Laurier Haiti service-learning trip - May 2014

Last year, the Faculty of Education from Wilfrid Laurier University sponsored a service-learning trip to work with our partners in Haiti. It was an amazing experience!

Plans are now being developed for a Laurier group to return in May, 2014 with the following focus areas:

1. English as a Second Language support in classes and for an after-school program.
2. Leadership workshops for school administrators.
3. Special education needs assessment.
4. Digital Mentoring Project (DMP) networking meetings and training.

The group will be made up of Laurier teacher candidates, Laurier faculty and staff, a BlackBerry director, and local educational partners. At this point, a dozen people have signed up to participate.

The itinerary will mirror last year's service-learning trip:

May 7 - early morning departure from Toronto, late evening arrival in Pignon, Haiti
May 8-10 - ESL program (Laurier students), leadership and DMP training (myself, Rob McBride from BlackBerry, and other education partners) in Pignon
May 11 - travel to Cap-Haitien
May 12-16 ESL program at Regina Assumpta school, leadership and DMP training, special education needs assessment for Cap-Haitien
May 17 sight-seeing (Citadel, beach)
May 18 return to Canada

While in Pignon and Cap, I will also be engaged with data collection around the DMP. More updates on this project in a soon-to-be-released blog post.

I am really excited about the interest that has been expressed in this trip. Laurier has had a presence in Haiti's north for approximately five years now (in addition to my previous work in Haiti over the past 10+ years) and we are really benefiting from the relationships which have been nurtured during this time. We are working with amazing partners in Haiti!

I will be updating this blog as we prepare for the trip. If you are Twitter user, please follow me @drstevesider and I will be using #laurierhaiti2014