Has your yoga practice inspired you to learn about how to engage in service in a responsible and sustainable way? Are you interested in being part of a hands-on learning experience and cultural immersion that is rooted in education, empowerment, and engagement? Do you wish to be a part of something that has long-lasting positive impact on communities both locally and abroad?
From Home to Haiti is a 7-month exploration into the heart of yoga and service.
Yoga Home, in collaboration with Hope for Haiti, has designed a meaningful curriculum to support a transformational journey that builds community, encourages critical thinking about being a more thoughtful, engaged global citizen, and raises awareness around issues currently impacting Haiti, with a focus on listening closely to the needs of the communities visited. The work we do together as a group prior to our service learning trip will educate and prepare students for our time together in Haiti, as well as empower each individual to show up in a more meaningful way at home, in our own communities. Our curriculum prior to travel, while in Haiti, and after returning home allows time for deep reflection and processing to integrate our experience.
Dates: April – November 2018
Location: Yoga Home & Les Cayes, Southern Haiti
Includes: A Yogic Approach to Service Learning 7-Month Curriculum and In-Country Cultural Immersion
From Home to Haiti will be led by Yoga Home co-founder Maura Manzo and teachers Kristie McCourt and Allison Russell. Together, their experiences in international service and travel organization, facilitating transformational personal growth, and application of yoga practices in modern life will guide and prepare participants for a well-rounded, immersive experience that will have an impact long after program completion.
Together, Yoga Home and Hope for Haiti share a vision for a better world that exists and is possible through education, engagement, community, and service.
Pre-Trip Curriculum (A Yogic Approach to Service Learning)
You will be required to attend and be present for all of the below dates. Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Hope for Haiti Orientation: providing education on Hope for Haiti’s mission, the history and current state of Haiti, and necessary travel preparation
- Exploration of Power and Privilege dynamics
- The Do’s and Don’ts of International Service: Bearing Witness, Taking Responsibility, and Doing Good Work
- Examination of intentions vs. impact when being of service
- Yoga as a tool for personal growth and development off the mat, including self-regulation tools
- Team building exercises to prepare for time together in Haiti, develop trust, relationships and communication skills
- Students will be required to purchase books necessary to support this curriculum. All other training materials and resources will be provided.
About the Trip (Cultural Immersion & Service Learning Trip)
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has struggled with political instability for most of its history. On top of political troubles, Haiti’s history includes terrible earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires. Haiti is also one of the 193 countries that have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has set itself the goal of becoming an emerging country and economy by 2030.
Hope for Haiti is an innovative international development organization that has been working in Haiti for 28 years. The organization partners with private donors to create community-based sustainable change through a grassroots and strategic holistic approach. Their approach is a model that connects, heals, and empowers rural communities on the road to sustainable, long-term development, working to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children.
Yoga Home’s vision is to create a holistically based community of empowered, happy and healthy individuals. Their mission is to educate and empower individuals through the art and science of yoga, engage in sustainable community outreach and support the spiritual growth and evolution of all our members. In partnering with Hope for Haiti, Yoga Home wishes to support both the individual and collective growth of participants, as well as provide an experience that demonstrates yoga in action. Creating a deeper connection to self and to others around the world helps fosters a deeper sense of purpose and cultivates a world that embodies respect and compassion for all.
From Home to Haiti aims to provide a safe and culturally sensitive opportunity for participants to make positive change in Haiti through direct service in Hope for Haiti’s core programmatic areas of education, healthcare, infrastructure, clean water, and economic development.
Each day in country will be an authentic, engaging experience educating participants about the history, culture, challenges and opportunities that exist within the Haitian context. Through daily reflection and discussion, trip leaders and Hope for Haiti staff will facilitate dialogue that helps develop a deeper understanding as it relates to responsible philanthropy, global education, international development, service, and humanitarian ideals.
Important Dates
Service Learning Trip (to Haiti): November 4 – 10, 2018
Required Pre-Trip Dates (at Yoga Home):
- Saturday, April 14: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
- Friday, May 18: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
- Saturday, June 16: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
- Saturday, July 21: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
- Saturday, August 11: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
- Saturday, September 15: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
- Wednesday, October 3: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Investment: $3,500
A nonrefundable $500 program fee will be due to Yoga Home at the time of acceptance into this program. This covers administrative costs and mandatory pre-trek curriculum. This does not cover books required for training.
$3,000 for service learning and cultural immersion trip:
- Includes travel to and from Haiti
- All accommodations, including meals and on the ground transportation in Haiti
- All participants will be covered under Hope for Haiti’s travel insurance policy through AIG. This includes: in-country medical treatment, evacuation insurance, hospitalization, transport, and other necessary medical procedures.
- Funding for Hope for Haiti’s core programmatics
Not included in fee:
- Any vaccination, should you choose to obtain.
- You will have the choice, should you wish, to fundraise the cost of the trip ($3000) through a platform provided by Hope for Haiti. Fundraising support is not part of the curriculum for this project.
- It is up to the individual to raise the funds required for travel meeting each deadline accordingly.
50% non-refundable payment due by: March 1, 2018 via Hope for Haiti’s Classy Platform
100% non-refundable due by: May 18, 2018 via Hope for Haiti’s Classy Platform
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted by Monday, February 5. Applicants will be notified no later than Monday, February 12 about their acceptance into the program, at which time nonrefundable program fee is due. Applicants will have one week to secure their space in this program. (Application process begins January 15)
Books to Purchase
1) Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
2) Select any book by Edwidge Danticat
3) Consciousness in Action by Andrew Beath
Questions?
Reach out to Maura, Kristie or Allison directly. (Click on their name to email!)
Review our FAQs Here. (Coming Soon!)
