Access & Engagement
It’s who we are…and how we travel
We are activists, farmers, educators, guides, friends, artists, and lifelong students in an ongoing process of discovery and evolution. We are curious of the lesser known places, and eager to hear the voices who offer a way of life, and perspective different from our own.
Off the Beaten Path
Dragons programming takes you to places other organizations do not. We offer raw exposure to the world in a way that awakens the senses, and enlivens learning. Careful risk management, and personal relationships allow students to engage in cultural exchange, discovery, and foster connections in these locales. Working with you, we can also develop new program areas in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Here is a map with countries we work in, past and present:
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Professional and inspiring instructors
When it comes to the ultimate indicator of success—student growth and learning—mentorship matters. Dragons offers the industry’s most accomplished instructors, who bring personal relationships to students and offer authentic engagement and unscripted experiences in inspiring locales.
Community Partners
Dragons has long benefited from the heroic work and incredible hospitality of our community partners. We’re excited to introduce you to their diverse perspectives on all issues, local and global. Apart from supporting students as they become familiar in a new environment, community partners are successful educators in their own right, bringing a passion for critical global issues, and a love of place to the experience. They are at the center of all that we offer. Just a few examples include:
- The Instituto Mesoamericana de Permacultura (IMAP) in Pachitulul, Guatemala MAP seeks to improve food security and family nutrition by promoting integrated permaculture systems for food production, with a focus on native and heritage plants, and raise youth awareness regarding the value of agriculture.
- The Fundación Comunidad de Productores en Artes (COMPAS) in El Alto, Bolivia creates spaces for community art and liberal education that fosters equal relations participation, democracy and collaboration through work with youth and children.
- Koh P’dao is an island on the Mekong River in Cambodia and home to a community-based ecotourism project focused on economic development for women and the conservation of Mekong river ecology while inviting immersion in a rural Cambodian way of life. d
- ImagiNation Afrika, in Dakar, Senegal is focused on expanding paradigms around learning, play, and what African child-centered spaces look and feel like through exhibitions, programs and playspaces.
- El Lagartillo is a community in Northeast Nicaragua founded in 1983 through the revolutionary process. The community supports a number of alternative projects, including a Campesino Language School that hosts students and provides place-based education and language training.
Transformative Pedagogy
Strudent transformation happens under very delicate and specific circumstances. On Dragons Partnership programs, faculty and instructors work together to weave an appropriate balance of academic and experiential learning. They work towards student empowerment, place-based learning, and scaffolded, challenging immersion. In the field of global education, Dragons is a pioneer, having developed pedagogical practices that consistently slow down the experience, create intentional space for effective reflection, and empower students to guide their own experiences and learning. When successful, students come away not only knowing more about the world, but also carrying a felt understanding of this planet and its infinite complexity.