A community passionate about social change

​

“It is so refreshing to be around people who are trying to create positive change. At the dinner table we discuss our progress, during outings we point out things that remind us of our site, and before we go to sleep we lie in bed and share our hopes and fears. There is this mutual respect for each other because we all share a common goal: to learn and to serve.” –Annabelle Recierdo, 2016 Temple U Abroad Participant.

​

Meaningfully impacting the local Yallahs community

​

“While in Jamaica, I will be doing a service learning project of my choice.  I plan to work in the local high school there. . . To prepare, I have been doing research on the educational culture of the country from which my ancestors hail:  Is mentorship a common idea in Jamaica?  Will students be receptive to it?  Will adults in the Yallahs community be willing to mentor the community’s teenagers?  . . . I will be in Jamaica for just five weeks, but I hope to help create something that is both valuable and sustainable long after I leave the island.” –Monica Mills, 2018 Temple U Abroad Participant.

​

“Pauletta and Barry Chevannes created Change From Within in order to prevent students from “falling through the cracks” of the Jamaican school system . . . 1% of students at Yallahs High School attend college. That stat blew my mind. One in every one hundred students is able to further his or her studies in a manner that seems so normal in America . . . Many times, families are not able to send their children to school every day, which results in a lower stream placement regardless of the student’s academic ability. Many students even drop out once they are old enough to help bring income in to their family . . .  if more citizens were exposed to how powerful [educational programs like Change From Within] are, a greater push towards modern teaching methods and better training for teachers could be made. As an education major, I may be biased in saying that everything starts with education. A solid early childhood can mold a child to be the best they can be, while a less than stellar one can do the exact opposite.” –Colleen McGettigan, 2014 Temple U Abroad Participant.

​

“One of the biggest problems Jamaican farmers are currently facing is the battle in understanding the ways global warming is affecting climate change, and, in turn, finding the most effective ways to combat it. RADA is currently trying to conduct surveys to find out the extent of the farmers knowledge on climate change, as well as what they want to know about it. Information is then created and distributed to farmers in order to be proactive about potential issues that come along with climate change. This is the area of the project I am responsible for. What drew me in was with the opportunity to become more familiar with the environment and the local farmers here on the island.” –Brittani Brown, 2013 Temple U Abroad Participant.

​

Practicing living in the present

​

“Since I developed an open mind towards the Jamaican culture and tried to immerse myself in it, I have realized that this “third world country” has a lot to teach America. In my opinion, their greatest virtue is their dependence on one another, and how content they are simply sitting and socializing, or sitting and thinking. I would love to see more Americans spending time outside with their thoughts. I think it would make for a lot less stress, violence, and arguments.” –Colleen McGettigan, 2014 Temple U Abroad Participant.