Alternative travel experiences for people-of-conscience.
Join us in the misty mountains and steamy jungles of the Mexican southeast. Every “Schools for Chiapas” trip provides excellent opportunities to meet, and personally interact with, the contemporary Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico. Your trip fees support Zapatista educational programs in literacy, health, ecology, and commercialization. No special language skills are required as full translations are always provided collectively.
Most Schools for Chiapas trips involve rustic living in breathtakingly beautiful locations with interesting and involved people from many countries. Occasionally, we offer trips which are based in comfortable hotels with day trips to the autonomous, indigenous communities (read Zapatista) in the misty highlands and steamy jungles of the Mexican southeast.
Schools for Chiapas also regularly organizes specially designed study trips, volunteer working delegations and activists' caravans for community, labor, high school, university, church, and specific interest groups. As of this writing (Jan. 2008) Schools for Chiapas has organized over seventy trips involving thousands of people from more than thirty countries to locations throughout the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas.
Trip #1s: Specially Designed Chiapas Travel
Dates determined by participants
Unique three-day to three-month immersion experiences in autonomous, Mayan civilian centers with emphasis on the social, cultural, educational, health, and/or agricultural aspects of the Zapatista movement. Side trips are available to ancient Mayan cities, rain and cloud forests, tropical rivers, and beautiful colonial cities.
Trip #82A PAUL MANN's Dream Team for Chiapas in San Diego, CA
Sun., June 28 until Mon., July 6, 2009 ~ Dedicated to Paul Mann
This Chiapas-support delegation’s objective is to educate, agitate, and organize unionized educators and their families attending the Representative Assembly of the National Education Association. Our focus will be on the autonomous, indigenous schools of Chiapas, Mexico. We will run a Chiapas fairer trade sales table at the NEA convention, we will speak before state and special interest caucus’ of the NEA about the Zapatistas, we will especially cooperate with the NEA Peace and Justice Caucus in all matters, and we will ask NEA delegates to contribute the Feb. 14 – Paul Mann Memorial School and Music Center which is located in the Zapatista center of Nuevo Gregorio, Chiapas, Mexico. People-of-conscience can join this unique delegation for two, three, or all of the days between Sun., June 28 and Mon., July 6, 2009 in San Diego, California, USA.
Sun., July 19 to Sat., July 25, 2009 ~ Dedicated to Paul Mann
Sun., July 19 to Sat., July 25, 2009 ~ Dedicated to Paul Mann
This delegation's objective is to visit a variety of Zapatista directed education and health projects including the "Feb. 16 - Paul Mann Memorial School and Mayan Music Center". Everyone will participate in numerous face-to-face meeting with the Mayan people who are organizing these new and innovative systems. Delegation participants will sleep in comfortable hotels in the beautiful, international tourist destination city of San Cristobal de las Casas. From their hotel they will join daily trips to autonomous Mayan communities throughout the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. Additional activities will be arranged based on participants' interests. Participants who join Trip 81 and/or 83 will only pay half price for those construction delegations.
Trip #83: PAUL MANN Chiapas Trip II ~ Chiapas Schools Construction Team
Sun., July 26 to Sat., Aug. 1, 2009 ~ Dedicated to Paul Mann
The delegation's objective is to work with an isolated Mayan communities to upgrade, decorate, and repair their community-directed school named the "Feb. 16 - Paul Mann Memorial School and Mayan Music Center". Participants will learn about the Zapatista movement through direct contact with Mayan students, education promoters, and local community members. No special linguistic or construction skills required. Participants who also join Trip 82 pay half price for this trip.
Trip #84: Zapatista Reforestation, Fruit, and Medicinal Tree Nurseries
Sun., Aug. 9 to Sat., Aug. 15, 2009
The delegation's objective for the week is to plant approximately 5000 seedling trees in a Zapatista nursery including trees for reforestation as well as fruit and Neem trees. Participants will learn about tropical forests, ecological agriculture, and the Zapatista movement through direct contact with Mayan promoters of ecological agriculture, local community members, and Zapatista indigenous.
Trip #85 Specialty Delegations in Chiapas, Mexico
Fall 2009 ~ dates to be determined by participants.
These delegation's objectives are to learn more about Chiapas and the Zapatista movment through direct contact with participants in the autonomous, indigenous communities. It is possible to to work with an isolated Mayan communities to upgrade, decorate, and repair their community-directed schools under rustic living conditions. It is also possible to stay in comfortable hotels making day trips to contemporary Mayan communities and ancient Mayan cities. Participants will learn about the Zapatista movement through direct contact with Mayan students, education promoters, and local community members. No special linguistic or construction skills required.
Trip #86: New Year 2010 Zapatista Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009 until Saturday, January 2, 2010
Delegation 85 will participate in the preparations and celebrations for the 16th anniversary of the Zapatista insurrection. Delegates will learn about the history of the Zapatasita movement and the future plans and dreams of the Mayan people through large public presentations as well as small meeting. Delegates are encouraged to participate directly in the nightly cultural presentations which can include but are not limited to: music, dance, theater, poetry and visual art. (This will be a once in a lifetime experience.)
Trip #87: Zapatistas and Philanthropists of Conscience: Another World Is Possible 2009
Monday, Jan. 18 - Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.
Optional trip to Palenque, Fri. & Sat., Jan. 22 and 23.This Zapatista Funders’ Tour will provide unique opportunities for face-to-face meetings with indigenous leaders and community activists in the education, health, agro-ecology, and commercial projects of the Zapatista movement of Chiapas, Mexico. While social activists and indigenous peoples worldwide continue to celebrate and honor the ongoing Zapatista struggle for dignity, democracy, and justice; many philanthropists remain uncertain about providing much needed funds directly within the autonomous, indigenous communities of Chiapas, Mexico. Funding Zapatista projects is completely legal and enormously rewarding. The civilian autonomous, indigenous governments which are responsible for the Zapatista health and educational systems, for ecological agricultural projects, and for commercial projects such as coffee co-ops and artisan collectives will welcome your visit with warm hearts and open arms. Join us for the experience of a lifetime!
Trip #88: Alternate Spring Break 2010
Dates to be determined by participants
The alternative Spring Break 2010 delegation is a service delegation that will do work in 2 or 3 different Zapatista zones. Delegates will work, live and learn while living in rustic buildings in Zapatista civilian centers and communities. Travel will be via very basic indigenous, public transportation. The delegations will have extensive face-to-face discussions with Mayan individuals and organizations engaged in directly challenging corporate driven globalization through education, health, commercialization, and alternative indigenous governmental structures.
