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Experience Colombia's vibrant culture and mega biodiversity. Practice and improve your Spanish language communication skills. And, gain a greater understanding of global issues, developing the tools to help contribute to a more sustainable world.
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Where: Medellín, Antioquia & Los Nevados National Park. Santa Marta (optional)
Date: June 15 – July 13, 2020 (flexible dates and timescale offered for groups of 8+) Number of Participants: 14-18 Suggested Ages: 17-25 Spanish Learning: 2-4 hours a day Cost: from $2,999USD per person Language: Spanish (recommended level at least B2) Kagumu Support: Staff 24/7 |
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Program Overview
What better place to study Spanish and delve into a world of sustainable development than in South America's hub of social innovation. Once known as the most dangerous place on earth, Medellín now teems with social and environmental projects that are transforming communities and rejuvenating surrounding biodiversity. After daily language classes, you will discover a world of community service and environmental conservation by joining memorable volunteer opportunities, visiting projects and tackling unique team challenges. Your Cultural Experience: You’ll immerse yourself into the ultra-friendly culture by living with a traditional Colombian family, dancing salsa, cooking local meals, visiting neighbourhoods alive with street art, and even playing bingo! Adventure weekends take you into the verdant Colombian jungle where you’ll find toucans, hummingbirds, and howler monkeys. You’ll also discover the amazing snowy-peaks in Los Nevados National Park, walking through cloud forests and underneath one of the tallest palm tree species in the world. Your Language Learning: You will enjoy morning Spanish classes at EAFIT University, gaining certification from this world-class institute whose program is accredited by Spanish Cervantes Instituto. Your Personal Development: By visiting and working with local service projects, you will gain a greater understanding of global issues. You will learn how to understand underlying community and environmental issues, develop problem-solving skills, measure and scale impact, and understand how to implement these skills into your future career. |
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What participants say about us
"I love that this program is in Medellín because not a lot of people realise that it's growing and is becoming a sustainable city...The local Colombians I met were very caring, very fun and very welcoming."
Camila Cecconi Tobio, Student, 17, Italian. |
“I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better trip to Colombia... dream come true. I appreciate everything they did to make it so amazing and I’m not too sad because we’ll be running this trip every year now.”
Meredith Brady, Spanish Teacher, Pacific Ridge, United States. |
"The homestay was an incredible way to legitimately connect with Colombians and discover what the culture is like. I was beyond lucky to be spoiled by an incredibly open, loving, and kind family."
Jake Sagar, 18, Student, Pacific Ridge, United States. |
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Our Methodology
Learning Spanish with a Purpose: You will be totally immersed in Spanish thanks to our language classes and unique homestays. After daily classes, you will put your new language skills to the test with interactive cultural experiences and by taking part in activities with local environmental conservation and community service projects. . The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals: You will engage with specially-chosen SDGs, discovering how you too can help in the fight to end extreme poverty, fight inequality, and combat climate change. Responsible Travel: We strongly believe in responsible travel and are dedicated to limiting our environmental impact, increasing our positive social impacts and inspiring others to follow suit. You can find out more by clicking here. |
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Week 1: Medellín, Antioquia
Begin your journey in the city declared the most innovative in the world. Immerse yourself into Colombian life by staying with a local family whose houses are surrounded with astounding natural beauty. Each day you will travel to EAFIT's rural campus in Llano Grande for morning Spanish classes. Afternoons will be divided up between visits to sustainable social and environmental projects, cultural experiences & free time. Week 2: Medellín, Antioquia After a weekend of rafting and jungle adventures in rural Antioquia, return to your host family and continue your Spanish classes. In the afternoons you will take part in activities with some of Medellín’s most impactful projects. Experience the alluring local culture with salsa classes, soccer matches, coffee workshops, exotic fruit tours and even a team cooking challenge. Week 3: Medellin & Los Nevados National Park, Quindío After another week in Medellín you will travel to the stunning UNESCO-protected Coffee Zone for an adventure of a lifetime. Led by professional guides, walk through Los Nevados National Park, discovering mysterious cloud forests, alien-like vegetation, soaring condors, hoards of hummingbirds and the world’s tallest palm trees. Week 4: Medellín, Antioquia During the final week, you will live in the city and gain your Spanish accreditation at EAFIT's campus in Poblado. You will also visit a new plethora of inspirational projects and put your new language skills to the test with specially-designed community communication challenges. Close the program with a bang with a celebratory weekend on a country farm. Week 5 (optional): Santa Marta, Caribbean Coast, Magdalena You will travel to Colombia’s Caribbean coast to explore the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Engage in reforestation projects, discover world-class cacao and coffee and enjoy a multi-day trek through the jungle, where you find an ancient civilization unchanged from the 7th century. |
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About EAFIT University
World-class facilities and language courses, certified by Cervantes Instituto, makes EAFIT the ideal institute to learn Spanish. Indeed its Spanish language course is one of the oldest in the country and is is certified by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) in the U.S. Courses run from level A1 to C2 and from semi-intensive (2hr per day) to intensive (4hr per day). Thanks to our alliance, Kagumu students can take classes in both the city and rural campus.   |
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