MICROFINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

AT-A-GLANCE

DURATION: 8 days

IDEAL FOR: University groups

PRICE: Starting at US$990 / person

Overview

Bring classroom learning to life through conversations with Mexican entrepreneurs, individuals with direct experience with different financial systems, and community leaders. Learn about opportunity from indigenous migrants, microfinance from microloan borrowers, the welfare and education from mothers, and more. Through personal stories, begin to untangle the complicated web of factors that influence economic development learning and learn what questions to ask.

What’s Included

ACCOMMODATION: Mid-range hotel (double occupancy)

MEALS: All meals, except for 3 dinners to enjoy on your own.

TRANSPORTATION: All transportation once in Mexico, including airport pick-up/drop-off.

EXCURSIONS: One of three excursion options (depending on season and availability)

EXPERT FACILITATION: Our guides translate conversations between English and Spanish

FAIR PAYMENTS AND LOCAL IMPACT: Please read more about our Responsible Tourism Guarantee

Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Settling In

Includes transportation from the airport to your accommodation, orientation on local health and safety norms and a special welcome dinner.

Day 2: The Intersection of Development and Culture

Meet local entrepreneurs to find out about how the area, their businesses and lives have been impacted by tourism. Consider how they drew from their own cultures while growing their businesses.

Day 3: Indigenous Identities

Visit indigenous artists and activists in Bucerias and Sayulita to begin to understand the roles of cultural identity, coloniality and current economic opportunities.

Day 4: Microfinance Realities

What options do Mexicans have if they need a loan? Visits include an introduction to microfinance, a meeting with a microloan borrower, a “loan shark” and a bank loan officer.

Day 5: Educational Initiatives

Excursions to nearby Mezcales and beach-town San Pancho to gain an understanding of Prospera, a federal program improving educational opportunities for lower income families and an inspiring community center focused on educational and environmental initiatives.

Day 6: The Push and Pull Factors of Migration

Discover what impact migration has on families, businesses and the financial and family situations of those who travel between Mexican states or Mexico and the US.

Day 7: ¡Vamos! Excursion Day

Options include: a jungle hike, trip to the mountains, zip-lining or boat ride and beach time.

Day 8: Departure

Includes transportation from your accommodation to the airport.

Themes & Discussions

COLONIALITY: how to recognize and avoid perpetuating those systems

MIGRATION: the push and pull factors that inform decision-making

INDIGENOUS IDENTITIES: the diversity, statistics, and contemporary implications

FINANCIAL SYSTEMS: informal services, access to the formal sector and its fiscal ramifications

SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS: how tools of development need to be adapted to work within a place

AGENCY: in these conversations, who is at the table, who isn’t, and what needs to change?