Program

The INEX Summer University in Costa Rica is the premier study experience in Central America and a leading program in learning about sustainability. In 2010, for the tenth time, INEX will send students to Costa Rica (a country famed for its eco-tourism and natural beauty) and immerses them into the Latin American reality of social, ecological and economical development.

Two academic courses at Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (ULACIT) form the core of the program. There the participants are introduced to concepts and implications of sustainability and address the role of business, policies and impacts on modern life. Expected guest speakers for these sessions include Costa Rica’s minister of the environment Roberto Dobles and other high level individuals. Credits received can be transferred to students’ home universities.

Knowledge exchanges with international organizations (UNESCO, FES) and the corporate world adds local perspectives and best-practice examples.

Contextual learning is facilitated through thematically fitting excursions, social activities and weekend travel to the most exciting places in Costa Rica.  This includes, amongst others, visits to coffee and banana plantations, national parks and rain forest reserves on both coasts. Canopy rides trough the rain forest and rafting down Pacuare river will serve as bonding experiences and prepare participants for group work and beyond.

For a better understanding of the country and its people all students will live with host families, enjoy typical food and be part of the local community. Intercultural training and an intensive Spanish language training at ULACIT guarantee improved skills for interaction.

INEX focuses on Sustainable Development

Sustainable development has become the major challange of our decade. INEX promotes the cofluence of three dimensions: environmental protection, social learning and economic progress. We immerse tomorrow’s leaders of the into a developing country’s society, are initiating mutual knowledge transfer and creating knowledge for change.

As of September 2009 the Austrian Commission for UNESCO awarded the INEX Summer University program for its contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.