News Release: UA Students Head to Mexico/Guatemala Border to Study Migration

UA Students Head to Mexico/Guatemala Border to Study Migration

Contact:  Gerri Kelly, 520-626-9669                                                             May 9, 2012

For nine days in May, a team of graduate students from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture School of Landscape Architecture and School of Planning will study the effects of migration on health in the border communities of Chiapas, Mexico and San Marcos, Guatemala.

TUCSON−On Saturday, six graduate students from the University of Arizona will depart for the Mexico/Guatemala border to study the effects of migration on health and explore the root causes of northern migration.

The students are participating in a unique nine-day Border Health Service Learning course through the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

“We will look at the health impact of migration on communities including the dangers of migration, the effects on families left behind, and examine successful and sustainable business models that reduce the need for migration,” said Andrew Gall, a master of public health (MPH) student with a concentration in Health Behavior and Health Promotion.

Gall served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 2006-2008.  He first proposed the idea of taking the college’s Border Health Service Learning course further south after participating in a similar course on the U.S.-Mexico border last fall.

Café Justo is one such model of a sustainable business. Based in Chiapas, Mexico, the fair trade coffee grower cooperative roasts and sells coffee out of its Agua Prieta, Mexico, facility. The students will visit farmers who grow the coffee in Chiapasand study the effects of the business model on the community’s physical, social and economic well-being, the culture of the farmers, and why or why not they would consider migrating.

“We believe that the major reason people migrate out of their communities is to find work to feed their families,” said Gall. “By paying farmers fair prices for their coffee, we believe a business like Café Justo is enabling people to remain working and living in their communities, keeping families together and decreasing the need for people to make the life-threatening journey north.”

The program is also designed to be an exchange of knowledge on border issues. As a service, the students will present information to the Institute of Migration (IOM) about policy issues and the risks and dangers associated with migration in the Arizona-Mexico border region. In turn, students will learn about migration issues unique to the Mexico-Guatemala border.

During their stay, students will visit migrant shelters, conduct health interviews, and homestays with coffee farmers while observing the border health and migration issues unique to this area. By the end of the trip, students hope to identify the relationships between economics, politics and health at each border; how various systems (health care, governmental and non-governmental organizations and agencies, and businesses) interplay to affect health; and how to advocate for a stronger focus on public health through partnerships.

“The Border Health Service Learning Program provides our students with  the real world opportunity to truly immerse themselves in the public health issues of our day and begin to understand the complex relationships of migration, economic development and health in our border communities,” said Jill Guernsey de Zapien, associate dean for Community Programs. “Today, these students are actively pursuing additional skills to participate in and reflect on the realities of these issues in another border context. It is these kinds of experiences and skills that are crucial to building public health leaders within a global context.”

Faculty members de Zapien and Dr. Cecilia Rosales, associate professor and director of Phoenix Programs, are the course instructors and have been advising the students on how to approach international migration through a mixture of health advocacy, political, economic, and cultural viewpoints

During the trip, the students will work with a variety of international and local organizations, including the Institute of Migration (IOM), the Peace Corps, Cafe Justo, The Regional Center for Public Health Research (CRISP), Grupo Beta Sur, and many others.

The students will discuss their findings in a public presentation at the Zuckerman College of Public Health during the Fall 2012 semester.

Follow the students online:

Blog:  http://guatemexicofronteras2012.blogspot.com/

Facebook: GuateMexicoServiceLearning

Our Group!

For those of you who want to know a little bit about who we are and why we've developed the Mexico/Guatemala Border Health Service Learning Course:

Zandra Alford

The week prior to my first semester in graduate school I participated in the Border Health Service Learning Institute on the US/Mexico border. This week-long, experiential learning course enabled me to collaborate with organizations and professionals involved in public health promotion in the border communities of Douglas, AZ and Agua Prieta, Sonora.  This course afforded me first-hand experience of public health initiatives on the border while highlighting systemic issues that influence migration and jeopardize public health objectives. After returning from the Border Health Service Learning Institute at the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester the possibility of a follow-up trip to the Mexico/Guatemala border started being discussed among members of my program. The trip’s purpose is to allow students to draw comparisons between the Guatemala/Mexico and the Mexico/US border regions by engaging students in experiential learning activities with communities on the Mexico/Guatemala border similar to the ones experienced during our time in the Douglas/Agua Prieta communities.  Participating in a trip comparing the two borders intrigued me because it would allow me to further explore the systematic issues that impact migration and health issues at the US/Mexico border and beyond.

Arthur Basset

Planning generally is believed to be an urban profession involving just land use but it actually involves foresight and the ability to meet people's needs in the city, rural areas, parks, in the wilderness and people in different countries.   Planning theory embraces sustainability, justice, equity, ethics, preservation and community when assessing issues of the environment, economics and the social system.   My interests in international borderland planning stem from my youth.  Growing up in Douglas, Arizona I saw many challenges and disparities along the border.  After college I went down to Chiapas, Mexico to learn about coffee, speak Spanish, and see how life went on a coffee plantation in Mexico. I later I served as a Peace Corps  Volunteer in Vanauatu  working with coffee farmers. The Mexico-Guatemala Service Learning Course is not only a chance to learn more about borders, but to establish connections with local organizations and resources involving international planning.  I intend to use these connections when I graduate and begin my professional career.

Christopher Blue

As a Master in Planning candidate at the University of Arizona I am working diligently to gain the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to accomplish my career objective of becoming a planning professional.  As a planner, I will be an active agent in the creation of just and sustainable cities that contribute positively to public health.  Of particular interest to me is the area of economic development, which is a key element of public policy formulation at all levels of government.  Economic development is increasingly promoted as a critical component of community, regional, national, and international planning processes.   Its main concerns in the planning process are to promote a higher standard of living, eliminate poverty, and create sustainable built environments that benefit the health of the community.  I see the planning profession and the field of international economic development as my vehicle for accomplishing these goals and doing some good in the world. 

Emily Coyle

With my public health, legislative and advocacy background, it is my intent to gain additional experience and understanding necessary to address and help alleviate the root causes of northern migration, and, because this is a long-term goal, to help create a more tolerant culture through awareness and understanding in the United States. The Mexico-Guatemala Service Learning Course will give me the expertise and experience necessary to communicate to our greater community, lawmakers, and decision-makers why we need to make rational, reasonable and compassionate decisions and policies around immigration. Because immigration reform is such a hot-button issue, I believe it is an issue that will remain a top concern for lawmakers well after the upcoming election. I feel that the experience I will gain participating in this project, together with my professional experience working with lawmakers, public health advocates and various coalitions and organizations, will make me uniquely suited to advocate for just, fair policies that resemble those upon which our nation was founded – of equal rights for all.

Sarah Davis

I have always been invested in work that surrounds development, specifically in Latin America, sustainable agricultural development, food systems, and sustainability research. In my current work in Hermosillo, Mexico I work directly with migrant farm workers and supervisors to implement health promotion interventions in a culturally sensitive manner that reflects perceived health concerns dictated through discussions with the farm workers within the camp.  The majority of the farm workers, or jornaleros, are from other states in Mexico, such as Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca, and migrate north specifically to work in agricultural centers in northern Mexico.   This service-learning trip to the Guatemala/Mexico border will enable me to better understand the agricultural migration patterns within Mexico and help me draw comparisons with the United States/ Mexico border, which will be an asset to my future research and professional development.

Andrew J Gall

By going on the Mexico-Guatemala Service Learning Course I aim to connect my Peace Corps community health experience in Guatemala with my University studies regarding border health.  After I graduate I would like to work on health improvement projects in Central America in roles such as health trainer, health promoter, and technical advisor. I believe that visiting several organizations focused on migration, humanitarian aid, and public health in both Southern Mexico & Western Guatemala is essential for better understanding the complex interaction between economics, politics, migration, and public health in this region.  Better comprehending these interconnected issues will help me effectively plan and implement health programs in the future.

Aimee Snyder

I have 5 years of experience in middle school teaching which has allowed me to be proficient in the generating of objectives and activities that allow a group of diverse individuals to meet those objectives.  My intent with this trip is to translate those skills to the university level and master the establishment of graduate level Public Health curriculum, development of a Public Health-specific syllabus, and facilitates meaningful service-learning experiences while connecting to a culture outside of my own in efforts to learn better how to overcome barriers. Service-learning is an approach to connect academics to community service providing students with quality hands-on learning complete with gaining cultural understanding and professional competencies while serving the community.

A Group Presentation from the Douglas/Agua Prieta Border Health Service-Learning Trip

This is one of our group presentations from the Douglas/Agua Prieta Border Health Service-Learning Institute.  Group members include Emily, Hilary, Luis Eduardo, Kendria, and myself.  The presentation illustrates the protective themes seen that reduce health disparities due to economic struggle, border issues, and migration.

Program Itinerary

Course Syllabus

Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health University of Arizona


SYLLABUS
CPH 599-095: Going Farther South in Border Health: Guatemala/Mexico Service Learning


Spring 2012: May 12-20, 2012
Time: 8:00 am to 4:30pm, with some evenings
Location: Tapachula, Salvador Urbina, Tecun Uman, and San Marcos
Instructors: Cecilia Rosales MD, MS, Associate Professor, Division of Community, Environment and Policy, UA MEZCOPH; Phone: (520) 626-0720; Email: crosales@email.arizona.edu
Jill Guernsey de Zapien, Associate Dean for Community Programs, Division of Health Promotion Sciences, UA MEZCOPH; Phone: (520) 626-7083; Email: dezapien@u.arizona.edu


Teaching Assistant: Aimee Snyder Master’s of Public Health Candidate Health Behavior/Health Promotion UA MEZCOPH cell: (520) 661-3352 Email: wiggs@email.arizona.edu Office Hours: Office hours are by appointment. Email wiggs@email.arizona.edu to schedule an appointment.


Course Credit: 1 credit unit

Course Description: This course engages students in community-based collaboration at the Mexico-Guatemala border. Students provide service to the host community while learning about factors influencing public health in a bi-national environment. Requires week-long stay on site and a valid US Passport.   

Course Prerequisites: Currently matriculated.


Course Learning Objectives: Demonstrate cultural understanding. Draw comparisons between Guatemala/Mexico and Mexico/US border regions. Understand causes of migration and health effects on migrant families and communities. Learn about sustainable development models. Provide direct service and support local economies.

Course Competencies:
Social and Behavioral Sciences 
2. Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations. 
3. Identify individual, organizational and community concerns, assets, resources and deficits for social and behavioral science interventions.
4. Identify critical stakeholders for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs, policies and interventions.
6. Describe the role of social and community factors in both the onset and solution of public health problems.

Health Policy and Management
2. Describe the legal and ethical bases for public health and health services.
3. Explain the methods of ensuring community health safety and preparedness.
4. Discuss the policy process for improving the health status of populations.
9. Communicate health policy and management issues using appropriate channels and technologies.
10. Demonstrate leadership skills for building partnerships.

Communication and Informatics
2. Describe how societal, organizational, and individual factors influence and are influenced by public health communications.
9. Use informatics methods and resources as strategic tools to promote public health.
10. Use informatics and communication methods to advocate for community public health programs and policies.

Diversity and Culture
1. Describe the roles of history, power, privilege and structural inequality in producing health disparities.
5. Use the basic concepts and skills involved in culturally appropriate community engagement and empowerment with diverse communities.
9. Cite examples of situations where consideration of culture-specific needs resulted in a more effective modification or adaption of a health intervention.

Leadership
2. Describe alternative strategies for collaboration and partnership among organizations, focused on public health goals.
4. Engage in dialogue and learning from others to advance public health goals.
6. Demonstrate transparency, integrity, and honesty in all actions.
8. Apply social justice and human rights principles when addressing community needs.

Professionalism
6. Analyze determinants of health and disease using an ecological framework.
10. Appreciate the importance of working collaboratively with diverse communities and constituencies 


Program Planning
1. Describe how social, behavioral, environmental, and biological factors contribute to specific individual and community health outcomes.

Systems Thinking
1. Identify characteristics of a system.
8. Analyze inter-relationships among systems that influence the quality of life of people in their communities.
 9. Analyze the impact of political, social and economic policies on public health systems at the local, state, national and international levels.
10. Analyze the impact of global trends and interdependencies on public health related problems and systems.

Essential Questions:
1. What are the common themes (economical, political, health, etc) at each border separately and in connection? How do these affect the health of the people?
2. How do systems interplay, in fault and/or to benefit, health?

Course Requirements:
Participation (10 points) Individual reflection: Prior to discussion, each person individually reflects on the section reflections questions in order to answer the essential questions on their stickie notes. (25 points) 

Discussion: In discussion, stickies are shared and placed on chart paper as a whole group. Similar stickies can be stacked, but not discarded. Repeat the process for each section reflection on a separate chart paper. (25 points)

Group project: Step 1: Compare the themes created in the discussion and create a graphic organizer (like a Venn Diagram, a systems model, etc) to use as a guide for your group project. Step 2: Create a visual presentation for our partners (speak beyond language barriers) to express the answers to the Essential Questions and show mastery of the 5 learning objectives and MPH competencies. Involve our partners in your presentation. (40 points)

Individual Reflections: See the Questions to Guide Individual Reflections handout.


Grading Rubric:
1. Individual reflection: 5 points: Individual reflection includes thought-provoking insights regarding the service-learning activities in answering one of the two essential questions and correlates with at least one of the course objectives. 3 points: Less thought-provoking, fails to relate service-learning activity to essential questions or course objectives. 1 point: Rote regurgitation of events, fails to relate service-learning activity to essential questions and course objectives.
2. Discussion: 5 points: Presents thought-provoking connections between service-learning activities and essential questions and course objectives. Collaborates and builds upon the input of others. 3 points: Presents less thought-provoking connections to service-learning activities. May not answer an essential question or correlate with a course objective. Collaboration with peers needed. 1 point: Rote regurgitation of daily events. Does not answer essential questions nor a course objective. Does not allow for the input of others.

Group Project: 40 points: Presentation incorporates input from all team members’ reflections and discussions. Both essential questions are answered and illustrated in a meaningful manner. Mastery of the course objectives is evident in presentation. Problems cited (if any) include a proposed solution or plan for seeking a solution. 30 points: Presentation incorporates input from almost all team members’ reflections and discussions. Essential questions are vaguely answered. Most course objectives are mastered. Fails to provide proposed solutions for problems cited. 20 points: Presentation incorporates input from few of the team members’ reflections and discussions. Essential questions are not both answered or meaning is unclear. Few of the course objectives are mastered. Fail to provide proposed solutions for problems cited. 10 points: Presentation is off-topic.

Grading/Student Evaluation A 90-100% S B 80-89% S C 70-79% P D 60-69% F F <60% F Class 


Attendance/Participation There will be no make up sessions for missed classes or community activities. If an unavoidable crisis occurs, the student must provide documentation to receive an appropriate make-up assignment to be determined by the instructor responsible for the missed session.


Required Readings: By Pre-Trip Orientation, April 20 Adams M, Bassett T. Just Coffee, Caffeine with a conscience. Just Trade Center. Jan 5, 2009. Slack J, Whiteford S. Violence and migration on the Arizona-Sonora Border. Human Organization. 2011; 70:1. By Cultural Briefing, May 5 Perkins J. Confessions of an Economic Hitman. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2006. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081/ref=lh_ni_t

Emrick G, Hafter H, de Zapien J. Border-lines. Journal of the Latino Research Center “Conference on Food Security and International Migration.” 2011:152-180 Before departing for Mexico/Guatemala, May 12

Perasso V. Migrants ride ‘the beast’ from Mexico to the US. BBC News. Oct 14 2011. Kovic C, Kelly P. “A just cause”: Central American migrants and Mexico’s southern border. Houston Catholic Worker. Sept-Oct 2005; 25:6.

Wilkenson K. Silence in the Mountains: Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Mountain-Forgetting-Encounters-Interactions/dp/0822333686/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330017344&sr=1-1


Course Partners:
Café Justo is a coffee grower cooperative based in Salvador Urbina, Chiapas, Mexico. Café Justo produces and sells organic coffee “which is grown, harvested and marketed in the spirit of justice.” Their goal is to provide incentives for people to remain on their family lands by optimizing the profit for the growers. The coffee is harvested, cleaned and prepared for shipping in Salvador Urbina, Chiapas. The beans are then transported to Agua Prieta, Sonora where the coffee is roasted, ground, packaged, and shipped to customers. This business model helps eliminate the need for economically motivated migration by providing the training and resources necessary for farmers to create and maintain a sustainable, small-scale, international coffee company. http://www.justcoffee.org/

Casa del Buen Pastor Migrant Shelter is located in Tapachula, Mexico, near the border with Guatemala. This shelter provides a safe haven for migrants who have had terrible accidents or who suffer from a disease. Most of the people in the shelter have lost an arm or a leg in cargo train accidents. Most shelter residents come from Central America and are/were on their way to the United States to find a job. The Jesús el Buen Pastor Shelter provides residents opportunities for medical treatment, rehabilitation and job training during their stay. http://www.alberguebuenpastor.org.mx/index.php/en/the-shelter http://www.alberguebuenpastor.org.mx/images/stories/007%20buen%20pastor%20shelter.pdf http://www.worldvisionreport.org/Stories/Week-of-January-15-2011/Migrant-Shelter-in-Mexico

Casa del Migrante in Tecún Umán, Guatemala began in 1995 as a refuge for migrants traveling north in attempts to realize el sueño americano (the American Dream). In response to the many human rights abuses that migrants were facing, the Office of Human Rights was opened at the site in 1996. Through the Office of Human Rights, migrants can report the abuses they experience. In addition to documenting these abuses, Casa del Migrante aims to hold individuals accountable for the abuses and thus create a culture of justice in the region through their legal services. http://migrationnation.weebly.com/index.html

Centro Regional de Investigacion en Salud Publica (CRISP) The Regional Center for Public Health Research (CRISP) is one of the three branches of which form part INSP since 1996 and is located in the city of Tapachula, Chiapas. It is a research and service center focused on the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases and Environmental Health, especially focused on malaria and insecticides. The organization brings together professionals from different disciplines with the common goal of promoting social equity through knowledge generation, innovation in health systems and training of human resources for public health. http://www.insp.mx/centros/regional-de-investigacion/bienvenida.html

Colegio de la Frontera EcoSur is a scientific research center which seeks to contribute to sustainable development in the southern border of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean through knowledge generation, human resource training and linking the social and natural sciences. http://www.ecosur.mx/ 

Frontera de Cristo is a Presbyterian border ministry located in the sister cities of Agua Prieta, Sonora and Douglas, Arizona. Frontera offers humanitarian assistance to migrants crossing the Sonora desert in Northern Mexico. Frontera runs the Migrant Resource Center, which provides humanitarian aid and abuse documentation for migrants in Agua Prieta, Sonora. http://www.fronteradecristo.org/

GrupoBeta Sur (located in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico) is the southern division of the Mexican government’s Migrant Protection Groups. Their mission is to defend and safeguard the human rights of migrants and their person and property regardless of their immigration status by giving them aid and protection in situations of risk or abuse by the authorities and/or individuals. The Migrant Protection Groups work primarily in the border areas and transit points for migrants. http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Grupo_Beta_Objetivo

International Organization of Migration (IOM) Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. The IOM Constitution recognizes the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to the right of freedom of movement. http://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp


Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to abide by the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity found at http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm.


Classroom Behavior:
Class discussion and interaction are encouraged. However, students who are disrespectful to the instructor, to teaching assistants, to their classmates, or to community members, or who engage in unrelated conversations or activities during class, will be asked to leave the classroom. If you are asked to leave the class, you will be recorded as an unexcused absence. Students are expected to be familiar with the UA Policy on Disruptive Behavior in an Instructional Setting found at http://hr2.hr.arizona.edu/dos/pol_disrupt.htm and the Policy on Threatening Behavior by Students found at http://hr2.hr.arizona.edu/dos/pol_threat.htm.

Grievance Policy: http://grad.arizona.edu/Current_Students/Policies/Grievance_Policy.php Students who are registered with the Disability Resource Center must submit appropriate documentation to the instructor if they are requesting reasonable accommodations: http://drc.arizona.edu/instructor/syllabus-statement.shtml. The information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

After a planning lunch at our favorite Guatemalan restaurant 

in Tucson, Maya Quetzal.