The California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (CMSC) is launching the Marco Antonio Firebaugh Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fund, to raise funding for the CMSC’s 2016 Summer California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program.
The Summer 2016 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program is a subsequent project that builds upon the CMSC’s California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program (Winter 2015) demonstration program, and which offered 30 DACA-protected Dreamers from 18 different colleges and universities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area , a unique 3-week travel-study experience in Mexico City and Cuernavaca, Morelos.
Most important, the participating Dreamers also had the opportunity to travel to their birthplace for 8 days and spend Christmas and New Year’s with their families and discover Mexico as adults, given that most had not been able to return for over 20 years since they entered the US as minors.
After their independent family travel, they returned to Cuernavaca, Morelos, where they were immersed in a comprehensive cultural and educational program at CETLALIC Institute ( Centro Tlahuica de Lenguas e Intercambio Cultural ). The curriculum included daily “cátedras” on social movements, the Mexican educational, economic and political systems, Afromexicanos, various field trips to museums and historical sites (Templo Mayor, Palacio Nacional, Tepoztlan, Xochicalco & Taxco), and a 14-day home-stay living experience with Mexican host families.
The CMSC’s fund drive for the MAF Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fund has already secured a $10,000 grant from Mexico’s Becas IME Program, and is substantially driven by the 30 Dreamers that participated in the CMSC’s 2015-16 Winter California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program, funded by the Juntos Podemos Foundation.
Please Join and support our Marco Antonio Firebaugh Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fundraising campaign, which is key to fund the California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Summer program! ! !
- Endorse, volunteer, and promote the Marco Antonio Firebaugh Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fund
- Host a fundraising event for the Marco Antonio Firebaugh Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fund
- Become a co-sponsor of the Marco Antonio Firebaugh Dreamers Study Abroad Scholarship Fund
- Sponsor a California-Mexico Dreamer’s scholarship in your name for $2,500
- Donate now to the MAF Dreamers Scholarship Fund from $25 to $2,500 !
Remember: The 2016 California-Mexico Dreamers
Study Abroad Summer Program Registration Is Now Open !!!
Apply here!
Please note that this is the initial phase of the application process, and once you complete the online application, you will be instructed to complete the second phase and you will be asked to provide 2 letters of recommendation.
Program description:
Program objectives:
- Establish a replicable educational program model for Dreamers’ Study Abroad Projects at other colleges and universities through the DACA Advance Parole process;
- Establish the administrative framework for a model that can be reproduced by any U.S. institution of Higher Education;
- Continue and expand video and photo documentation of Dreamers’ human stories;
- Prepare participant Dreamers as ambassadors of the model, for them to replicate similar programs at their own colleges and universities, based on their personal experience;
- Train the participants to become advocates and providers of DACA/DAPA services;
- Allow the Dreamers to spend 1 to 2 weeks in their communities of origin with their family and relatives, and to discover their roots in Mexico on their own;
Requirements:
- Be 21 years-old or older at the time of travel;
- Have a current passport from the Dreamers’ country of origin;
- Secure Advance Parole authorization from USCIS (after being accepted to the program);
- Commit to travel and participate in all program activities;
- Must be responsible for at least $1,500 for airfare, registration, tuition & Advance Parole fees;
- College course credit, Spanish and Mexican Culture instruction;
- Room & Board, field trips, meals and local transportation;
- Visit with family and discover Mexico during the study abroad experience;
- Re-enter the U.S. legally and allow Dreamers to clear the prior unauthorized entry;
- Develop leadership skills to create similar programs or other projects that benefit Dreamers.
The Summer 2016 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program is being organized by the California-Mexico Studies Center, in conjunction with several L.A. area colleges and universities.
California-Mexico Studies Center
