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[post_date] => 2019-08-01 12:15:04
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[post_content] => Maybe you’ve done a group travel program with Dragons or another organization. Maybe you’re feeling ready for a more independent experience abroad...
But here’s what you’re wondering:
- How can I avoid the backpacker tourist traps?
- How do I get an authentic learning service experience that avoids the pitfalls of the “voluntourism” industry?
- How do I build authentic connections with individuals when I don’t know anyone?
- How do I find a homestay family that’s been vetted and recommended?
- How do I avoid feeling like I’ve been “placed” without in-country mentorship and guidance?
- Who do I call on for support when I have questions or if something goes wrong?
It can be hard to know where to even start. We’ve heard from many past Dragons students that the travels they pursued on their own after a group program left them feeling lost, unsupported, or even conflicted about the ethics and efficacy of their presence and projects.
So we’ve launched the Dragons Independent Spring Experience (ISE).
Here’s what our ISE Programs offer:
- Meaningful cross-cultural engagement outside the structure of a group semester, but still with the support of Dragons local (in-country) resources and mentorship.
- A co-created, personalized, and self-directed gap year or study abroad experience.
- Direct Support from Dragons international network of trained in-country staff and vetted resources.
- Access to Dragons Administrative Team & our decades of expertise in managing international risk and emergency response.
MORE DETAILS: What does an ISE program consist of?
ISE programs are offered in places where Dragons has long-established and active community networks. We are currently offering ISE options in:
- Guatemala
- Bolivia
- China
- Senegal
- Nepal
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
Each program site is staffed by a Dragons On-Site Coordinator: a veteran Dragons instructor with expertise in the country and extensive experience working with Dragons Gap Year students and to our standards of excellence.
The
On-Site Coordinator has weekly face-to-face meetings with each student, conducts a multi-day orientation focused on safety, cultural norms, and strategies for engagement, and acts as a cultural facilitator and mentor throughout. ISE programs have a strong emphasis on cultural and language immersion
and in-depth exploration of critical issues.
Participants are placed with a trusted homestay family for the duration of the program, receive intensive language instruction (as desired), and are paired with local mentors for an Independent Study Project (ISP). In addition, participants have 24/7 access to our in-country and international emergency response resources.
ISE programs have two start dates (January 15 and February 12) with a 6-week minimum length and the option for weekly extensions (up until May 1st). ISE programs were created specifically for those who have previously completed a group travel program (international or domestic), of one month or longer, with any provider.
[post_title] => Introducing Our Newest Offering: Independent Spring Experiences (ISE)
[post_excerpt] => We’ve heard from many past Dragons students that the travels they pursued on their own left them feeling lost or even conflicted about the ethics and efficacy of their presence and projects. So we’re launching Dragons Independent Spring Experience (ISE), an independent Gap Year experience supported by Dragons ...
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Description
We’ve heard from many past Dragons students that the travels they pursued on their own left them feeling lost or even conflicted about the ethics and efficacy of their presence…
Read More
WP_Post Object
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[ID] => 155243
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[post_date] => 2019-07-25 12:27:23
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[post_content] =>
|
FIRST PLACE: MARIA RENDON
Himalayan Studies Semester, Spring 2019
"Playing with little village girls at Namo Buddha, a Buddhist monastery in Nepal"
|
|
SECOND PLACE: MARIO SALAZAR
Himalayan Studies Semester, Spring 2019
"Annapurna South. Crazy y'all."
|
|
THIRD PLACE: ANNA MARKLIN
Indonesia semester, Spring 2019
"Sunset from my back porch of my homestay in Sampela."
|
Congratulations to our winners and thanks to all that submitted and shared such lovely images with us!  |
|
[post_title] => Announcing Dragons (Spring Semesters 2019) Photo Contest Winners!
[post_excerpt] => Congratulations to the winners of Dragons Spring 2019 Semester Photo Contest...
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Congratulations to the winners of Dragons Spring 2019 Semester Photo Contest...
Read More
WP_Post Object
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[post_date] => 2019-07-25 10:31:30
[post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-25 16:31:30
[post_content] => Want to work for Dragons?
We're adding to our team!
Roles we're seeking to fill:
-- Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator
-- Admissions Associate
-- Digital & Creative Associate
*Application deadline: August 19th.
Where There Be Dragons is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, or status as a protected veteran.
[post_title] => Want to work for Dragons? We're adding to our team...
[post_excerpt] => Want to work for Dragons? We're adding to our team! Learn more about our newest employment opportunities...
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Want to work for Dragons? We're adding to our team! Learn more about our newest employment opportunities...
Read More
WP_Post Object
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[post_date] => 2019-07-17 13:56:30
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[post_content] => It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed down the hundreds of submissions received from our Spring 2019 Gap Year students down to just 9 finalist images.
Now we need your help.
Please cast your vote for the photos you like best (you can vote once every 24 hours).
The three photos with most likes/votes win. Winners will be announced on Dragons Blog on July 25th, 2019.
[post_title] => Dragons Spring Semester 2019 Photo Contest (*voting now closed)
[post_excerpt] => It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed down the hundreds of submissions received from our Spring 2019 Gap Year students down to just 9 finalist images. Now we need your help. Please cast your vote for the photos you like best...
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It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed down the hundreds of submissions received from our Spring 2019 Gap Year students down to just 9 finalist images. Now we need your help.…
Read More
WP_Post Object
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[ID] => 155148
[post_author] => 21
[post_date] => 2019-07-11 13:17:26
[post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-11 19:17:26
[post_content] => Dear Friends,
Recently one of our dear friends and colleagues, Iván Nogales, passed away unexpectedly. Ivan was a true visionary, bringing theater and the arts to countless young people across Bolivia and beyond.
Over the years, dozens of Dragons groups have passed through El Alto and collaborated with Teatro Trono in one form or another. If you had the unique opportunity of visiting this inspiring space and getting to know Trono through Dragons, please consider sharing a donation to keep this space open and accessible to others. These kinds of community partnerships are at the heart of what we do, and now we are called upon to give back to one of our core communities in Bolivia. This is what reciprocity, or Ayni, looks like!
Every donation, small or large, counts. Please consider contributing to our campaign to help keep Iván's legacy alive.
¡Que viva Teatro Trono!
My deepest gratitude to all who are called and able to contribute and help spread the word.
¡Jallala Teatro Trono! ¡Jallalla Iván!
Sincerely,
"Iván Nogales was the founder of Teatro Trono and COMPA (Comunidad de Productores en los Artes) in El Alto, Bolivia, two initiatives that work to bring about social change through the arts and theater. Teatro Trono has touched the lives of countless young people, families, international students and visitors, and people around the world who believe in the transformational potential of artistic expression in all its forms.
We are launching a campaign in solidarity with the Trono community so that Iván's work and vision can live on. Teatro Trono provides workshops and community projects for low-incomes populations in La Paz and El Alto who otherwise would never have access to artistic outlets, including theater, music, dance, film and radio, and so much more. Trono runs two cultural centers in El Alto, poetic spaces built on the fringes of El Alto through decades of creativity, love, collective action, and recycled materials. Teatro Trono now finds itself in a moment of profound loss and restoration after Iván's passing, and needs our support in keeping Iván's vision alive."
[post_title] => Dragons Community Fundraiser: ¡Viva Teatro Trono! In Loving Memory of Iván
[post_excerpt] => Over the years, dozens of Dragons groups have collaborated with Teatro Trono. If you had the unique opportunity of visiting, please consider sharing a donation to keep this space accessible to others...
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Over the years, dozens of Dragons groups have collaborated with Teatro Trono. If you had the unique opportunity of visiting, please consider sharing a donation to keep this space accessible to…
Read More
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[post_date] => 2019-06-13 13:11:36
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[post_content] => All staff training is coming!
What does that have to do with hay bales and digging clay? (Pictured) Not entirely sure...but there are rumors of a homemade bread oven at the camp site. Because this is how we do it.
(Thank you pixies! #alumnidragonsstudents)
Be sure to check our Instagram account regularly for updates and images and stories live behind-the-scenes of Dragons all-staff training!
[post_title] => All Staff Training is Coming...
[post_excerpt] => What does that have to do with hay bales and digging clay? (Pictured) There are rumors of a homemade bread oven at the camp site. Be sure to check our Instagram account regularly for updates and images and stories, live behind-the-scenes of Dragons all-staff training.
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What does that have to do with hay bales and digging clay? (Pictured) There are rumors of a homemade bread oven at the camp site. Be sure to check our…
Read More
