GEBG Collaborative Faculty Program in Indonesia: Proposed Itinerary
The GEBG Dragons Indonesia Educator Course itinerary is designed to give participants an experiential skills training in facilitating student programming abroad while immersing participants in a hands-on engagement with critical global issues. We have minimized transitions, appropriating ample time to not only experience place, but also to engage in meta-level conversations and workshops on best practices in global education. Based in Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, we move from orientation and framing, to a several-day urban home-stay where we engage local community members and organizations, exploring topics of comparative religion and development. From Java, we depart on a five-day rugged village expedition and community stay in the remote archipelago of Wakatobi, and the sea gypsy community of Sampela. Returning to our entry-point in Yogyakarta, we focus on guided reflection, transference and course wrap up. This itinerary is intended to get participants out of their physical, emotional and cultural comfort zones, offering opportunities to build skills for managing student groups in urban and rural intercultural environments, facilitating home-stays, service learning, rugged travel and wilderness time, and teaching to comparative religion, development, and language.
| June 27-28: Orientation - Kendungmiri | Our first days together will be in an intimate and peaceful environment surrounded by lush rice patties and the sounds of roosters and village life. Here we quickly become familiar with our fellow colleagues, focus on building a collective group container, and getting to know the expertise in our group. We are hosted by villagers in communal housing and enjoy the warm hospitality that will define our experience to come. |
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| June 29: Yogyakarta - Course Themes | Moving from our village oasis to the culturally vibrant city of Jogja. This dynamic center of cultural preservation and learning and the modern and ancient mingle on Jogja’s streets, which are home to a unique blend of Javanese, Hindu, and Islamic traditions allows to shift focus to the key themes for our program related to comparative religion, political process, and development studies. |
| June 30-July 3: Yogyakarta - Home-stay | As we continue our exploration of development studies, comparative religion we'll add a layer to the experience by living with local families to further immerse ourselves in the daily lives of our host community. We meet up each day at the Dragons program house for group work focused on skill-building and exchange. |
| July 4-7: Wakatobi and Sampela - Community Engagement | It will take us a full day of planes and boats to arrive to one of the most remote and magnificent landscapes on earth, the Wakatobi National Park. Once in the park, we will travel to the sea gypsy community of Sampela to meet with community leaders and explore issues of endangered cultures and languages. |
| July 8-9: Transference | We return to the island of Java and a beach community and retreat space just outside the city for our course wrap and transference. During this time participants will present back to the group, provide feedback, and focus on integration and transference. With a final celebratory dinner and closing ceremony, we acknowledge our journey together and prepare for the long trip home. |
| July 10: Departure | Participants are welcome to book their travel home anytime on July 10. We recommend you stay longer to explore, and can give many suggestions for personal travel. |