|
|
|
|
Mexico Pilot Program
If the pilot experience proves to be successful, we will expand our offering of Mexico service program in 2009. If you are not currently on our mailing list, contact us and we will send you information on 2009 opportunities in September.
We will be piloting a brand new program in Mexico this summer for senior high youth. This project will be similar to our program in South Los Angeles and will have a strong learning focus on the complex issue of immigration and the California-Mexico border region, with particular emphasis on how migration impacts the lives of youth.
Dates We are offering two sessions of this program in 2008. July 6 - 12, 2008 July 13 - 19, 2008
What is the week going to be like? The week will begin on Sunday afternoon at the Chula Vista United Methodist Church, located about 10 minutes north of the border. There we will divide into work teams, do our regular Sunday evening preparation, and receive a detailed orientation about the upcoming week.
On Monday morning, teams will caravan across the border to Tijuana. Monday will be spent visiting the border fence, touring the border area, and visiting some social service agencies serving migrant youth. We'll talk with people serving populations in need in Tijuana and will have an opportunity to meet with migrant youth. We will end the day in the suburban town of Playas de Tijuana.
Where will we be housed? We have been invited to stay at the Bethel Methodist Church located in a quiet neighborhood several miles from downtown Tijuana. The church has a kitchen, bathrooms and showers, and a fellowship hall in which we will sleep.
Sunday Arrival Information Groups will assemble on Sunday afternoon at the Chula Vista United Methodist Church, spend the night there, and travel together into Tijuana the following morning. The church is located at 915 Paseo Ranchero in Chula Vista. It is very important that all groups arrive between 2 and 4 pm.
We will do our service work in a working-class neighborhood called "Valle Verde" located in the industrial eastern side of Tijuana. Most residents of this community work in nearby factories making items for export to the U.S. The standard wage for these jobs is $70 per week.
The Methodist Church of Mexico has plans to build a church in Valle Verde and the church as purchased a small piece of property there. We will do some work on the church property and do repair projects on several nearby homes. Plans call for a small playground to be one of the first things built on this property, and we are hopeful that we can begin this project. All work teams will be located in this neighborhood.
View photos of where we will be staying and working!
How large will this program be? Since this is a pilot, we are only going to enroll about 30 people in this program. Also, we want to enroll several different churches, so we are hoping to get groups of 10 and 15 people to sign up.
Since this is a “pilot,” what else is going to be different? There will be other differences. For example, we are going to hire some people from the local church to do our cooking for us. Because of all of the educational activities that are available to us, we will probably only "work" for three days. We'll take advantage of the nearby beach for an afternoon of swimming and hanging out on the beach. We've invited the youth from the local church to participate with us and we can expect them to be involved in some of our activities. Because this is a pilot, you’ll need to be even more flexible than usual.
Are there other requirements? Yes. Passport requirements for travel to Mexico are coming, so it is safest make sure that all participants have a passport. You’ll need to purchase Mexican auto insurance, so we’ll want to minimize the number of vehicles we are taking over.
To Get More Information Please call our office to learn more about this project and discuss your group's participation. |
Sierra Service ProjectPO Box 992, Carmichael, CA 95609 Phone: 916-488-6441 Fax: 916-484-0917
Copyright © 2007
Sierra Service Project
|
What kind of work will we
do?