Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program

IMPORTANT UPDATES (7/30/2020): 

1). As of 7/30/2020, the CMSC has closed the application period to apply to our Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program. Thank you for your interest, If you would like to get notified about future programs, sign up to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gfW45z and connect with us on social media.

2). Please read the CMSC’s response statement to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s July 28, 2020 DACA Memorandum, and how it has impacted our program. All applicants will be notified of their options, to withdraw from the program or to continue as an advocacy effort prior to the November 2020 elections.

3). Save the date and join us on a Facebook Live info session on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 at 6 pm PST. The CMSC staff will be addressing our next steps and plans with the program, and will be answering questions from the audience.

Should you have any questions, please contact us at info@calmexcenter.org

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (CMSC) is now accepting applications for our Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program, which is scheduled from December 15, 2020 to January 19, 2021. During the 3-week travel-study experience, participating Dreamers will immerse into a comprehensive language and cultural educational program at the Centro Internacional de Lenguas, Arte y Cultura Paulo Freire (CILAC Freire); which will consist of historical, cultural, linguistic, and academic lectures (cátedras) on social movements, the Mexican educational, economic and political systems, various museum and archeological visits, and also a home-stay living experience with Mexican host families while attending CILAC Freire.  Moreover, selected participants will have the opportunity to participate in the International Seminar on Chicano Studies: Politics and Collaboration between California-Mexico and Los Angeles-Mexico City, which will take place in Mexico City’s congress from January 11-12, 2021.  Also, participants will have a unique opportunity to conduct independent travel and ethnographic research on their family origins, which will allow Dreamers to visit their birthplace during the Christmas-New Years break, and produce a 10-page ethnographic-research paper based on their findings.

Dreamers living anywhere in the continental U.S. are welcome to apply.  Moreover, we encourage Dreamers from other countries to apply as well, as long as they are fluent Spanish-speakers, given that the entire program will be taught in Spanish.

 

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

• To research, develop, promote, and establish policies and programs between higher educational institutions and cultural organizations that will enhance the teaching, mobility and exchange of faculty, students, and professionals between California and the U.S. with Mexico and other nations in the Western Hemisphere.
• Establish the administrative framework for a replicable educational program model for Dreamers’ Study Abroad Programs at other colleges and universities through the DACA-Advance Parole process that can be reproduced by any U.S. institution of Higher Education;
• Prepare participating Dreamers as ambassadors of the model, for them to replicate similar programs at their own colleges and universities, based on their personal experience;
• Continue and expand video and photo documentation of Dreamers’ human stories;
• Allow Dreamers to conduct independent travel-study family ethnographic research in their communities of origin with their family and relatives, and to discover their roots in Mexico on their own.

PROGRAM COST:

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CMSC and CILAC Freire are taking extra measures to ensure participants’ health and safety during our program abroad. Therefore, we have increased the program fee to prepare for and cover those extra costs. 

Selected participants will be required to pay for the following fees in order to participate in our program:

• Program fee $3,000: A $500 non-refundable deposit is due upon applicant’s acceptance into the program, then the rest of the program fee ($2,500) will be paid to The California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. upon approval of applicant’s Advance Parole (I-131) application.
• Advance Parole Travel Permit fee $575: to be paid to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security upon sending in the application.
• Personal travel expenses: Participants must pay for their own airfare, and other travel-related expenses during their family ethnographic research. Participants will pay for their own return flight from Mexico City to Tijuana (approx. $1,000).

BREAKDOWN OF STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM DATES:

• Independent Travel and Ethnographic Research: Dec.15, 2020 – Jan. 7, 2021
• Historical and cultural immersion in Mexico City: Jan. 8-12, 2021
• Academic program at CILAC Freire (Cuernavaca): Jan. 13-16, 2021
• Colef Seminar, Border field trip and group therapy sessions (Tijuana): Jan. 17-18, 2021
• Return to the US: Jan. 19, 2021

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible for consideration to our program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be 21 years-old or older at the time of travel, and speak fluent Spanish.
• Have an active DACA status.
• Have a valid passport from the respective country of origin.
• If the applicant is Mexican-born, they must commit to apply to, and attain the Instituto Nacional Electoral’s (INE) Credencial para Votar en el Extranjero before traveling to Mexico on December 15, 2020. Click here to follow instructions to apply for an INE Card.
• Must have no criminal and/or immigration record.
• Must participate in ALL PROGRAM activities from December 15, 2020 to January 19, 2021.
• Must be able to pay the $3,000 program fee + $575 Advance Parole permit travel fee.

INCLUDED IN THE $3,000 PROGRAM FEE:

• Advance Parole application preparation, legal advice and filing assistance
• Spanish and Mexican culture instruction by CILAC Freire Institute
• Housing, meals, field-trips, and travel insurance for the duration of the program
• A home-stay living experience with Mexican host families
• Local transportation and lawful re-entry into the U.S.
• A chance for Dreamers to visit their birthplace, conduct family ethnographic research, and discover Mexico independently
• Psychological counseling and group therapy sessions
• Leadership skills to create similar programs and/or other projects that benefit Dreamers to“pay-it-forward” as required by the program’s mission

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

To be considered for acceptance into our program, applicants must complete a two-step application process which requires the following:

• Step 1: Complete and submit the online application form, and one letter of recommendation by no later than:  July 31, 2020. 
• Step 2: Attend an in-person or Skype/Zoom interview between July 31 – August 15, 2020, as scheduled by CMSC Staff after you submit your application and supporting documents

Letter of Recommendation: You must email us one letter of recommendation from any of the following references: an employer or a professional reference, a professor, academic advisor/counselor, dean, department chair, church or community leader.

Please email your letter to info@calmexcenter.org by July 31, 2020 and name your file in the following format: FirstName_LastName_LOR. If your reference is sending it directly to us, have them follow the same guidelines.

Personal Statement of Purpose: As you complete the application form, you will be required to provide a statement addressing the following two questions:

1. Explain why you are interested in participating in our program, and
2. Elaborate on one or more of the following “pay-it-forward” projects that you would be interested to work upon your return:

• Create a similar California-Mexico Study Abroad program at your college or university;
• Develop a project to assist other Dreamers at your campus or community (ex: establish a Dreamers’ Resource Center, undocumented students organization/club, etc.).
• Work or volunteer at a community-based organization to provide immigration services. (Ex: DACA and Advance Parole assistance, U.S. citizenship and voter registration, Census, etc.)
• Become a campaign leader for the CMSC’s National Campaign to Restore DACA’s Advance Parole.
• Take leadership in a local get out the vote campaign for November’s 2020 Elections.
• Or, propose a project that will benefit undocumented immigrants which you would like to develop and implement after the travel-study experience.

These statements should be a minimum of 200+ words, which will be completed at the time you fill out the form.

Important note: Please take into consideration that the Advance Parole application approval process time can vary from 1 to 4 months, thus, we will give preference to those applicants who are quick to submit their completed online application and letter of recommendation. We will consider everyone who applies within the application period from July 15, 2020 to July 31, 2020, but we will review applications and select applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Thus, we highly encourage you to apply and submit your letter of recommendation as soon as possible. Please do not wait until the last minute.

APPLICATION FORM:

To apply to the program fill out the following form or click on this link that takes you to the online application.

Also, make sure to check out our Frequently Asked Questions Page in case you have any questions prior to applying.

DEADLINES AND IMPORTANT DATES:

Jul. 31, 2020	Final deadline to submit Online application and supporting Letter of Recommendation (LOR). No new applications will be accepted after this date.
Jul. 22, 2020	CMSC Staff will host a Facebook Live information session to answer any questions, comments, and concerns. Join us on our Facebook Page at 6pm PST (West Coast) / 9 pm EST (East Coast).
Jul. 31 - Aug. 15, 2020	Schedule Interviews with applicants who submitted the online app and LOR, to determine their eligibility.
Aug. 15, 2020	Selected participants must decide to accept or decline and pay a $500 non-refundable deposit due 3 days after acceptance to the program. CMSC will accept all selected applicants based on qualifying criteria and on a first come, first serve basis, but no later than this date.
Aug. 15-30, 2020	CMSC staff schedules Advance Parole application appointments with all selected participants to review application documents.
Sep. 15, 2020	Final deadline for selected participants to send their completed Advance Parole application with the $575 application fee to USCIS by this date. But applicants will be encouraged to submit their applications to USCIS sooner, rather than later. Balance of $2,500 program fee is due by the time Advance Parole applications get approved.
Sep. 19, 2020	Online program orientation and group interaction to connect as the participants of the Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program.
Oct. 24, 2020	Pre-departure info session (online)
Nov. 25, 2020	Psychological preparation and group sessions (online)
Dec. 15, 2020 – Jan. 7, 2021	Family visits and Ethnographic Research at participants’ place of origin.
Jan. 8-12, 2021	Historical and cultural immersion in Mexico City.
Jan. 13-16, 2021	Academic program at CILAC Freire in Cuernavaca.
Jan. 17-18, 2021	Academic seminar at Colef, Border field trip and group therapy.
Jan. 19, 2021	Return to the United States.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page or call our CMSC Office: (562) 430-5541, or email us at: info@calmexcenter.org

Also, please watch our Facebook Live information session from July 22, 2020, in which we answered questions, comments and concerns about our CMD Winter 2020 program. You can watch it on our Facebook Page or our Youtube Channel.

DISCLAIMERS:

Disclaimer for cancellation of the program:

The CMSC reserves the responsibility and final decision to cancel the program activities in Mexico from December 15, 2020 – January 19, 2021 at any time, if the health and safety conditions in Mexico are not favorable to travel during that time period due to the pandemic, or for any cause that we consider to be untenable for the participants and the organization. The CMSC will refund the $2500 program fees to all participants if the CMSC decides to cancel the program.

Moreover, if the program is cancelled, all participants that have secured an Advance Parole travel authorization (I-131) by USCIS will be free to travel and return to the U.S. on their own schedule and expense. But since the Advance Parole permit will be for an educational purpose, the CMSC could arrange a special program for the last 3 days scheduled to be held in Tijuana, Mexico (January 17-19, 2021), and facilitate the safe return to the U.S. as a group on January 19, 2021. However, this will require that participants agree to pay a $500 fee to the CMSC to cover the program’s educational activities, housing, meals and transportation until our return to the U.S. as a group, under the CMSC’s supervision and pre-arranged crossing at the Tijuana-San Ysidro PedWest point of entry. 

All participants that choose this option will be required to have completed their Family Ethnographic Research paper and present it at a seminar during the 3-day program in Tijuana, to document the educational purpose of the Advance Parole permit.  

COVID-19 testing and preventive behavior requirements:

All participants of the program must agree to provide proof of testing for the COVID-19 virus within 1 week prior to departure from the U.S., and within 1 week prior to return from Mexico. All participants must always follow strictly the preventive best practices for protection from the COVID-19 virus. This includes but not limited to frequent washing of the hands, protective face mask and latex gloves, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings and events, physical contact and long periods of time in enclosed areas even with only a few people.

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