Mexico Summer Project

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Mexico Summer Project 2009
June 25th to August 8th

Intercultural Exchange · Service Work · Learning

What is the Summer Project in Mexico?

Nahua women working with Project participants to put in a new floor in the community seed house (2006).

Now in its seventieth year, the Mexico Summer Project brings together young people from different countries for seven weeks of intercultural exchange, service work, and reflective learning among the indigenous communities of rural Mexico.

In 2009, participants will stay in the beautiful mountains of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, Mexico. They will live as a community among the local Nahua and Totonac indigenous groups, work on projects helpful to their communities, eat local food, share stories, and learn together.

• Read more about Sierra Norte de Puebla >
• Read more about Nahua and Totonac indigenous groups >

Participants speak Spanish at all times for the duration of the project, as it is the only language common to all participants and indigenous communities where they live.

In 2009, half of the participants will be youth from the United States, while the other half will be from Mexico and other countries. The cross-cultural friendships between participants are a unique and dynamic aspect of the program.

Project participants with community children in Xonocuatla (2006).

The Mexico Summer Project is a collaborative effort of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Philadelphia, SEDEPAC (Service, Development, and Peace, A.C.) located in Mexico City and the UNITONA (United Indigenous Totonaca and Nahuatl) located in the Sierra Norte de Puebla.

Through the Mexico Summer Project, participants learn openness to diverse cultures and expand their consciousness of racial and economic inequality worldwide.

• Read more about SEDEPAC >
• Read more about UNITONA >

What do you do in Sierra Norte de Puebla?

Participants and community members begin to construct a water catchment tank (2008).

After four days of orientation, including a 3-day home stay with a local host family, participants are divided into five groups. Each group of 10 to 14 participants includes two project facilitators. Each diverse team lives as a community; they share chores and cooking responsibilities, and sleep on cots in a room in a school or community building. 

Youth teams will spend their mornings on assigned projects for sustainable development and other physical work helpful in the community such as constructing water tanks or environmentally safe stove, working in the fields, hauling fire wood, repairing walk ways, etc.  In the afternoon, participants will engage with local families in cooking, arts, music, language workshops and other interactive, cultural activities.

Participant helps haul firewood for cooking.

Project activities are done in collaboration with the Indigenous families. Projects for sustainable development are determined by the UNITONA and SEDEPAC based on community needs. Workshops are enriched by the skills and interests of participants and community members.

Participants should not come to learn Spanish nor to boost their ego by helping those in need. The principal objective is to give and receive in a cultural exchange with others, to learn from local systems of community organization, and to reclaim values of justice, multi-cultural relations, and cooperation.

• Find out how to be a project facilitator >

Does this describe you?

• You are between 18 and 26 years old.
• You are proficient in Spanish.
• You are physically able to meet the demands of the project.
  (Find more information on health requirements.)
  Please note, a pre-project physical examination is required.
• You can commit for the full seven weeks, June 25 - August 8, 2009.
• You are willing to live in a group setting with little privacy, in a remote rural area of Mexico.
• You are eager to learn from those who are different from you.
• You want to develop a broader global vision.

What does it cost?

• Project fee: $1,350. This covers food, lodging, materials for orientation and evaluation, and transportation within Mexico, as well as some of the expenses of planning, organization, safety, and supervision.
• Deposit: $250 (non-refundable) is due upon acceptance and the remainder by mid June.
• Travel to Mexico: Participants are responsible for the cost of their travel to and from Mexico City, as well as for pre-project physicals and health insurance.
• Scholarships are available for those with demonstrated financial need. (Find out more about scholarships.)

How do I apply?

Please read the information on this website thoroughly before deciding to apply.

We have space to accept up to 34 participants and 5 facilitators from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Applicants from other countries should contact SEDEPAC. Additional qualified applicants will be placed on a waiting list and contacted as space becomes available.

• See FAQ about the project for more details >

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