In collaboration with Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia (UdeA) and Children Beyond Our Borders (CBOB), Dr. Norman Beatty from the College of Medicine and Dr. John Diaz from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences took undergraduate and graduate students to Medellín, Colombia to provide a 11-day Summer service learning trip for vulnerable communities in the region.
Both Dr. Diaz and Dr. Beatty were awarded the 2022 Research Tutorial Abroad for Latin America through the UF International Center and the Center for Latin American Studies to help support the trip. “John and I were so excited to receive this award. It opened doors for strengthening our partnership with CBOB, UdeA, and other community advocates in Medellín, and offered a cultural immersion for students who were able to participate”, Beatty says.
The teams from UF and CBOB worked closely with UdeA and other community advocates, like Fundación Huellas, to identify and address critical needs in several communities within Medellín. One of those needs was providing basic first aid supplies and education to manage everyday wounds and burns. Our first event on the trip was a full-day health fair in which the students educated over 200 people throughout the day in small groups on proper first aid. “This event not only likely prevented many skin and soft tissue infections but was truly a cultural event, bringing together people from many different backgrounds” Dr. Diaz echoed this sentiment stating, “this provided a great opportunity for the students to observe the nexus of health and culture, giving them a first had view of the need for culturally responsive health care and education.”
Another important element of the trip was engaging with UdeA students within their Faculty of Medicine and Social Science programs. UF and UdeA students worked hand-in-hand to brainstorm and create solutions to some disparities within Medellín. These include improving plastic recycling programs, access to community gardens for sustainable metropolitan agriculture and improving access to health care resources within the city. “It was a great opportunity for our students to build a relationship and rapport with the students in Medellín and learn about their efforts in community capacity building and education”, stated Dr. Diaz.
Two key collaborators on the trip were María Eugenia Zelaya, executive director of CBOB, and Dr. Rahma Mkuu, Assistant Research Scientist, UF COM Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics. In Gainesville, Florida, the CBOB Health Initiative Team provides access to health education and healthcare through our quarterly Health Fairs in partnership with UF Equal Access Clinic Network and community non-profits. Students were able to make global connections through learning about health challenges in the communities we visited. Although there are some unique health issues to Medellín, the trip solidified the importance of working with the community to identify challenges and solutions. María Eugenia Zelaya, explains, “For CBOB, the goal of the trip was to provide the students traveling with an opportunity to learn about the culture, history and reality of Medellin, Colombia; while also allowing them to serve those communities. We believe in creating a space for dialogues to take place between those communities and our volunteers; to better understand their needs and to have a truly cross-cultural experience”.
Dr. Diaz, President of the UF-IFAS Coalition of Florida Extension Educators for Latino Communities (CAFÉ Latino) exclaimed that he was “so excited to be able to provide his students an immersive cultural experience that allowed them to connect directly with communities of need, develop their tools to foster community dialogue and practice delivering responsive education that would bolster the communities’ capacity to address their needs. Dr. Diaz explained “that it was also a great opportunity to show the connections between culture and industry. For example, there is a huge coffee culture in Colombia and it was great for our students to learn about the production process and gain a first-hand experience of picking coffee beans to understand the truly grueling nature of the work.” Willie Ortiz, UF undergraduate student states, “This trip really did open my eyes to the reality of life outside of the US and the varying levels of quality of life around the world. This experience strengthened my love for Colombia and inspired me to go back and do something in the communities we worked in.” Alejandra Roldan, another UF undergraduate student who accompanied our group explains, “I have learned on this trip that simply giving to those in need is not enough. The bonds you make with those people educate them and spark change in a community. On the Bound for Peace trip, we were able to interact with the communities on a deep level by sharing knowledge. I will hold that to a high standard whenever I seek service-learning opportunities. This experience has led to a cross-cultural collaboration between two major international universities in North and South America. Dr. Beatty explains, “We live in such a global world. The state of Florida has a strong connection with Latin America and a very diverse population from all regions of Mexico, Central, and South America, including the Caribbean. Having a partner like UdeA in Medellín will help expand our global footprint in Latin America.”