In collaboration with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, DRCLAS will be offering an 8-week Summer Internship Program on Sustainable Development in Mexico during the summer of 2010.  Harvard College students will work alongside Mexican students on specific Sustainable Development projects in rural communities in southern and central Mexico.  Internship opportunities will vary from site to site. 

Students will be placed at the following community development project sites during the summer of 2010:

• >> Strengthening Health and Social Development - Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán
• >> Traditional Medicine and Developing an Ectourism Industry - Amatlán, Morelos 
• >> Addressing Nutrition, Housing, and Education Needs - Huixcazhdá and Pachuca, Hidalgo
  
• >> Community Training and Empowerment - Cuichapa, Veracruz
  

The 2010 program will run from May 30 to July 24. Upon arrival in Mexico, students will be given a one-week cultural orientation, co-organized by DRCLAS and the Tec de Monterrey, before they travel to one of the project sites. Each student will be paired with a Mexican student from the Tec, have a faculty supervisor from the Tec's local campuses, and live in student dormitories on campus or with local families.  A week-long concluding session will bring all program participants together in Cuernavaca.

The program fee for 2010 will be $2500, which will include housing, most meals, and transportation within Mexico.  Airfare to Mexico is not included.  Prospective participants should also take into account the cost of any personal travel that they might wish to undertake over the weekends during their stay in Mexico, as well as miscellaneous expenses for entertainment, snacks, etc.  Please see this link for a sample budget that might be of use when planning for the summer and when applying for program funding.  A limited amount of financial aid is available through the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.  To be considered for this financial assistance, prospective participants should complete the appropriate section of the application form.  Eligible applicants are also strongly encouraged to apply for support through the David Rockefeller International Experience Grant program, which is administered by Harvard's Office of International Programs (OIP).  The David Rockefeller International Experience Grant requires a separate application, which is due on February 12, 2010.

The application for the 2010 SIPSD program is available here and through the link below.  Applicants are encouraged to submit the application form electronically by saving a completed version of the application form as a PDF file and sending it via e-mail, along with a personal statement and CV/resume to Hal Jones at DRCLAS at hmjones@fas.harvard.edu.  Applications are due at 5:00 PM on Friday, February 12, 2010, and applicants will be interviewed at DRCLAS in early March. 

For more information, please contact Hal Jones at 617-495-0755 or hmjones@fas.harvard.edu.