Belmont University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Tropical Biodiversity, Conservation & Sustainability - Based at the University of Georgia's Costa Rica campus in San Luis de Monteverde in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica and short stays at other sites around the country, this program exposes science and non-science majors to biology and environmental science concepts that cannot be accessed during a typical semester in one of the world's most diverse ecological settings. Mission Activities: San Francisco, CA: urban ministry, inner-city gardening and youth development New York, NY: urban ministry, hunger relief and food distribution, after-school activities Chicago, IL: community development, urban gardening and poverty Washington, DC: homelessness, urban hunger and poverty Antigua, Guatemala: primary medical screening for migrant coffee plantation workers Spring Break immersion: Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA: wilderness immersion, trail maintenance, etc. (this is a pack-in, pack-out experience that isn’t, strictly speaking, Leave No Trace, but it’s about as close as can be and is run by the NPS). Austin, TX: urban ministry, urban gardening Antigua, Guatemala: primary medical screening for migrant coffee plantation workers Chicago, IL: community development, urban gardening and poverty E. Kentucky, USA: Appalachian immersion focused on housing and construction (not sure how “sustainable” we can claim the focus of that one to be). Plunge: A fall-break trip designed for freshmen to learn more about community-based urban ministry. Room in the Inn: A chance for students to serve Nashville's homeless on campus. Into.Nashville: A convocation credit locally-based outreach program. Service Year: Students live together in a Belmont owned house while devoting a significant portion of their time to community service and partnership in Nashville. Community partnerships typically take the form of an internship at a local non-profit. The College of Health Sciences has a specially developed Inter-professional Education immersion experiences for 1st and 2nd year graduate students focused on professional respect and collaboration, patient safety and clear communication.

Other relevant links: http://www.belmont.edu/studyabroad/programs/latin_america/costa_rica/