FAQS
These are questions and answers geared toward international students, their home university advisors and family members for our Rehearsing Change programs. For university administrators, we are happy to send additional documentation, covering topics such as healthy & safety, finances and more.
For questions related to our other programs, please email us at info@pachaysana.org
Please click here to go to our Application page where you should find sufficient information and a link to our application. We do not charge an application fee. If you have questions, do not hesitate to write us directly.
“Fair Trade” refers to equality.
1) Provide equal educational and development benefits to local community members
2) Understand formal and non-formal education as equally valuable, and
3) Divide available funding equally
Each year our world becomes more and more interconnected; however, this does not mean it is becoming more just. Education is likely the most powerful tool for inspiring individual and/or social change. However, the opportunities for quality education are not fairly distributed. Thousands of international students receive the opportunity to study in countries like Ecuador each year, and there are many programs that provide those students with a top-notch education. Yet, we cannot forget that these students learn from, within or because of Ecuadorian communities. What do these Ecuadorian communities receive in return? (We speak not of the fortunate students to already be studying at Ecuador’s premiere universities, but of the community members who either serve that university, or serve the students in some way.) Fair Trade Study Abroad is a movement that strives to provide equal or greater educational and community development opportunities to our participating local community partners, meaning a student's tuition pays for local community educational opportunities (like the Children of the Living Forest school) and community projects. Thus, our model changes the very structures of how we do education in a globalized society.
“Decolonial” refers to equity.
1) Create a reciprocal relationship and co-create the program with local partners
2) Integrate local knowledge (& epistemologies) into all forms of learning, and
3) Focus on learning, but apply in practice/projects
Our model of decolonial education re-imagines and re-creates how we do education.There is no top-down or outside-in methodology, rather we place our energy towards collective creation. This creation is rooted in liberation, play, movement, and our individual and collective stories. We respect, encourage, and celebrate multiple ways of learning and producing knowledge. All participants are treated as equals and all work is co-created between international students and local counterparts. Our model inherently resists traditional, colonial systems of education, aims to critically explore the dominant narratives of oppression, and continuously re-imagine just alternatives.
While we do have certain application requirements, we are willing to be flexible and view all of our applications on a case-by-case basis; we understand that someone's GPA does not tell their whole story. That said: as pre-requisites, successful applicants are generally expected to have an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish (at least 3 semesters of university-level coursework or demonstrated equivalency). Students who do not meet this requirement will be interviewed in Spanish via Zoom to review speaking and listening abilities. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, there are no other strict coursework pre-requisites for admission. Of course, students must be excited about living in challenging circumstances without certain amenities. Click here for more information on our requirements.
Our costs change slightly due to the nature of our program. Certain semesters will have slightly higher costs than others because of the location of our host community. At this time, the combined tuition & fees are $18,280 ($14,850 for tuition/fees and $3,430 for full room/board). In most cases, we will have an official agreement with your school, meaning that all the financial arrangements will take place between you and your university/college. Your school would then arrange for payment with us.
The comprehensive fee includes academic tuition, room and board (three meals per day), as well as regular academic advising. It includes all local transportation for program activities, orientation and the communityinvestment fund (which pays for projects and educational programs in our partner communities). It also includes the following excursion costs: transportation to and from excursion sites, lodging and meals and activity fees for the international student and the community counterparts. It does not cover daily commuting costs for students (which are very low costs) or personal student travel, meals and lodging during days off (students can always stay with host families during days off at no additional charge).
Our tuition is very competitive to other semester-long programs located in Ecuador, even less expensive in almost all cases. That being said, we understand that our tuition is higher than many international universities, most especially public institutions. However, the international student tuition pays for community education programs and projects, which is one of our highest expenses.
There is no application fee and we do not require a program deposit.
Full tuition and all fees are due one month prior to the start of the program; however, payment plans are available upon request. Usually we divide the costs into 4 equal payments paid monthly starting the month before the program, but are happy to arrange a special plan for each student. Please note that transcripts will not be available until the final payment is received.
We have agreements with all of our partner universities that allow the easy transfer of credits. If your university does not have an agreement with Rehearsing Change (meaning we are not on their list of accepted international programs), it is the student’s responsibility to speak with their study abroad advisor to assure that credits will transfer. Be sure to tell your advisors that our program is accredited by Juniata College (PA), which will provide you with your transcript shortly after the conclusion of the semester. If there are questions, whether from the student or advisor, we encourage them to write us directly at info@rehearsingchange.org
Rehearsing Change does not provide health and emergency insurance to students; however, we do offer need-based health insurance scholarships. If your home school does not provide you with the necessary insurance coverage, which you can find on our application, please inquire about applying for the health insurance scholarship via email.
We have a slightly stricter refund policy than some programs because of our work with local communities. For each international student, we invite at least one local counterpart to participate in the same program. If there is an international student withdrawal, we do all we can to maintain the participation of the local counterpart. We refer you to our current Deadlines, Cancellation and Refund Policy document, since we have a special refund policy during the pandemic.
We have to be extremely careful with short-term programming since such experiences often come across as tourism and do not serve community needs. That being said, many of our partner communities have accumlated such significant experience in working with international students that we are now co-creting customized programs between colleges/universities abroad and local Ecuadorian communities. In these programs, we maintain our fair-trade commitment by delegating leadership to experienced community counterparts.
Additionally, we encourage students to apply for our Summer Internship program
At this time, we only work with pre-arranged groups from partner colleges and universities, meaning that there are not opportunities for individual students to join existing short-term groups. Click here for more information.
Our Spanish-language Facebook page is Pachaysana and our English-language, study-abroad Facebook page is Rehearsing Change: Study Abroad. We also have an instagram, @rehearsing.change, where you can find regular updates on our programming.
Your official transcript comes from our accrediting university in the U.S., Juniata College, in partnership with Pachsayana. You will be able to access copies at your convenience through National Student Clearing House.
Rehearsing change
Amazon-Specific
The Amazon rainforest does provide its share of obstacles, but most of them are unlikely to affect students. These include exposure to heat and humidity, the prevalence of insects, the very slight possibility of spider or snake bites, twisting an ankle or similar injuries due to the nature of rainforest trails, etc. While these are risks that all students must take into consideration, the possibility of a major health issue is extremely minimal. Chances of a safety incident in the Amazon, meaning a robbery or assault, are extremely low. Rehearsing Change takes the necessary precautions to prevent health and safety problems, and chooses its sites in accordance to reasonable access to medical resources/facilities. We also provide an extensive health and safety orientation in Quito.
This is a decision that the student must make with his/her family and a medical professional. What we can offer are comments made by medical professionals in Ecuador, most specifically that there has not been a case of Malaria near our communities for many years. In the area of our current counterpart community, it has been more than a decade since a case of malaria. World Health Organization statistics show near eradication, measured at 0.14 cases per 1000 inhabitants in the entire Ecuador Amazon region.
There are likely no required vaccines; however, each semester is a bit different and sometimes we go into one of Ecuador's national parks that does require a Yellow Fever vaccination. If this is the case in your semester, we will let you know so you can decide whether to get it in the U.S. or in Ecuador, where it is either free through the public health system or very inexpensive (approximately $25) through the private system, which is much cheaper than the cost in the US. Other vaccinations are recommended by medical professionals, so please consult with your family physician.