Spain Community Service and Three Cultures

Orientation in Madrid

Your adventure begins with an action packed, three-day orientation in Madrid. Put your Spanish to use as you order tapas in a local café, ask for directions to the Palacio Real, and explore the city’s medieval streets. Visits to the Prado Museum on Madrid’s “museum mile,” discussions in city parks, and exploration of diverse neighborhoods strengthen your understanding of contemporary Spanish life and culture. Your orientation concludes with a full-day excursion to historic Toledo.

Homestay, Community Service, and Travel

For centuries, Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived a peaceful and productive coexistence in Spain. Trace the historical and cultural influences of these religions and their cultures to learn about the conditions necessary for a tolerant multicultural society in modern Spain. Spend your first week exploring the cities of Madrid and Toledo. Visit incredible museums, spend time with young people who recently emigrated from South America and Northern Africa, and practice your Spanish language skills in local markets and cafés. Following orientation, live with a family in a vibrant Spanish community along the southern coast. Then travel to the north of Spain to volunteer with a local community-based organization working to integrate recent immigrants into Spanish society. Your adventure concludes with a week exploring the Basque country and communities along the Cantabric Sea in the north.

Sample activities:
Explore the restaurants, street life, and architecture of Madrid and Toledo; meet with a local heritage expert to gain a deeper appreciation of the cultural influences that have shaped contemporary Spanish society; enjoy a day on the beach; work with recent immigrants in Madrid; visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Sample host communities:
Vejer de la Frontera, Arcos de la Frontera