The impact of a cross-cultural service learning program on the host communities of central Ecuador

This research examines the impact of a cross-cultural service learning program on the host communities in Ecuador. The cross-cultural program discussed is a unique high school service learning program run by Global Routes, a non-profit US based organization. This capstone paper asks the host communities of central Ecuador what the impact of one particular format of a service learning program was on them. It was discovered that it is crucial to understand the importance of how one goes about collecting data and asking such types of questions in a different culture. The results did not allow for many concrete conclusions to be made; however, a foundation was laid for future research. This topic is needed in order to compliment a newly dynamic, popular field of research within International Education. Study abroad has been researched thoroughly from the participants’ perspective, however, rarely is the host community asked about their perspective. This paper attempts to do so