While Rachel and the girls have been writing about many aspects of our experience in the Bay Islands of Honduras, I was asked to write a post about why we came, for a Luther College January term course. I’ll try to give you some background without (hopefully) boring you with too much detail.

Luther sends 350-400 students all around the world every January for month long courses. If you want to travel vicariously, check out the student blogs for the 18 Jterm off campus courses this year. Roatan is a new place for the college and this is a new type of course. While many courses travel to multiple places, we are embedded here on the small island of Roatan for three and a half weeks as our students do mini internships with non-profit organizations while exploring in depth this fascinating little island. We wanted depth over breadth and the chance to form relationships with locals while gaining work experience and perspective through assisting locals working to address the many challenges Roatan faces.

The course is called “Roatan: Ethical Engagement in a Changing World.” Here is the full Course Description:
This course uses the island of Roatan as a case study to examine how individuals can engage ethically with social and environmental challenges in the developing world. Roatan, Honduras, is home to the world’s second largest coral reef and the tourist industry it supports, as well as a long history of colonialism that has left the island with an ethnically and linguistically-divided population, widespread poverty and environmental degradation.
During our month on the island, students will examine the ways in which the people, culture, and ecosystems of Roatan are responding to changing social, economic, political, technological, and environmental factors. Working closely with local health, education, and conservation centers, we will observe the individual loci of change, and explore the systemic forces that are helping to shape the island. Daily presentations, excursions, and group reflection time will lay the foundation for students to understand the rich history and culture of the island. Each student will also undertake an internship with a local NGO, such as a private medical clinic, bilingual school, or marine conservation institute. The course is open to students of all majors and is ideal for those who seek a life of meaningful engagement in a larger world.

I am team teaching with Victoria Christman who directs Luther’s Center for Ethics and Public Engagement and also has her own blog about Roatan. We have 14 students from 8 different majors. All of them are working with NGOs on the island — 4 in health care, 5 in schools, and 5 working on environmental education and conservation.

Here are links to all the organizations that are internship placements as well as a few photos.

Clinica Esperanza – 4 students
Bay Islands International School – 2 students
Roatan Bilingual School (ESBIR) – 2 students
Island Academy – 1 student
Roatan Marine Park – 2 students
SOL Foundation and BICA (Bay Islands Conservation Association) – 3 students