AEA’s faculty-led Service Learning and Spanish Immersion Program gives students the opportunity to engage with a rural Costa Rican community while practicing language skills.

Through faculty-led homestays, organic farm visits, guided rainforest walks, culinary and cultural activities, and a collaborative service project determined by the needs of the community, students learn much more than language. They gain an understanding of and appreciation for local life, wildlife, community and environmental challenges, and potential solutions.

Participating in a community tucked away from the well-worn tourist track and adhering to a “Spanish only” policy, students have the chance to fully immerse themselves in the language, the rainforest, and the daily lives of their hosts—creating unforgettable experiences and pushing their learning to a level that is unattainable in a traditional classroom setting.

AEA’s Spanish immersion programs are available in a variety of locations in Latin America and Spain. They also offer language immersion and other educational programs in additional destinations around the globe. No two programs are exactly alike; every AEA program is custom created to meet the needs, interests, and budget of the group.

Campus Brasil is the pioneer of a Brazilian-inspired experiential-learning program. They are the first Brazilian-owned facilitator specializing in supporting high-impact, immersive faculty-led study programs. Their local team works alongside teachers to complement program development and implementation with the comprehensive coordination of in-country program logistics, cultural immersion, and intercultural learning interactions.

They position visiting faculty to benefit from their local network of 300+ academics, community leaders, government officials, and corporate professionals, enabling each to transform the streets of Brazil into his or her classroom and realize a constructive channel of international learning for his or her students.

“We take pride in our role as a doorway to thousands of international learners. Whether it is facilitating interactions for a rhythm and samba program in Rio de Janeiro, coordinating logistics for a group studying lusophone Africa in Salvador, Bahia, or organizing intercultural interactions with local Brazilian students for a Portuguese language immersion in São Paulo, we connect you to a vast culturally, economically, and ecologically diverse country, a place we call home.” — Daniel Amgarten, director of Campus Brasil

At CISA Costa Rica, individuals, families, and groups enjoy a perfect combination of Spanish learning, adventure, and community service. Located in a safe and rural town, students enjoy the authentic cultural immersion experience. Summer programs include Spanish classes, volunteer work, tours, and housing (homestay or rental homes).

World Endeavors Customized Group Programs are rooted in long-standing relationships with local communities and are designed to give student and faculty groups access to a variety of cultures as well as insight into how local people are facing global challenges.
They work closely with group leaders to develop a customized program that will match the needs and interests of the group. World Endeavors provides custom program design from logistics to program development, personalized support from a U.S.-based office, 24/7 in-country support, predeparture materials and orientation, and liability insurance.
This summer, 30 students and two faculty members from a biological sciences department traveled through Ecuador to learn about the different plant and animal species of the country.

Over the three-week immersive program, the students experienced marine and terrestrial habitats around Ecuador. Traveling from Quito to the Amazon, the group visited indigenous clinics while learning about medicinal plants on day hikes through the rainforest. After a tubing trip down the Arajuno River, they ascended to the Andean Highlands, where they encountered howler monkeys, condors, and raptors before embarking to the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador’s rich biological communities were the ideal location to expose students to the diverse flora and fauna of the world.

Yanapuma Spanish School operates in two locations in Ecuador—the capital city Quito and the quiet colonial town of Cuenca. They also run their own travel agency—True Ecuador Travel—dedicated to promoting educational travel.

This combination provides the perfect opportunity for teacher-led groups to visit Ecuador to learn Spanish and explore some of the marvels that the country has to offer. Groups can visit the Amazon rainforest, explore the Andes mountains and volcanoes, travel down the Pacific coast, and experience the biodiversity of the unique Galapagos Islands.

Through their own nonprofit NGO that works with some of the country’s indigenous and marginalized groups, it is also possible to explore some of the cultural diversity that is on offer in Ecuador or to volunteer in any of over 35 grassroots projects and communities.
For over ten years, they have been putting together unique itineraries for international study groups from one week and upwards, combining learning Spanish with exploration and adventure.

In Quito and Cuenca, they offer cultural programs, combining Spanish tuition with visits to places of historical and cultural interest around these fascinating cities. Students can stay with host families or in hotels and take part in weekend excursions.