Weekly Participatory Experience at

Casa HOY in Mexico!

Spend one, two or more weeks of meaningful volunteer work, deep cultural immersion, and independent sightseeing staying at Casa HOY in the Cuernavaca area (City of Eternal Spring). Whether you want to take a quick alternative vacation or are making a stop along a longer journey, Por un mejor HOY’s flexible program of participatory travel offers an unforgettable opportunity to get to know Mexico from the inside out at any time of the year.

A typical participatory experience consists of hands-on work with a community, collaborating on a local project or need during the day, while in the afternoons visiting a museum, a historic neighborhood, another cultural institution, or a local artist’s or activist’s home. Short-term volunteer work and contact travel can be a rewarding experience, allowing you, in a limited amount of time, to get to know other people from different cultures. It also creates an interaction between visitors and locals that has the potential to impact impressions, rethink preconceptions, and spark new ideas about one’s own future projects. Participatory travel is a means of grassroots international cooperation, advancing cross-cultural understanding—and ultimately world peace!

The week-long program starts on Sunday with a welcome and orientation meeting with HOY staff. Each of the following weekdays combines community work with alternative sightseeing of the area. The program ends Friday night after a formal recap and goodbye with HOY representatives.

Check out some videos:

">Making Paths at Terramar

">Playing sports at CAM

Remaining Weekly program schedule 2008

November 16-22
December 7-13, 14-20

			Group Participatory Trips to Mexico: Alternative breaks, cultural immersion and community service experiences available for college and corporate groups upon request. “I came into this program scared, nervous …and I ended up loving my time in Mexico and participatory travel. The program made me feel safe and allowed me to grow as a person.” —Lindsay Fujinaka “This trip changed my understanding of travel.…Thank you for so many wonderful memories.” — Kat Soto

Program fee per week: $300 U.S. dollars

Includes: 6 nights hostel-type accommodation, 5 breakfasts, 1 afternoon cultural activity with an HOY guide, and daily local transportation. All arrangements for volunteer work.

NOT included: Airfare, transportation from and to Mexico City Airport, meals other than breakfast, and personal expenses.

Please contact us AT LEAST 6 weeks in advance of the date you wish to start the program so we can send you the registration form and related documents to fill out.
Minimum requirements: Basic Spanish, 18 years of age and a willingness to interact and discover a new culture.

For more information and specifics about available community work: info@hoycommunity.org

Get an idea of past experiences by visiting HOY’s blog.