Supervised Field Studies

Albergue Bolivia, Ciudad Juárez
Run by a private organization, but working closely with the Mexican governmental office Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), Algergue Bolivia temporarily shelters Mexican mnors, mostly males, ages 12-17 deported by the U.S. Upon deportation, DIF officials take them to the shelter to wait for their families to pick them up or arrange passage home. Housing 10-60 minors, the small staff tries to orient and educate them about the dangers of immigrating illegally to the U.S. Suffering from run-down facilities and lack of funding for recreational items like sports equipment, books, games, and educational materials, these teens get very bored, often thinking up ways to escape the guarded, barbwire-lined facilitiy. Students will plan activities for the teens and could work on a research project about children polleros/coyotes (people paid to cross immigrants into the U.S.).

Biblioteca Infantil, Ciudad Juárez
This grassroots organization provides much needed after-school programming, scholarships, and family social work to children in one of the poorest areas of Juárez: the Rancho Anapra colonia. Senora Cristina, a colonia resident founded the organziation due to a gap in the children's educations:public schools are underserved. Families deal with tremendous obstacles to provide support for their children: low wages, long work shifts, and single-parent families where alcoholism and domestic violence often arise. Students will independently teach one or more groups of elementary-middle school aged children as well as work with Cristina to decide on material and strategies for working with the children. Subjects include Math, Spelling, Reading, Writing, English, Geography, etc.

Centro Comunitario Siglo XXI, Ciudad Juárez
This community center is located in one of the newest colonias, Siglo XXI, on Juárez's extreme western edge. It is characterized by young families with children, a lack of water and sewage infastructure, and underserved schools. The families have a strong sense of community and heavily participate in the center's activities, which provide a basic affordable medical clinic, a homework club, computer classes, sports programming, support groups for mothers, and social workers.They are excited to have an intern with experience teaching English. Without an English teacher, unlike the majority of Juárez's public schools, students are in a disadvantaged position. Interns must be proficient in Spanish, as the population served speaks very little English.

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