CENTRAL AMERICA
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Our approach to faculty-led programs and short-term study abroad is in our name: custom. Like a fingerprint, each faculty-led custom program is unique, and our capabilities across 110+ countries are unmatched. By incorporating your curriculum goals, we source one-of-a-kind experiences that better prepare your students for future careers by exposing them to international culture, businesses, and academic engagements. From selecting your destination to identifying interactive engagements that bring your curriculum to life, our thematic approach ensures that your program is finetuned to the learning outcomes and unique needs of you and your students.
Once your program is developed, you’ll work directly with an account manager who will be your champion, working directly with our large team of logistical experts, curriculum specialists, and on-the-ground partners. Our long-time university partners see their account managers as an integral part of their own university teams, ensuring that your program is uniquely yours each and every year.
To begin customizing your program, give us a call at 1-800-422-2368.
Jennifer Fisher leads our WorldStrides Custom Programs team, working directly with university partners to globalize their curriculum through short-term, faculty-led cultural immersions. Jen brings a passion for customized curriculum solutions to this role after more than 25 years working with institutions of higher learning.
As the largest exporter of electricity in Central America, Guatemala produces more than 10,000 barrels of oil a day. Its goal moving forward is to expand electricity generation through renewable sources and reduce use of fossil fuels. In the next decade, expect to see more generation of hydroelectricity, wind power, geothermal energy and solar energy out of the country. Meet with industry leaders to learn more about what these changes mean for Guatemala’s future.
Guatemala’s textile and apparel industries have grown rapidly in recent years, and account for nearly 20 percent of the country’s industrial production. Understand the process from start to finish through visits to textile mills, apparel manufacturing warehouses, and markets where townspeople sell their wares. Fall in love with the bright colors and intricate patterns of homemade items made by local artisans, and learn the history behind Mayan clothing traditions.
The food sector in Guatemala is one of the country’s most important; plenty of natural resources including sugar, bananas, coffee and vegetables enable agricultural exports to account for nearly 14 percent of the GDP, providing work for 31 percent of the labor force. The country is blessed with a range of microclimates that aid its agro-industrial production and efficiency. Discover the fruits of farmers’ labors both figuratively and literally with trips to local farms, processing plants and restaurants serving locally grown products.
As the top coffee producer in Central America for much of the 20th and early 21st centuries, Guatemala has an extensive knowledge base on coffee production. Visit coffee bean plantations to speak with farmers and learn more about the labor-intensive process of growing this top Guatemalan export, and taste some of the finished products while you’re there.
The earliest Mayan civilizations began to emerge in Guatemala as early as 2000 BC, leading many to consider Guatemala the birthplace of Mayan civilization. Mayan accomplishments include a complex calendar, advanced writing system, and a deep understanding of astronomy. Explore Mayan culture as it is today in Guatemala, where more than 6 million Maya still live. Interact with artisans continuing the Mayan traditions of weaving, basket-weaving, and pottery, and taste local foods like Horchata, a blend of rice milk, ground almonds, cinnamon and sugar; authentic tamales; and fried plantains.
Today, agricultural and textile/apparel exports drive Guatemala’s economy, buoyed by remittances from the United States, where there is a large Guatemalan expatriate community. Guatemala’s proximity to the United States and Mexico makes it ideal for tourism and trade, but also leaves the country vulnerable to shifts in the global economy. In the coming years, Guatemala must continue to remedy social tensions regarding poverty, inequality, and underemployment in the country and to leverage potential growth in the tourism, mining, hydroelectric and geothermal sectors.
