EXCURSIONS
In each semester of Rehearsing Change, there are two short excursions (2-3 days) and one longer excursion (5+ days). These excursions are designed and organized to accompany our learning goals in the courses, and, as with our classes, international students participate jointly with community counterparts. Our excursion sites change on a semester-by-semester basis, allowing Pachaysana to integrate them into our educational processes and the wishes of the community. Some of our default sites are:
AMAZON RAINFOREST
An excursion to one of Ecuador's National Parks in the Amazon Rainforest, often considered the “most bio-diverse region on Earth,” followed by a Toxic Tour led by UDAPT, where we learn about past and present issues related to resource extraction in the Amazon. These intentionally contrasting experiences ask us to explore and hold the complexity of our relationships to the Earth as individuals, as communities, and as a species. They also help us to understand the deeply interconnected nature of our lives. This is a long excursion (6+ days) and is typically included in every semester.
Depending on the semester's location, we may also take one of many short excursions to sites and partner communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
ecuadorian highlands
We visit indigenous communities located in the Andes region, currently in the provinces of Bolivar and Cotopaxi. The focus of these excursions varies with the focus of the current courses, but they tend to explore community-based projects, ancestral
knowledge, and relationship to place.
community visits with workshops
On some excursions, we visit communities where we will carry out workshops and festivals. For example, in 2017 we were invited to visit the coastal community of El Matal, one of many communities deeply impacted by the 2016 earthquake, and held theater workshops with community members. Depending on Pachaysana's ongoing community-based projects, these excursions may take place in the Amazon, Highlands, or Coast.