General Information / Experiential Learning

At ICDS we take advantage of multiple opportunities to reinforce and amplify themes of classroom study through extracurricular activities to give students concrete, hands on, personal encounters with a variety of Central American cultural and social phenomena. At the same time, classroom discussions encourage students to reflect on these experiences and their reactions to them. This deepens students' comprehension of the theoretical debates surrounding the phenomena, at the same time as it provides students with an intellectual framework for making sense of the disorientation or "de-centering" so often felt by those living in a foreign culture for the first time.

Some complementary activities in ICDS programs are:

• Tours of the Pre-Colombian Gold Museum and National Museum in San Jose, seeing first hand the stunning craftsmanship of pre-Colombian artisans
• Field trips to the Orosi Valley, walking through the ruins of colonial churches
• Private presentations by an Afro-Costa Rican musical group as part of the exploration of the theme of racial and ethnic identity formation
• Hiking and learning about the cloud forest ecosystem at "Estación Biológica Cuerici" or at La Selva Biological Station in the lowlands of the North Atlantic zone
• Field trips to Earth University (Escuela de Agricultura de la Región del Trópico Húmedo) where students have a chance to see human development concepts at work through activities such as lodging with local families at traditional Costa Rican farms, visiting the botanical and medicinal plant gardens, working at the organic agriculture and integrated livestock farm, hiking at the forest reserve, and observing the work at the banana plantation and processing plant, as well as interacting with the student population at EARTH.
• Visits to Costa Rican and international institutions, such as the Asamblea Legislativa (Congress), the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Ombudsman's Office, the Inter-American Human Rights Court, and UN's University for Peace.

In short, hands-on experiences outside of the classroom are a key component of our students' intellectual and academic experience.

Internship and Research Opportunities at ICDS

Internship and research projects give ICDS students the opportunity to put into practice what they learn in the classroom and to use their Spanish skills, to be involved with leading practitioners in the field, and to contribute to the efforts for sustainable human development in Costa Rica.

The following are examples of internship and co-op opportunities available through ICDS. Other placements are offered, but depend on ICDS’s and partner institutions’ current projects as well as the current political and social situations of the country (for example, during election years an internship with one of the presidential campaigns might be offered).

Placements in both research internships and work co-ops are determined based on students’ interest, language proficiency, and research skills and experience, as well as the host institution’s needs. For research projects, students should submit preliminary research proposals when choosing an internship site.

ICDS: Corporate Social Responsibility

• Carry out interviews and research to develop case studies of Best Practices of CSR in Costa Rica
• Develop training modules to teach companies and other organizations about CSR

ALIARSE: www.aliarse.org
Corporate Social Responsibility && Public-Private Partnerships for Development

ALIARSE, is a Public-Private Consortium for sustainability and development in Costa Rica. With an awareness of the economic, social and environmental challenges that Costa Rica is facing, ALIARSE serves a catalyst to facilitate public-private interaction in the pursuit of the common good. Through its actions ALIARSE helps strengthen a national culture committed to social responsibility for sustainable development in Costa Rica.
Volunteering and service learning opportunities are available through ALIARSE’s member organizations and projects Find Aliarse' last case study publication "Alianzas para el desarrollo: Motor de la responsabilidad social" at the following link:
http://aliarse.org/documentos/ALIARSE%20completo%20-%20version%20digital.pdf

Costa Rica Multilingüe
ALIARSE also acts as the project coordinator of the Costa Rican Presidential House initiative "Costa Rica Multilingüe," a project aiming to make the country more competitive by improving the language skills of its citizens.

Volunteering and service learning opportunities are available through ALIARSE’s member organizations and projects, such as volunteering as an English teacher to contribute with project Costa Rica Multilingüe’s main objective of improving the English levels of inhabitants of tourism-based communities in Costa Rica so they may benefit from the positive effects tourism can generate.

ASTRADOMES (Asociación de Trabajadoras Domésticas) / Association of Domestic Workers

• Assist with office and administrative tasks and association activities related to awareness of domestic workers’ rights and relevant legislation and events.
• Research option: Research topics related to the situation of domestic workers in Costa Rica such as labor rights, working conditions, and migration

Defensoría de los Habitantes / Ombudsman Office

• Participate in the work of the Ombudsman’s Office in protecting the rights of special populations such as women, migrants, children, or indigenous groups.
• Research option: Research and analyze the Defensoría’s work on a specific topic or contribute to the Defensoría’s research on the conditions of a specific vulnerable population

Fútbol por la vida / Football for Life

• Work in an NGO that seeks to use sports to give young people in marginalized areas a positive sphere for development, identity formation, and learning.
• Participate the expansion of Football schools and related programs to other areas in the Central Valley as well as help to improve and expand existing schools
• Participate in the Football schools as instructors, volunteers, and teachers, helping children learn football skills, develop positive role models and goals, and building a safe space for young people to enjoy themselves and learn.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

• Research human rights conditions in Latin America
• Participate in research on human rights issues and cases; translate documents and participate in the work of the court.

ILANUD

• Research crime prevention, access to justice, and other topics related to current projects.

Marketing (various placements)

• Assist in developing promotional materials and awareness campaigns for a small Costa Rican NGO

Municipality of Curridabat

• Work on projects in a number of municipal offices, especially environment, women, and education while learning about local government
• Develop a recycling program for the town
• Research waste water management in the municipality and ways to reduce water usage.

Pavas Clinic

• Work with the social action office of the Clinic, participate as part of a community health team, visiting patients in the community
• Research the cooperative health model of the clinic, public health system in Costa Rica, or specific health issues prevalent in the marginalized area where the clinic operates

Clínica Biblica Hospital

• Internships in Tropical Medicine and nursing coops are available through the Hospital

PANIAMOR

• Work on campaigns to protect children’s rights nationally and internationally.
• Research the conditions of children in special circumstances (immigrants, in extreme poverty, indigenous, etc.)

AGECO (Asociación Gerontológica Costarricense)

• Coordinate and lead special programs for senior citizens including exercise, dance, or language classes