University Chapters

The inspiring story of Aprender began in 2004 when Gabriela Prado and James Womack moved from New York City to a farm in Las Salinas de Nahualapa, Nicaragua. A model of organic development, Fundacion Aprender (Learning Foundation) finds its roots in the community, encouraged by the spontaneous gatherings of local youth that Gabriela and James...

The inspiring story of Aprender began in 2004 when Gabriela Prado and James Womack moved from New York City to a farm in Las Salinas de Nahualapa, Nicaragua. A model of organic development, Fundacion Aprender (Learning Foundation) finds its roots in the community, encouraged by the spontaneous gatherings of local youth that Gabriela and James...

The inspiring story of Aprender began in 2004 when Gabriela Prado and James Womack moved from New York City to a farm in Las Salinas de Nahualapa, Nicaragua. A model of organic development, Fundacion Aprender (Learning Foundation) finds its roots in the community, encouraged by the spontaneous gatherings of local youth that Gabriela and James...

The inspiring story of Aprender began in 2004 when Gabriela Prado and James Womack moved from New York City to a farm in Las Salinas de Nahualapa, Nicaragua. A model of organic development, Fundacion Aprender (Learning Foundation) finds its roots in the community, encouraged by the spontaneous gatherings of local youth that Gabriela and James...

    Months and months of planning and anticipation brought myself and 11 other anxious volunteers to Toronto Pearson Airport; to commence upon a journey that would change the lives and perspectives of each volunteer forever. The beginning of the trip itself seemed almost surreal. After putting together all of the pieces it w...

Last month, I was one of a group of 12 disparate people from work (<http://www.quarry.com> ) who spent a week in Costa Rica with SOS, helping a group of nine women in a small, remote northwestern village realize their dream. Our task was to help the women’s association of Los Jazmines de Upala create a computer lab in the local sc...

  My last post (an embarrassing amount of months ago) was, of course, sceptical and critical about outreach trips and what they do. But, I'm back now from another one with all kinds of excitement about them... possibly partially influenced by the ridiculous amount of vitamin D we soaked up. This time, I'm back from Los Ja...

  My last post (an embarrassing amount of months ago) was, of course, sceptical and critical about outreach trips and what they do. But, I'm back now from another one with all kinds of excitement about them... possibly partially influenced by the ridiculous amount of vitamin D we soaked up. This time, I'm back from Los Ja...

"Shameless Idealists"- not just the title to Craig Kielburger's (*founder of Free the Children)  <http://www.freethechildren.com/>*) new seven-part CTV series <http://shows.ctv.ca/ShamelessIdealists.aspx>, but also the catch phrase I've been repeating in my head for the past 24 hours. Let me first intro...

"Shameless Idealists"- not just the title to Craig Kielburger's (*founder of Free the Children)  <http://www.freethechildren.com/>*) new seven-part CTV series <http://shows.ctv.ca/ShamelessIdealists.aspx>, but also the catch phrase I've been repeating in my head for the past 24 hours. Let me first intro...

It has been almost one month since I have been back from the SOS outreach trip to Nicaragua; and in this past month I've had time to really reflect on my experiences there. To be honest, I didn't think that an outreach trip could touch me as much as this one did. I knew going into it that there would definately be some crazy emot...

Highs: 1.       INTERACTING WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ·         In preparation for the trip, I studied Spanish out of a book for three weeks.  By the time of our departure, I considered myself quite conversational.  Being able to speak with the local...

Waterloo SOS sent a team of 22 volunteers down to Peru for our second annual educational development project.  It was an unforgettable experience for all involved!   We arrived in Lima (the capital of Peru) around 3:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, August 21.  Lima is a vibrant metropolis on the Pacific coast home to al...

As you know, my name is Mark and I have been one of SOS’ National Outreach Directors for just over a year now. I am in a bit of transition, but that won’t stop me from getting this blog up and rolling. Now, although you might know my name and what I do at SOS, you may not know much about me, so here is the low-down.   ...

Man... Every time I think about Nicaragua and the trip I get so motivated and energized... It really was the best experience of my life and I think most of the group would say the same. There are so many things to write about the trip, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from the trip even af...

August 16, 2010 It’s a 5:30 a.m. start to the day, because the rooster says so! There is really no option for sleeping in when he is circling our hut, determined for his wake-up call to be heard and answered.  We get ready for our first work day and head over to Raquel`s house to fuel up with a typical Costa Rican breakfast mad...

August 14, 2010 After a long day of travelling, we’ve finally arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica! Exiting the airport doors and feeling the cool San Jose air, it hits me for the first time that I am no longer in Canada. The air smells sweeter, the people are friendlier, and everywhere I look I see my favourite type of trees...Palm Tree...

  I have sat down to write this blog about a thousand (ten) times this week. I have a lot of first paragraphs. I’m over-thinking this and, in doing so, completely defeating the beauty of blogging. I guess this is not only a new blog, but new job for me, and I haven’t established my rhythm yet. So. Stuck on a fou...

  I have sat down to write this blog about a thousand (ten) times this week. I have a lot of first paragraphs. I’m over-thinking this and, in doing so, completely defeating the beauty of blogging. I guess this is not only a new blog, but new job for me, and I haven’t established my rhythm yet. So. Stuck on a fou...

I went to Nicaragua with an open mind and with no expectations so that nothing would catch me off guard. Little did I know it would be one of the best experiences of my life. Great opportunities weren't just thrown at me though; I had to make the best of every situation. I realized that the trip would only become what I made of it. Y...

I went to Nicaragua with an open mind and with no expectations so that nothing would catch me off guard. Little did I know it would be one of the best experiences of my life. Great opportunities weren't just thrown at me though; I had to make the best of every situation. I realized that the trip would only become what I made of it. Y...

One of the many things I learned from this trip, is that it's almost always worth it to step outside your comfort zone to engage with other people. Sometimes you might not speak the language very well, but even managing a simple greeting and a smile toward a stranger will produce a smile a...

Having managed over 250 student volunteers over the last five years, I can definitely say that volunteers are harder to manage than paid employees. Yet when a group of motivated volunteers work together well, the impact on them and on the organization’s goals is unparalleled in the world of 9 to 5. Having witnessed exceptional volun...