De La Gente’s Immersive Educational Trips | Bringing Curriculum to Life Through Service Learning
by Aliisa Oake
What is Service Learning?
International service learning programs are immersive educational experiences that combine hands-on learning through international education, enabling students to form meaningful personal connections. De La Gente offers experiences that go beyond a typical education abroad by offering students the opportunity to connect deeply with the Guatemalan communities they visit, Guatemala’s culture, and individuals they meet through purposeful, community-center experiences.
Educational Trips Meet Service Learning
By coordinating activities and institutional learning objectives within Guatemala’s coffee-growing communities, De La Gente has organized numerous Educational Trips, having a community-centered learning approach. Students gain not only academic insights, but also a deepened level of cultural competency, critical thinking, and global citizenship. Through various activities involved including service learning programs, students and community members are offered the chance to forge authentic, meaningful relationships.
Ultimately, our Educational Trips, and the addition of service learning programs, challenge and encourage students to grow both intellectually and personally by stepping beyond their comfort zones and engaging in experiences that broaden perspectives, deepen their sense of purpose, and inspire and form the foundation for a lifelong commitment to learning.
These programs go beyond a typical education abroad experience. They are immersive educational experiences that combine hands-on learning with international education, enabling students to make personal connections with Guatemalan locals and culture, and developing a greater sense of being with the communities that they visit.
Students assisting in community development at Ija’tz Cooperative - activity of DLG’s Service Learning Program
Impacts of Service Learning Programs
Service learning programs are incredibly beneficial, providing students or participants with more than just impactful learning experiences. Visiting another country and becoming immersed in the daily lives of community members creates a deeper appreciation for diversity through different values and cultures. After participating in these programs, many students experience academic growth, personal development, and a higher sense of social responsibility. Some even feel more motivated towards doing work that benefits communities in need. Additionally, when students are immersed in diverse communities, they cultivate a better understanding of global citizenship and intercultural competence, both areas being vital skills for their future.
Global citizenship is the idea that people belong to a broader global community, having a shared responsibility for the well-being of others and the planet. Encouraging global citizenship is essential to help students develop the awareness, values, and skills needed to look beyond their local communities and understand the interconnectedness of today’s world. Immersive abroad experiences such as service learning programs allow students to engage with those of different backgrounds and become more exposed to global issues like sustainability, economic inequality, or poverty.
Intercultural competence is an essential component of global citizenship, rooted in the ability to interact effectively and respectfully with people from different cultural backgrounds. As societies become increasingly globalized, this skill is more important now than ever before. To thrive in their future careers, students must be able to communicate clearly, collaborate within diverse teams, and build meaningful connections across cultures. Service learning programs abroad offer students the chance to be involved and experience life through another lens, helping them to better understand, appreciate, and adapt to new customs, perspectives, and values.
Together, these programs create transformative learning experiences that prepare students to live, work, and lead in an interconnected world. They’ll return from trips with ethical awareness and deeply reflect on their own assumptions, biases, and cultural identities, becoming more empathetic and culturally aware citizens. Service learning encourages students to witness aspects of global issues and develop a deeper understanding of their role in the world - working towards contributing to a positive change in their local communities or globally.
Connecting Students and Faculty to Guatemala’s Community
De La Gente provides opportunities for students, faculty, and volunteers to further connect in the cultural landscapes of Guatemala and the communities within which we work with. Our mission with our service learning programs is to connect international students with the vibrant culture of Guatemala, fostering academic growth and personal development through immersive experiences that benefit both students and the local community.
Group of service learning program volunteers
Our service learning programs revolve around three main areas - agricultural projects, volunteering at coffee fields, and construction. With coffee being a global commodity that is sometimes overlooked, all of these programs offer behind-the-scenes insights on rural sustainability and steps involved in coffee cultivation. Participants can visit communities of our partner cooperatives in Antigua Guatemala or Atitlán, Guatemala, engaging in one of these areas and participating in projects or studies based on their university’s curriculum.
These programs allow participants to work directly with coffee producers and become actively involved in their lifestyle, local agricultural practices, coffee processing techniques, and more. Through agricultural projects, volunteers gain hands-on experience in the daily life of a coffee producer, fostering a deeper understanding of their livelihoods while reflecting on food systems, sustainability, and community-based work. Volunteering in coffee fields may include tasks such as harvesting, planting, or assistance with other essential farm duties. Additionally, construction projects involve building or renovating structures that support the development of coffee-growing communities by improving local infrastructure. With this, De La Gente acts as a bridge of communication between cooperatives and faculty or volunteer groups in order to develop projects that will benefit the community.
Immersing in Guatemala’s Communities through Homestays
Participants can also live with a family during their time in Guatemala in a homestay, gaining direct insight into the daily life, customs, and traditions in the vibrant town of San Miguel Escobar, just a 15 minute drive outside of Antigua. They will leave with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by small-scale farmers in rural communities of Guatemala and the labor intensive process behind coffee production.
A past volunteer wrote about her homestay experience when she stayed at a family’s home in San Miguel Escobar. Alison originally decided to participate in a homestay for a week to practice her Spanish, but she left with an experience far greater.
“Over the course of the next few days, I learned more and more about the family and their life … Conversations and laughs with the family continued and I witnessed all of the hard work it takes for Francisca and her daughters to prepare food and complete the tasks to be done around the house, and the work Eduardo needs to do everyday in his coffee fields …
Eduardo, Francisca, and their whole family welcomed me so wonderfully into their home for the week, showing me their culture and way of life. It was amazing to see their community come together to prepare for [a wedding] and let me, someone they just met a few days earlier, attend. I am incredibly thankful for the hospitality and warmth their family has shown me.”
~ Alison Olmstead
Eduardo and Francisca - homestay family
Living with a local family provides a genuine glimpse into Guatemala’s culture, and being a part of a community, while also building relationships. Witnessing some of the challenges and joys of everyday life in a different culture helps participants develop a more inclusive worldview. The opportunity to live in a homestay for a short period of time allows students and participants to create a more intimate perspective on community dynamics. This opportunity encourages cross-cultural connections and authentic engagement, which often has a lasting impact on both the visitor and host family.
Engaging Minds Beyond the Classroom
The landscapes of higher education are evolving. Faculty have more opportunities to provide students with experiences that are globally relevant and socially impactful - engaging minds beyond the classroom. De La Gente has acknowledged this by creating a service learning as a part of our Educational Trip that ties together the core values of education with immersive cultural exchange. Students are given the chance to extend their knowledge by being a part of and learning from the resilient, community-driven individuals of coffee growing regions in Guatemala.
At De La Gente, we believe in education that goes beyond borders and lectures - offering transformative experiences that allow students to engage more meaningfully in a new society. The vibrant locations in which we work with in Guatemala provide the foundation for exploring the country’s rich history, complex socio-economic dynamics, and the role of coffee within small communities and in global trade. We hope that these experiences allow students to become more open-minded, more globally conscious, and return from their trips with a different outlook on the world and their place in it.
Service learning program group at coffee producer’s home in San Miguel Escobar
Bring your curriculum to life through hands-on experiences that further academic learning and deepen cultural understanding. Whether working in the fields of coffee trees or enjoying a meal followed by a deep conversation with community leaders, De La Gente creates spaces for transformative learning grounded in real-world connection. When faculty choose to lead service learning programs, they’re not just teaching, they’re transforming. Students return from trips not only with memories, but with a broader worldview, new skills, and motivation to become changemakers in their own communities and beyond.
Explore how your institution can collaborate with De La Gente and how you can lead a transformative journey.
Contact us at info@dlgcoffee.org to start a conversation about your next educational trip!
