Avivara     

Academic Study - An Important Complement to Service
While volunteering is a powerful learning experience in its own right, it can be enhanced by having a more complete understanding of the context in which it occurs. For that reason, the Avivara SAGE program offers a broad range of classes and seminars to deepen understanding of the situation in Guatemala, and to provide opportunities for personal growth and reflection.

First and foremost, we have found that being able to speak Spanish with a minimal level of fluency is immensely helpful when living and working in Guatemala. Therefore, Avivara can provide excellent one-on-one, or small group, instruction in Spanish. This instruction can range from beginning "survival Spanish" to advanced courses in professional terminology (medical, legal, finance, etc.) All of our instructors are certified by the Guatemala tourist agency, INGUAT, and our Director of Programs spent a number of years as a Peace Corps Spanish Language/Cultural Awareness Instructor. We also make sure that our instructors make the the learning process fun. The instructional approach uses a combination of classroom-based direct instruction, one-on-one conversation, as well as guided immersion activities in Antigua and nearby villages (i.e., bartering in the market, ordering meals in restaurants, visits to historical and important cultural sites, etc.)

In addition to the instruction we can offer in Spanish, we also offer classes and seminars in the following areas:

• Guatemalan history, economics and politics
  
• Teaching methodologies for working with at-risk children from poverty backgrounds
• Servant Leadership and Organizational Systems
  
• Professional Ethics and Community Engagement
  
• Guatemalan Artistic Traditions: Traditional and Modern
  
• Independent Study & Research Options
  

Each of the areas of study listed above can be tailored to fit the needs of a group or individual. They can be as short as one-day seminars, or extended to cover multiple weeks of study. They can be taught from secondary (high-school) to post-graduate levels of difficulty and depth of content. Students participating in our classes would be able to have access to our own 200 volume reference library, as well as the Central American Research Historical Documents Archives (CIRMA) in Antigua. The instructors for these classes are native English speakers, have post-graduate degrees, and experience teaching at the college level as adjunct faculty at universities in the United States.   

At the present time, we are still in the process of seeking full university level accreditation for our program. In the meantime, we are able to assist students at the university or high school level in their application for academic credit for independent study from their respective schools.