Educadores con Causa. Becas para docentes en latinoamérica.

“Teachers with Purpose” emerged in 2013 as an initiative among the Caribbean Region AFS Partners: (Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic and Venezuela).

It is a full-scholarship program designed to help educators to develop intercultural skills while living an experience abroad, learning and exchanging teaching methods and shifting perspectives about themselves and the education centers they visit.

As a result, project beneficiaries develop the ability to expand interculturality and Global Competence into their institution, causing a direct-positive impact on their students, their peers, parents and, in general, their educational community.

These are the AFS Organizations, belonging to the Latin American Alliance for Intercultural Learning – ALEI -, which are part of the Educadores con Causa program: AFS Argentina and Uruguay, AFS Brazil, AFS Chile, AFS Colombia, AFS Costa Rica, AFS Guatemala, AFS Mexico, AFS Panama, AFS Paraguay, AFS Dominican Republic and AFS Venezuela.

Versión en español

Each year AFS Colombia launches a call for teachers, counselors, directors and principals of higher education institutions with an on going agreement with the Organization or that are hosting international AFS students.

2019 Teachers with Purpose call (Spanish)

General Participation Requirements

Be linked to one of the allied institutions of AFS Colombia.
Be a teacher from grades 9 to 12, then replicate their experience with their students, who may also participate in AFS.
Principals, Directors or Academic Coordinators are welcome to participate in this program, if they are related to students of the grades mentioned in the previous point. It is important to be willing to teach and do activities in front of the group at the host school.
Minimum teaching experience: three years.
In case of being favored, you must commit to being the contact person of AFS in the school, as a volunteer; It should be the bridge of communication and activity between AFS and your school.

What is included?

What is not included?

Program length

Important information

Teachers who register for this call will enter a four-week selection process where they must perform different academic activities and preparation on Intercultural Learning issues.
The selection of the scholars will be based on the results of the teacher’s performance and the fulfillment of the proposed activities at 100%.
The school that applies for a teacher for the scholarship must be willing to receive a teacher from any of the above-mentioned countries for two weeks, so that the experience will be in double track.
AFS Colombia will decide the destination countries of the favored teachers, although they can express their favorite options if there are compelling reasons for this.

Scope and impact

“Teachers with Purpose” started with 7 participating countries, and has expanded to 14, increasing its regional impact. During 5 years of operation, the project has had an outreach of 110 participating teachers, counselors and school principals from public
and private schools, from rural and urban contexts; more than 14,000 students have benefited from the experience; 80 hosting institutions and 94 sending institutions.

How do we do it?

The AFS international network has the structure and operational capacity to allow teachers to live experiences of intercultural immersion in Latin American countries, living in a host family and sharing with peers with teaching methodologies different from their own. This is a transformative experience that shifts perspectives about themselves and the educational centers they visit.

AFS Colombia promotes “Teachers with Purpose” in order to increase opportunities that equally include public and private educational institutions throughout the country. High school teachers, headmasters and counselors who travel abroad enhance their horizons, learn from different cultures and perspectives, and bring new knowledge to their lives and classrooms.

Since 2013 AFS Colombia has sent abroad 40 teachers opening new opportunities and bringing knowledge and impact to the schools and classrooms; we have also hosted close to 30 teachers, from countries such as Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, México, Dominican Republic and Paraguay. In 2019 we received about 100 applications, from 30 municipalities in 15 departments of the country.

“Teachers with Purpose” brings together Latin American countries around intercultural education, and seeks to create a more just and peaceful world through understanding between cultures and construction from differences.

This is what participants say about the experience

Outcome

Teachers who have previously participated, highlight aspects of transformation in various aspects of their lives and witness its effect in their educational environment. Professional aspect: they are now able to implement lessons and workshops on intercultural phenomena and cultural diversity and to use collaborative work, fostering in their students the interest in knowing new cultures and respecting differences. Personal aspect: living an enriching and transformative experience that allowed them to understand, accept and be aware of their own history and cultural values.

Teachers with Purpose at Unesco

AFS presented its highly regarded teachers exchange program Educadores con Causa (Teachers with Purpose) at the UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 2-3 July.

AFS National Directors Sherifa Fayez (Egypt) and Cecilia Vasquez (Guatemala) focused on how this immersive learning experience supported by online and facilitated intercultural learning opportunities broadens the perspectives of teachers determined to globalize their classrooms. The UNESCO Forum, which focused on “learning and teaching for peaceful and sustainable societies” attracted 350 educators, experts, practitioners and policy-makers from 100 countries.

More information

Teachers with purpose

Latin America: a united region around Intercultural Learning

Characteristics, requirements and information of the scholarship