= MARCH 24, 2004 Gendered Human Rights Students Participate in the Geography Field School in Guatemala NORTH PACIAIS DQEAN. By Carolynne Burkholder One of the main goals behind the UNBC mandate is to make education more relevant and applied. The Geography Field School in Guatemala, being held from the 3rd until the 26th of May, is a great example of how departments and professors at UNBC are working to fulfill the goals set out by UNBC. This program is being organised by the UNBC Geography Program along with a group called Rights Action. Rights Action is a “a tax-charitable organisation that funds, supports, and works with community based development and human rights organisa- tions in Latin America and educates about global development and human rights issues.” Dr. Catherine Nolin is a UNBC pro- fessor in Geography, and the organiser and facilitator of the Field School. Accompanying her to Guatemala are a group of ten UNBC students, comprised of eight third and fourth year undergraduates, along with two graduate students, pursuing studies in fields such as International Studies, Political Science, Anthropology, and Geography. Although the Geography pro- gram at UNBC has held Field School ‘in other areas of the world, this venture is the first of its kind to be available for UNBC stu- dents interested in Guatemala and Latin America. Nolin is optimistic that if this Field School is successful, the UNBC Geography faculty, along with Rights Action, will be able to develop a similar pro- gram available for students two years from now. The Field School, which deals with indigenous and gendered human rights in Guatemala, is divided up into three units. The first week students will spend in classes at UNBC. The intense curriculum will involve seminars discussing “theoretical issues of power and human rights, as well as Guatemala —— titerrations! useary ree Degmitment houndacy specific historical arid contemporary aspects of Guatemala\’s violent past and present.” Students participating in the Field School will receive six credit hours towards their studies. Upon arriving on Guatemala on May 12th, will travel to rural communities degal- ing with wide-ranging human rights issues, after which students will attend the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers. During this period, the partic- ipants of the Field School will learn about different issues in Latin American Studies. In the third week, in partnership with the Guatemala Canada Solidarity Network, the students will accompany young Canadian interns, who are working for the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA). The students will be able to visit rural communities where they will learn about the process of growing coffee, as well as other aspects of rural Guatemalan life, such as the legacies of colonial power and gender relations. After the Field School is over, several of the students are choosing to stay in Guatemala and further enhance their knowledge regarding Guatemala and Latin America. Nolin is very enthusiastic about the interest that students have expressed about the Field School. She is really looking forward to the opportunity to teach students more about the issues facing people in Latin America regarding culture, rights, and power. Nolin has much experience researching these topics, having completed her Masters and PhD research on the problems faced by refugees and migrants coming from Guatemala into Canada. She states that she “has long standing interest in issues of the Maya refugee movement, Guatemalan migration and refugee experiences in Canada, and solidarity organising among Canadians in support of Guatemala’s returned refugee communities and popular movement.” Her interests in these types of issues have brought her to Guatemala eight or nine times since 1992. A very popular and well-respected professor at UNBC, Nolin’s experience, interest, and enthusiasm is definitely going to benefit the learning experiences of the students participating in Field Guatemala. fair trade coffee in Canada. Students Sell Coffee to Raise Funds In order to raise funds to reduce the overall cost for students attending the Geographies of Culture, Rights, and Power Field School held this May in Guatemala, the students have begun to sell Fair Trade Coffee. Dr. Catherine Nolin, the School organiser and facilitator, states that there are two main benefits that come from purchasing this coffee. First, by purchasing the coffee, patrons support the peo- ple working on coffee plantations in Guatemala who receive a fair price for their efforts and products. Second, by buying this coffee, a portion of the proceeds go towards assisting the UNBC students burden the financial cost of the field school in Nolin points out that the attempts to sell coffee is very relevant for the students planning to attend the field school, as they will be learning about the process by which the coffee is grown as well as visiting the areas where these tasks are carried out. The trips into the San Lucas Toliman region of Guatemala are possible due to the Guatemala-Canada Solidarity Network. This organisation also aids the reception and distribution of Fair Trade Coffee from Guatemala to Canada. Nolin receives the coffee directly from an organisation entitled ‘Fair Trade for Prince George’. This organisation, in turn, orders the coffee from ‘Just Us’ a cooper- ative located in Nova Scotia which agreed to sell six thousand pounds of Guatemalan To order the coffee you can contact Catherine Nolin at nolin@unbe.ca or at her office 8-136. As well, the students attending the Field School will be selling the cof fee every Thursday at the PGPIRG Organic Food Group table from 9:00 until 4:00. The coffee sells for $15 per 1 Ib. bag and comes either full bean or ground. the Geography Field School. Overall, it is apparent that as UNBC con- tinues to grow, so too do opportunities avail- able for UNBC students. The ‘Geographies of Culture, Rights, and Power’ Field School looking at indigenous and gendered human rights in Guatemala is just one of these amazing opportunities that allow students to further learn and apply the practical tools of education.