Global Citizenship Project

GCP is Back!

We are gradually reinstating our postponed 2020 Global Citizenship Project (GCP) trips during the summer of 2021!

The traditional GCP program will reboot in the fall. Students, faculty and staff will again have the opportunity to submit anonymous essays to be considered for trips to be taken during the spring break of 2022.

GCP 2021 Destinations

The trips, usually held during spring break, were suspended due to the pandemic in March 2020, mere days before students (some of whom are now alumni), faculty, and staff were set to travel in small groups (approximately 10 each) to a record-high seven destinations around the globe.

But, being mindful of conditions around the world, Shenandoah’s upcoming three GCP trips this summer will only travel to locations with close Shenandoah community connections, and will explore how people associated with Shenandoah have navigated the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those associated with the effects of the pandemic on regions with a significant reliance on the tourism industry. The trips, as always, will also include sharing of the home cultures and environments of each host country. GCP trips are provided to participants at no cost.

Oaxaca, Mexico

The first trip, at the end of June, will take a small group to Oaxaca, Mexico, to a hotel in the heart of the city owned by the family of a Mexican student who is also helping to manage the trip experience. Planned activities include visits to Mayan ruins, cooking classes, exploring the local markets, pottery making, and learning about sustainable agriculture and ancient medicinal practices.

Participants Include:

• Mariah Hanson
• Ragan Johnson
• Anna Lowrey
• Matthew McIntosh
• Binta Turay
• Avery White
• Paul Wieber
• Andrea Zanelotti
• Yolanda Gibson, D.A. Vice President for Student Affairs
• Trip Leader: Bryan Pearce-Gonzales, Ph.D. | Department Chair and Professor of Hispanic Studies

Puerto Rico

The second trip, to Puerto Rico, slated for late July, will be led by School of Business Dean Astrid Sheil, Ph.D., who has family connections to the island, and will include the assistance of a Puerto Rican student currently living on the island.

Antigua & Barbuda

The third trip, to Antigua and Barbuda, in August, will link up with the family of a student who has learned virtually from home all year, and whose family manages lodging facilities. It will be the first time in more than a year that the student will see Shenandoah faces in person.

Each trip lasts approximately a week, and every traveler must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All participants will also adhere to mitigation measures (masks/face coverings, social distancing, etc.) required by each location, many of which are in different phases of vaccine rollout than the U.S. All the locations have necessary health care facilities and are a single flight away from the continental United States. The remaining 2020 participants who aren’t traveling this summer will have the opportunity to do so in January 2022 (destinations to be announced at a later date).

 

Explore the world as you travel to one of five destinations around the globe during spring break!

The 2020 GCP selection committee — composed of university students, faculty, staff and alumni who have previously participated in GCP — thoughtfully read hundreds of essays written by applicants from across campus. Essays, without any identifying information, are carefully reviewed by the committee. Those individuals who were not selected this year are strongly encouraged to apply again next year and also to consider participating in one of the many GEL trips planned for this summer.

Since its inaugural year in 2005, the Global Citizenship Project has sent 928 members of the university community to 74 different destinations on all-expenses-paid trips abroad during spring break so that each person might learn more about the world and themselves.

The application process is open to all full-time members of the SU community, with a selection focus on campus members who have had no or limited international travel opportunities. Five groups for five destinations are selected and are limited in size to maintain intimacy of experience, 10 to 12 participants, composed to represent the diversity of Shenandoah and result in the unexpected benefit of cross-disciplinary networking. Undergraduate and graduate students from all schools within the university have traveled in a mixed group with administrators, including the president and vice presidents, deans, faculty, maintenance workers, housekeepers, accounting personnel, and even members of the board of trustees.

The GCP program experience was designed to be a limited travel experience, approximately 10 days during spring break, and utilize a group oriented and faculty led approach. Its purpose is to whet the appetite of learners for longer-term learning abroad. The program removes the boundaries associated with first-time travel, mainly time and financial restraints.

Applicants must sign on without prior knowledge of the destination to which they might travel and study. Participants must be willing and able to travel anywhere in the world with the intent to examine a theme, such as global citizenship, power, time or sustainability. Participants share their international experiences with the rest of the community in unique ways upon return.

GCP Frequently Asked Questions

The GCP selection committee — composed of university students, faculty, staff and alumni who have previously participated in GCP — thoughtfully read hundreds of essays written by applicants from across campus. Essays, without any identifying information, are carefully reviewed by the committee. Those individuals who were not selected this year are strongly encouraged to apply again next year.

GCP has traveled to locations on six continents.