An alternative educational program that allows students to travel to Mexico is offered through SIUC’s School of Social Work. However, to qualify for the International Elderhostel program, one must be 55 or older.

The International Elderhostel is a non-profit organization that takes elderly people from all over the country to Oaxaca, Mexico, in an effort to allow the elderly a chance to gain cultural experiences, the program coordinator said.

Muhammad Mizanu Miah, the Elderhostel coordinator, said the program began at the University 10 years ago.

Advertisement

The program was brought to the University from the headquarters in Boston by a individual professor’s initiative and SIU’s eagerness to participate, he said.

The main focus of the program is for the participants to learn, he said. The philosophy of Elderhostel is that retirement should be a time of learning and growing. We can give people that chance the chance to travel and learn at the same time.

Elderhostel gives people over the age of 55 a chance to learn about different places and different cultures that they would not normally have the chance to do, Miah said.

The educational activities include four field trips and two excursions to archeological sites. The participants also attend class for one or two hours in the morning for a lesson in Spanish.

Participants Paul Stanley and his wife, Janet, from Georgetown, Colo., attended the program in October. They both said they were pleased with the experience.

We came away feeling we really know about a part of Mexico, which we only saw on the map, Paul Stanley said. We spent two weeks on our own after leaving Elderhostel, and what we had learned made that time much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.

The two week course emphasizes improving participants’ ability to speak the Spanish language and increasing their appreciation of the Hispanic and indigenous cultures, according to an Elderhostel newsletter.

Advertisement*

Matt Fuller, the program manager, said he also emphasizes the learning part of the trip.

It is a very strong educational program, he said. The program gives them a chance to explore the city and also gives them a chance to learn about the culture.

The participants pay $1,163. This amount includes room and board, academic instruction and course-related field trips, extracurricular activities and entertainment, free time, limited accident/illness/baggage insurance and group travel to field trips and excursions.

The cost does not include transportation to Mexico or the participants’ lunch.

Director of the School of Social Work, Martin Tracy, said Elderhostel gives the school the opportunity to offer diversity.

Elderhostel contributes to the school’s diversity and provides opportunity to be actively involved in another culture, he said. It offers positive spin-offs for faculty and students.