BCA Barcelona, Spain

· Develop meaningful connections with indigenous communities during the BCA excursion to the Amazon and learn directly from them about the issues that impact their lives and community, from matters of environmental justice to the tension between modernization and traditional practices.

· Get involved in the Quito community by interning or volunteering at a variety of agencies, non-profits or foundations that work with different communities in Quito. Your Resident Director can connect you to community partners where you can learn about their mission and work and the ways you can support and learn from them during your time abroad.

· Live with an Ecuadorian family to learn about local customs, traditions and food, reflect on the socio-economic diversity of Ecuador, and develop your Spanish-language proficiency.

 

Your Resident Director will guide you throughout the semester, helping you understand and process your experiences. Together you will traverse the historical center of Quito, visit a cloud forest, hike around volcanic lakes, and visit the renowned Galapagos Islands all while exploring how your visits and presence impacts the local culture and environment. The BCA signature excursion varies by term, but in the past has been a multi-day visit to the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin to meet and learn about indigenous communities, participate in a homestay, and learn about the contemporary issues that threaten their culture and way of life.

Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) hosts approximately 6,000 students, including 1,000 international students, across its various campuses. USFQ is ranked in the top three universities in Ecuador and offers areas of study across a wide array of academic disciplines making it a perfect location to fulfill major or general education requirements. You can also apply for the Latitude Zero: Ecuador Research Initiative (L0ERI) which pairs you with a USFQ faculty member completing research in their field. Or, you can challenge yourself and connect to the community through an internship in education, social sciences or health professions.

 

There are many ways for you to become involved in the community and to learn about Ecuadorian culture and traditions from local people. You can join the university’s Ecua-buddies program where you are matched with an Ecuadorian student and encouraged to do fun activities together. Living with a host family gives you the chance learn about holiday celebrations, family customs and tasty traditional dishes! If you’re interested in volunteering, there are placements available with local non-profit organizations such as a medical clinic, refugee services agency or an agency working on development through sport. 

• Study in the beautiful Alpine region of Northeast Italy known for its breathtaking views, crystal glacier lakes and convergence of Italian and German culture.

• Analyze the complex interaction between people and their environment by focusing on sustainability and the food industry or public engagement with the past. Review it all from the Italian Alps’ perspective, a place renowned for its distinctive history, heritage, environment, and commitment to sustainability. 

• Choose a truly immersive academic program that combines interactive classwork, outdoor educational activities, and visits with local organizations.  You can also challenge yourself to get the most of your time in Italy by taking both courses!

Possible BCA excursions and cultural activities…

• Bolzano: Tour the capital city of the Alto Adige/Südtirol region bordering Switzerland and Austria. This city is known for its medieval castles, jagged limestone mountain peaks and South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

• Trento: Visit the state-of-the-art science museum in Trentino’s capital city. Enjoy the museum’s rooftop garden, Glacial Experience and Biodiversity Labyrinth.

• Adamello Brenta Nature Park: Participate in a multi-day residential mountain lab where you’ll focus on mountain history or agriculture and local food production.

The Trentino program is designed to create intense cultural immersion opportunities for students interested in history or sustainability. You can take an experience-based course in public history focused on Alpine Italy and its thousands of years of history as a frontier area in the very heart of Europe. Or take the course “Sustainability, Food, and Landscapes in the Italian Alps” which considers issues of global concern such as sustainable agriculture practices, climate change and resource management with Trentino as your case study. In both courses, you will begin the program through a structured virtual pre-semester course component before traveling to the Italy where the Alpine region becomes your classroom as you visit villages, meet with local experts and connect to businesses and organizations.

Your BCA Trentino Resident Director, a native of Trentino’s capital Trento, will introduce you to the exceptional natural resources and warm hospitality that characterizes the region. You will also have opportunities to meet local students and young professionals through various community-based groups focused on connecting residents to the natural resources of the area. The region itself is known as an outdoor paradise where you can participate in biking, trekking and other outdoor sports. If you’re interested in the arts, Trentino has a wide variety of galleries, castles and museums, as well as historical and archaeological sites to visit during your summer.