Maymester a call to action for students studying in Guatemala

Lani Barry laughs with Veronica

Maymester at the University of Colorado Denver offered students a full academic experience in a condensed timeframe – only three weeks. But the six students who registered for the Communications Department course: "Nobel Cause: Peace and Justice in Guatemala" experienced lessons that go well beyond text books, lectures and papers.

A week and a half after the group – led by faculty member E.J. Yoder – arrived in Central America, a volcano erupted in the area. Not to be outdone, Hurricane Agatha also paid a visit. Students stayed on task and worked the initial 10 days, as planned, with Nobel Prize laureate Rigoberta The Nobel Committee, awarding the prize in 1992, noted: "Rigoberta Menchú grew up in poverty, in a family which has undergone the most brutal suppression and persecution. In her social and political work, she has always borne in mind that the long-term objective of the struggle is peace." The focus of the course was linked to the Rocky Mountain PeaceJam that will be in Denver in July, where Menchú is scheduled to speak.

The road to San Lucas Toliman

The students' work included assisting with translating web documents from Spanish to English as well as managing other online data needs. "This work allowed our students to see all the ways Menchú pursues peace, community organizing and humanitarian activities," Yoder explained.

 Tum and her foundation in Guatemala City.

But in the initial aftermath of both the hurricane and volcanic eruption, it quickly became apparent that the lessons Menchú offers by example prompted these UC Denver students to mobilize to the front lines. So they traveled to the hard-hit community of San Lucas Toliman. "We ended up 'switching gears,'" says Yoder. "When the Education Center opened itself up to provide humanitarian aid to 18 families who lost their homes to mudslides, we headed out to pitch in." There they helped families whose homes were destroyed by working with children ages 2 to 12 to provide some basic needs, such as clean water. "The natural disasters created an opportunity to help, and that's a part of learning," says Yoder.

Brandy Reida hands out pencils to the children.

Now back at home, the work continues for these students. They'll be working together to finalize their project by preparing a proposal on ways the Education Center can develop additional education and humanitarian efforts. By seeing an area already "living on the edge" and then hit by natural disasters, "they began to see how important self sufficiency and community support are in the peace process," Yoder explains. "To assist a community in going beyond basic survival, they began seeing all of those connections."

Yoder believes this experience can help the students become global citizens who are more aware. "And while I always know our students will grow," she adds, "I hope they'll feel deep personal growth."