grassroots social projects. With the support of Abriendo Mentes, one of our Partners in Costa Rica, we are thrilled to announce our plans for a five-day workshop that will enable diverse members of our network to come together for an exciting exchange of perspectives and a rigorous exploration of the following question:

How can we make cross-cultural interactions
mutually beneficial and mutually educational?

Scroll down or click a link for more info about:

• workshop overview
• our call for presentations 
• our offer of a travel stipend 
• our special volunteer grant 
• getting there

What is it?
The conference will bring together non-profit leaders, social innovators, volunteers, and professional educators to attend expert presentations and discussions about:
o dual-language instruction
o learning through inquiry
o cultural sensitivity
o environmental sustainability
o ethics and economics of international volunteering
o costs and benefits of different educational paradigms…and more!

Who is it?
Workshops and discussions will be led by local experts and by professional educators from several innovative schools in the USA. All Omprakash Partners and volunteers are welcome to attend. A modest travel stipend will be available to encourage all Omprakash Partners in Latin America to send at least one representative, and a special Volunteer Grant will be offered to help at least one volunteer plan and document the workshop.  See below for more details.

Where is it?
The conference will take place under the care and leadership of Abriendo Mentes, an Omprakash Partner operating community literacy programs in Playa Potrero, Guanacaste. This is an ideal location for Omprakash Partners in Central America and for North American volunteers in transit to or from Central or South America.  Affordable housing will be available for everyone.  

The cost to attend the workshop will be a flat fee of $20 for participants & $10 for presenters. 

Learn more about Pricing and accommodation options

When is it?
The conference will run from July 2nd-6th, 2012. For more details, please contact info@abriendomentes.org.

Download the flyer

Special Volunteer Grant 

ATTENTION: We are no longer accepting applications for the Volunteer Grant. Thank you for your interest!

To support Abriendo Mentes and to maximize the success of the workshop, Omprakash will be awarding a special Volunteer Grant to at least one applicant who is willing to help host the workshop and will commit to volunteering with Abriendo Mentes or another Omprakash Partner for a minimum of four weeks. Successful applicants will need to meet all of the regular expectations of our Volunteer Grant program, but should also be prepared for the duties and meet the description provided below. 

To apply, please send a letter of interest to info@omprakash.org in which you describe what makes you the ideal candidate for the position described below.

Duties
Assisting in the preparation of the workshop including coordination of arrival and accommodations of attendees, workshop location set-up and pre-event coordination of all activities and speakers.
Documentation of the workshop through photos, video and written material.

The ideal candidate will have...
-Superior organizational and communication skills
-Experience planning and executing events
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills
-Experience filming and photographing events
-Knowledge of video editing
-Ability to bring own equipment
- Bilingual fluency (Spanish and English)
- Passion for Global Education and Service
- Experience living abroad
- Intercultural Communication Skills (in addition to the excellent verbal and writtten)

Please title your email: '[Your name] Workshop Volunteer Grant Application.'

Travel Stipend Available

ATTENTION: We are no longer fielding inquiries for the travel stipend. Thank you for your interest!

To help bring together diverse members of our network-- especially Partners from Latin America-- we will be offering a limited number of stipends to help defray the costs of travel to Playa Potrero.  To apply for a stipend, please send a letter of interest to info@omprakash.org in which you address the following questions:

-Who are you, and what is your involvement in the Omprakash network?
-What do you expect to gain from attending this workshop, and what do you expect to contribute to it?
-What will be your projected itinerary and travel budget?

Please title your email: '[Your name] Workshop Travel Stipend Application.'

Call for Presenters

We encourage all members of our network to consider participating in this workshop!  Even if you can't attend in person, it is possible that you can deliver a presentation over Skype.  The deadline for proposals is May 15th.  Please refer to these instructions when submitting your proposal to present. You will be notified about your acceptance by June 1st.

Below we list the 6 topic areas for the 2012 Workshop, and, an extra-curricular category for evening and morning activities:

I. Global Education
(e.g. dual language instruction, language acquisition, literacy, math, special needs, project-based learning, arts-integrated learning, pedagogical frameworks, teaching for social justice, learning through inquiry, wellness in a learning community, multiple intelligences & differentiated learning, country-specific education system overview, positive discipline)

II. Culture
(e.g. intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity vs. cultural bulldozing)

III. Service
(e.g. Peace Corps Memoirs, an exploration of “service”, sexual abuse training)

IV. Technology
(e.g. technology in the classroom, harnessing technology in the developing world)

V. Environmental Sustainability
(e.g. Organic farming, urban agriculture, eco-construction technologies, green cleaning, healthy cooking, alternative energy, ecological literacy)

VI. Non-Profit Administration
(e.g. grant writing, budgeting, incorporation process, staffing models for NGOs, case studies)

Extra- Curricular
(e.g. yoga, cooking class, farm visits, school/ community development visits, film viewing, dance/movement class, sports games)

Sessions should be at least 20 minutes or more in length, and all sessions must be completed (including Q&A) within one hour. We encourage you to facilitate an interactive presentation that will be engaging for workshop attendees. You may submit more than one session, but priority will be given to providing as many presenters the chance to present as possible before accepting additional sessions from a particular presenter.

Submission Instructions
Please follow these instructions carefully. Please help out the administrative team of volunteers by making sure you complete your proposal thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Copy the following text (highlight and ctrl-c on your computer).  Paste it into an email, answer the questions clearly and thoughtfully, and send the email to info@omprakash.org.  

Please title your email: '[Your name] Workshop Presentation Proposal.'

Your Name and Title:
School or Organization Name:
Are you an Omprakash Partner? Yes or No
Co-Presenter(s) Name(s):
Do you plan to present in person, or via Skype?
Language in Which You Will Present:
Target Audience(s):
Short Session Description (one line):
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

Getting There

Travel to Potrero

Airport/Transportation Options: There are two international airports in Costa Rica, the closest to Potrero (one hour and a half) is Liberia airport, and the farthest (five hours) is San Jose Juan Santamaria airport. If possible, Liberia is the most convenient airport. But often if flying from other international locations San Jose can be a less expensive option. Be sure to check Jet Blue and Spirit along with the traditional airlines (Continental, Delta, and American) as they also fly into Costa Rica and usually offer good fares.

If traveling to Potrero from Liberia, Ecotrans private shuttle is the best option. Abriendo Mentes is able to set this shuttle service up for all participants; please send your flight information, full name and accommodation location to Meradith at info@abriendomentes.org and she will send you a confirmation number. The Ecotrans driver will be waiting outside of customs with a sign that says your name, and will bring you to Potrero and drop you at your accommodation spot. The cost of the shuttle is $25 if there are other passengers and $50 if you are alone.

If traveling to Potrero from San Jose, Interbus private shuttle is the best option (https://www.interbusonline.com/home/home.asp). You can book a shuttle online, but there are only two a day, one in the morning ~8am and one in the afternoon ~3pm. If your flight arrives later than 2pm you will need to stay the night in San Jose and take the 8am shuttle. We recommend Maleku Hostel for a budget option, but there are many other hotels around Alejuela where the airport is located. If you arrive to the airport and are able to take the shuttle the same day, we recommend booking the Interbus shuttle from the Hampton Inn hotel across from the airport to Bahia Esmeralda in Potrero (the shuttle will only go from hotel to hotel). You can reach the Hampton Inn on the free hotel shuttle from the airport. If you stay in San Jose overnight, check the options for pickup on the Interbus website, it is possible that Interbus will pick you up from your designated hotel. The cost of the shuttle is $40. Please email Meradith at info@abriendomentes.org with your reservation so that we know when you will arrive and we can arrange to meet you and take you to your accommodations.