United States: Human Rights & College Discovery
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Peace, Politics, and Human Rights

Travel from the North to the South while learning about the history of civil rights in the United States. Experience America’s rich diversity and civil rights movement history, while visiting top universities along the way.

DEPARTURE

July 16, 2018

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Peace, Politics, & Human Rights

Physical Activity

Homestay

Dormitory

Program Description

Start your Experiment in the Big Apple, New York City, by witnessing where many immigrants first entered the United States at Ellis Island. You will go on a walking tour of the city and explore the sites and history from the African Burial Ground National Monument and Chinatown to Little Italy and the Jewish East Side while discussing housing, places of worship, and history along the way. Learn to cook home-style ethnic meals created by refugees resettled in the city. You will also take workshops and tours at universities with human rights programs, which might include Columbia University, City College of New York, or Hunter College.

Travel to Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, as you continue South. You will engage with the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest civil rights organization for LGBTQ issues, about its work and how it advocates for human rights. Visit the National Mall to see some of the country’s most famous monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and the Washington Monument. Explore the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, including the National Museum of the American Indian, where you’ll take a workshop on indigenous rights, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. You will tour universities, which might include Georgetown, American, or George Washington University.

Continue traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, a cultural center of the American South, to begin your homestay with a local family and learn about the city’s crucial role in civil rights as you get your first taste of Southern life and culture. Learn more about human rights at Emory and Georgia State University and stay on campus while learning about the college process. You will visit Clarkston, just outside Atlanta, where half of the residents are refugees or immigrants and visit the nonprofit Refuge Coffee Co., a coffee shop that provides employment and job-training opportunities to resettled refugees. Meet with students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and learn about the role of HBCUs in civil rights history. Complete your journey with final reflection and visits to key sites, such as the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Prerequisite:

None

Dates:

July 16, 2018 - July 30, 2018 (2 weeks)

Program Fee:

$4,990.00

(does not include airfare)
Group Airfare Cost:

TBD

Depart/Return City:

New York/Atlanta

Orientation:

New York, 3 days

Homestay:

Atlanta, 4 days

Other Accommodations:

Hostels

Sample Itinerary

  •  
    Days 1-3

    New York City

    • Learn about the history and culture of New York City
    • Get to know other members of your group through activities and discussions
    • Visit famous sites and museums throughout the city, such as the Empire State Building, Central Park, and Ellis Island
    • Take a walking tour of the city and explore the different ethnic enclaves of the city
    • Learn to prepare ethnic meals cooked by refugees in New York
    • Visit a college in New York to learn about the admissions process and college life
    • Trace the steps of American immigrants and learn the history of how they settled in the United States
    • Talk with a civil rights group and learn about how they advocate for the rights of Muslim Americans
    • Visit the Theatre of the Oppressed and participate workshops about human rights and community issues
    • During your time in New York, you will stay in hotels or hostels

  •  
    Days 4-6

    Washington, D.C.

    • Spend the day exploring the District of Columbia, including the Foggy Bottom and Georgetown areas
    • Tour George Washington University and engage in discussion about human rights with a faculty member
    • Participate in a discussion about human rights with various civil and human rights organizations in Washington
    • Visit the famous monuments and the Smithsonian Museums in Washington
    • Explore the national Mall
    • Tour Fredrick Douglass’s home in Anacostia and learn about the many African American refugees who came to Washington during the Civil War
    • Have a picnic lunch at the National Capitol Columns
    • During your time in Washington, you will stay at George Washington University

  •  
    Day 7

    Greensboro, North Carolina

    • Stop in Greensboro during the road trip to Atlanta
    • During your time in Greensboro, you will stay at a hotel.

  •  
    Day 8-13

    Atlanta, Georgia

    • Stay at the home of a family in Atlanta
    • Do activities with your host family
    • Explore Civil Rights sites that include MLK Museum, MLK’s home, Ebenezer Baptist Church
    • Visit historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta
    • Spend the afternoon in Clarkston and visit Refugee Coffee Company
    • Day trip to Montgomery, Alabama (home to the Montgomery Bus Boycott). Spend the day exploring the city and engaging with organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and Equal Justice Initiative
    • Visit Emory University and meet with researchers of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project
    • Participate in a workshop on tools for mindfulness and compassionate conversations
    • Explore the various sites in Atlanta such as Stone Mountain or the Chattahoochee River
    • During your time in Atlanta, you will stay in the home of a local family
Itinerary is subject to change.

Pre-departure Documents