Assisting the Development ofLa Montaña Internship Program

Srta. Elizabeth WeisenburgerOctober 2011

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Elizabeth Weisenburger, MA4440 Vieja Drive

Santa Barbara, CA 93110Tel: 805.403.4289 | E-mail: eweisenburger@mac.com

October 10, 2011

¡Saludos La Montaña Team!

It has been such a pleasure to have been brought into the conversation and planningprocess of your new internship program.

This is a revision of what I’d call the beginning of starting an internship packet, an“internship 101” packet as Joe said, so to speak. By all means, there is much more to bethought through and added to this packet, including cross-cultural orientationinformation, budget information, etc., and other content that you, as youth ministers andpastors will be able to inform and shape this important program you are beginning.

My hope is that this will help you, as we discussed Friday, to really think through whatyour goals and purposes are for the program and begin shaping its design around those.

Please feel free to contact me, should you have any questions! I am sure we will be incommunication as you begin these first steps into what God is furthering for His kingdomin Costa Rica and throughout Latin America.

Con much cariño y agradicimiento portomar parte de este mision increible,

Liz Weisenburger

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Table of Contents

Background Information on La Montaña Christian Camps 4

General Introduction to Internships Abroad 6

Benefits of Internships Abroad 7

First Steps in Internship Program Design 8Identifying Mission, Purpose, Goals, & Objectives of Program

Mission, Purpose, Goals, & Objective Worksheet 10

Thinking Through Program Design Worksheet 12Suggestions: Duration, Non-credit bearing Program

Best Practices in Providing Internship Opportunities 15

Short Term Program Suggestions 16

Employing Experiential Learning Theory in Internship in Delivery 17Learning Contracts, Field Journals, Portfolios, etc.

Note on Staff Supervision 20

Future Development of a For-Credit Internship in 20Partnership with Christian Colleges & Universities

Anticipated Recruitment 22

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Background Information

About La Montaña1

La Montaña Christian Camps (LMCC) is an evangelistic, high impact adventure campnestled in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, Central America. Its strategy and vision is towork with teenagers 12-19 years old to win and disciple them into a growing relationshipwith Jesus Christ. LMCC mixes in a variety of recreational activities (ropes courses,climbing walls, ponds, playing fields, an in-line skating rink, etc.) to meet the physicaland relational needs of today’s teen. The high-energy curriculum enables them toeffectively use the morning and evening chapel times while employing all thetechnological tools at their disposal in order to communicate God’s love and plan for thecampers’ lives. And the best part is that they work through local Costa Rican churches sothat every decision made at camp has an opportunity for follow-up and discipleship.

Throughout the year, LMCC works in a variety of different ways and through a variety ofvenues to achieve our goal and commission. La Montaña Christian Camps runs acomplete program during the entire year. There is rarely a week during the calendar yearwhen they don’t have at least one camp scheduled.

• December through January – Summer Camp season• February through June – Private and Public Schools season• July through August – Winter Camp season• September through November – Church groups and Conference season

Mission & Vision

Our passion is to reach the vast number of youth throughout the Spanish-speaking world

with the transforming message of Jesus Christ. In 1980, we organized a Christian youth

movement in Costa Rica using the multiplication concept of barrio group evangelism and

discipleship/camping programs that impacted over 50,000 teenagers. LAMA also

developed a humanitarian outreach ministry to children in Nicaragua and Cuba called

Love in a Shoebox which provided Christmas gifts in a shoebox for barrio kids.

1 La Montaña Camps are owned and operated by Latin America Assistance , Inc. otherwiseknown as LAMA. LAMA is a charitable non-profit Christian organization incorporated inCalifornia in 1976 under section 501 © (3) as a Public Benefit, and is therefore authorized toissue tax deductible receipts.

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By late 1990, LAMA, in fulfillment of a vision of many years, shifted its focus to acamping ministry and founded La Montana Christian Camps. With the same desire toevangelize and disciple youth, LAMA began to develop a premier Christian camp thatwould endeavor to work through the local church in reaching Costa Rica for Christ. Sinceits inauguration in 2001, La Montana Christian Camps has reached over 50,000 youngpeople, and as a result, thousands have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as personalSavior and Lord.

Our vision is to help develop similar camping venues throughout Central America and

the Caribbean.

Current Internship Program

Since the inauguration of La Montaña Christian Camps, God has supernaturally blessed

this ministry to teenagers. Growth began from the beginning as LMCC formatted its

ministry to the Hume Lake Christian Camps model of working through the local church

and ministries. (http://www.humelake.org) Since 2001, La Montaña has reached close to

70,000 young people with the message of the gospel, and now has a yearly attendance of

over 12,000 people. With this growth, the need to expand our staff has also grown,

making it plain that one of the ways to creatively staff the camp was to open the doors to

our allies to the North. Thus, the birth of its intern program. For years, the need and

desire has been growing to begin a program that would invite key qualified young people

with a heart for missions and young people to come and serve the Lord in Costa Rica.

These qualified individuals will be able to serve the Lord while also learning valuable

personal and spiritual lessons that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Our desire

is that out of this experience, God would call many of these young people into full-time

vocational ministry.

The Program is still in its embryonic/development stage, with Chris and Missy

Smolchuck coming from Chino Hills to begin this ministry, which is set to launch in

Summer 2012 with 8 participants.

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General Introduction to Internships Abroad

The wonderful news about living in the 21st century, is that with increased globalization,

technology, and the ease of travel, colleges and universities recognize the importance of

and are seeking to inculcate in their students global competency. There still remains

confusion over what precise skills and attitudes are needed in order to become “globally

competent,” but many accept the definition held by Richard Lambert2 which is a mix of

internationally oriented substantive knowledge, empathy and appreciation of other

culture, foreign language proficiency, and a practical ability to function in other cultures.

For Christian colleges and universities, “global competence” carries different significance

as they help students seek to understand God’s world, their place in it, and His heart for

all nations and peoples. Programs developed by schools like Azusa Pacific are academic,

experiential, and missional, seeking to engage students on all these levels as they pursue

their degrees and vocational callings.

Since the 1970s there has been a steady expansion of study abroad program development

in colleges and universities across the US. With that expansion, there has been a similar

increase in work and internships abroad being offered as well, and most dramatic growth

since the 1990s. In addition, given that three-quarters of the world population lives in

Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, programs that operate in these non-

traditional destinations of education abroad are increasingly offering internships and

service learning as an integral part of their curriculum, and as a result, are one of the

fastest growing sectors in education abroad. 3

2 Lambert, Richard Educational Exhange and Global Competence. 2004.3 The term “education abroad” includes both classroom instruction and experiential, beyond-the-classroomeducation.

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Benefits of Internships Abroad

Research demonstrates that the many benefits to participants of work/intern abroad

programs are very similar to the benefits of study abroad, only more pronounced! Tens of

thousands of students participate annually in work, volunteer, and internship programs.

Non-for-credit programs were estimated in 2004 by William Nolting to approach 35,000,

about one-quarter of the total number of students studying abroad for credit. Of the many

benefits, several of them include:

Cultural Immersion

Personal & Spiritual Development

Cross-Cultural Learning and Understanding

Language Learning

Career Development

Opportunity to Explore and Answer Vocational Calling

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First Steps in Internship Program Design

Identifying Mission, Purpose, Goals, & Objectives of Program

Anyone proposing a new internship/exchange program, should be prepared to do two

things at once. First, develop and articulate a sound rationale or mission, with purpose,

goals, and objectives of the program being offered. Second, and this is addressed later,

lay a good foundation for the smooth administration of the program.

Internships, by definition, should provide experience in a particular profession. La

Montaña Christian Camp internship program provides an intern program that would

invite qualified young people with a heart for missions and young people to come and

serve the Lord in Costa Rica, furthering their exploration of and/or commitment to

vocation full-time ministry. This is provided through hands-on work with Costa Rican

youth, mission training, staff led-prayer and reflection, etc.-all in a premier Christian

Camp ministry, formed after the Hume Lake Christian Camp model of working through

the local church and ministries, and serving 12,000 youth annually.

For example, given La Montaña’s website, this could look like the following:

Mission

La Montaña Christian Camp’s mission is to reach the vast number of youth throughout

the Spanish-speaking world with the transforming message of Jesus Christ.

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Purpose, Goals, & Objectives

Purpose

The purpose of La Montaña Christian Camp internship program is to provide an intern

program that would invite qualified young people with a heart for missions and young

people to come and serve the Lord in Costa Rica. This is provided through hands-on

work with Costa Rican youth, mission training, staff led-prayer and reflection, etc.-all in

a premier Christian Camp ministry, formed after the Hume Lake Christian Camp model

of working through the local church and ministries, and serving 12,000 youth annually.

GoalsWe seek to fulfill our purpose through the following goals:

To offer participants specific learning about how to administer premier camping

experiences for youth.

To offer hands-on opportunities to work with and learn directly from Costa Rican

youth and their experiences.

To provide an opportunity to learn about Costa Rica, it’s environs, and more

specifically about youth mission in Latin America.

To provide participants with language and cross-cultural learning opportunites.

To provide worship, spiritual guidance, mentoring, and fellowship in community.

ObjectivesAt the end of the internship program, participants will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the Christian Camp Model in writing a term

reflection paper.

Have an awareness of general cultural customs, traditions, norms, etc of Costa

Rica and establish cultural literacy, knowledge, and sensitivity.

Communicate in basic conversational Spanish

Demonstrate a basic understanding of Missions and The Great Mandate

Produce a substantial field journal, portfolio, term paper

of course work taken, cultural learning moments, vocational inquiries, etc.

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Purpose, Goals, & Objectives Worksheet

Mission/Rationale of Program

What is the Mission of La Montaña Christian Camps?

Why Costa Rica?

What is the value of an internship at La Montaña Christian Camps?

Purpose, Goals, & Objectives

I. Purpose

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

II. GoalsWe seek to fulfill our purpose through the following goals:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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III. ObjectivesAt the end of the internship program, participants will be able to:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

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Thinking Through Program Design Worksheet________________________________________________________________________

After thinking well through the purpose, goals, and objectives of a program, it is essential

to then lay a good foundation for the smooth administration of the program. This includes

thinking about the duration of the program and how that relates to the goals and

objectives. The learning methods that will be employed to aid and assist in your program

objectives, etc.

Internship Program Design

What are the academic / experiential Goals of the Internship Program?

What is the degree of cultural immersion?

Who are the participants?

Duration of the Program

What is the duration of the program?

How does the duration relate to your goals and objectives?

Location

Why is La Montaña a suitable location?

Internship Curriculum

What courses or other learning methods are employed?

How many courses or other elements are offered?

Taught by whom? Meeting Where?

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Credit

If offered, who grants it, methods of student assessment, transcripts, etc?

Accommodations

How will participants be housed, fed, etc?

Travel Arrangements

How will travel be handled: both internationally and nationally?

Diplomatic and Health Documentation

Passports, work visas, inoculations, etc…

Staff

Who accompanies the group, who is responsible on site, etc?

Is there stateside and country staff?

Orientation

Is pre-departure, on-site, and re-entry orientation delivered?

Does this orientation provide relevant cross-cultural information, opportunities for

reflection, and relevant country information?

Safety Issues

How are emergencies handled?

Is there a hospital close by and/or physician that is available?

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Budget

How is the general budget figured out?

Promotion and Recruitment

How is the program to be made known to potential participants?

Will La Montaña recruit/partner with churches, colleges, and/or universities?

Admissions

What are the requirements for admission to the program? (See intern application)

Do these requirements include: spiritual, personal, and academic standards?

Excursions

Are there on-site excursions that are part of the program?

Program Assessment

How will the program be assessed by participants, staff, and La Montaña?

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Best Practices in Providing Internship Opportunities

Maintain a Strong Working Relationships with Colleges and/or Church Partners /

Youth Pastors

Developing relationships with career counselors, and in this case with Youth Pastors,

faculty at colleges and universities who teach youth pasturing, study abroad offices

and/or missions offices at various colleges who will help to promote your internship

program as well as helping to find out what college students are looking for in an

internship experience.

Develop an Orientation Program for New Interns

Provide an on-site orientation to acclimate students to the organization, its policies

and practices.

Provide Training, Supervision, and Mentoring

Provide adequate staff to train and supervise students as well as assigning a mentor to

guide students through the internship experience.

Provide Opportunities for Students to Learn

Create quality and meaningful work assignments designed to help students learn and

gain knowledge in Youth Pastoring, Administrating Camp Experiences, etc.

Provide Students with Ongoing Feedback

Offer consistent feedback throughout the internship and provide students ample

opportunity to provide feedback to immediate supervisors.

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Short Term Program Suggestions

The following suggestions came as a result of a meeting with Joe Sr., Clara, Chris, and

Missy, and myself on Friday, October 7th’s at Fess Parker Hotel in Santa Barbara:

Duration:

My current suggestion would be that La Montaña seek to lay out it’s program goals and

whether they can be accomplished in 2 month summer or winter internship for younger

students and/or 2 semester (5-6 month long) internship programs for the purposes of

being able to accomplish it’s internship goals.

There could be, for the sake of brainstorming:

• 2 months: December through January – Summer Camp season• 6 months: February through June – Private and Public Schools season• 2 months: July through August – Winter Camp season

3 months: September through November use to break, reassess, and prep?

Making the Program a Non-Credit Bearing Program & Taking Advantage of Participant

Gap Years

Though certainly an option for future development, it takes considerable time,

coordination, and buy-in from faculty and university/college administrators to approve

and grant credit for an internship program. Credit bearing programs are programs that

have an academic component and thus issue credits that can be transferred to

participant’s college/university. Non-credit bearing programs are program that offers the

value of experiential education but does not issue credits and or a transcript.

A ‘gap year” is most commonly taken after high school and before starting university but

more recently reflected in the increase of 21-23 year olds taking time out after completing

their degree to take a period of time abroad.

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Employing Learning Theory in Internship in Delivery

Internships as Experiential Learning4

“Tell me, and I will forget; show me, and I may remember; involve me, and I will understand.” ~Confuscious

Field experience, internships, and service-learning, what can also be known as“experiential education.” One of the core values of experiential learning is thatlearning is not isolated in a classroom, but involves a total experience. It starts fromthe premise that learning is multidimensional, fostering intellectual growth, languageand communication skills, as well as cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonalgrowth. In internship placements, students have direct encounters with a differentculture, social attitudes, gender relationships, organizational structures, legalarrangements, moral norms and many other unfamiliar patterns of behavior,communication, and organization.

In the case of La Montaña, students have the interpersonal growth opportunity toexperience life and customs of Costa Rica, delve into the life experiences of youth whosesocio-economic, cultural, and language backgrounds, forms of communicating aredifferent. Spiritual, cognitive and intellectual learning comes from learning aboutmissions, God’s work and his heart for his worship amongst the nations, learning aboutthe history, geography, peoples, and environment of Costa Rica.

Methods that Help Foster & Assess Learning in Internship Programs

In the best experiential programs, learning is always taking place. Learning methods

designed to reinforce students’ learning should be implemented in the form of:

1. Learning contracts2. Active and reflective participation in group talks3. Field Journals4. Portfolios5. Term Projects6. Self-Evaluation

4 Steinberg, Michael :”Involve Me and I Will Understand": Academic Quality in ExperientialPrograms Abroad. Frontiers, Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad. Institute for theInternational Education of Students

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Learning Contracts

A learning contract is a key element in experiential learning. In the learning contract, thestudent defines objectives and strategies—i.e., what and how he or she seeks to learn atLa Montaña and in activities related to the placement. Learning contracts, ideally, areflexible and modifiable along the way by the student in interaction with the fieldplacement. As students adjust to a situation, responsibilities and tasks can change andincrease.

Field Journals

A frequent assignment for interns is the diary, or journal. The journal gives the student anopportunity to record his or her experience and, ideally, to reflect upon it. It is essentialthat the journal go well beyond recording events. It offers a medium through which thestudent can find patterns and give shape to the experience. Students need to beencouraged to identify “deeper meanings.”

In the case of La Montaña, the journal can start with an introduction, similar to theirinternship application, about their desire to be part of the program, what their hopes andexpectations are, and their first impressions. Staff can provide guidance through weeklyjournal assignments that touch on a variety of learning goals and experiences.

Staff can review the students’ journals on a continuing basis as well as at the end of theterm. The best journals will reflect backwards as they go forward, altering and deepeningtheir perception of experience. The staff member will observe and positively evaluate astudent’s growth over the semester.

Portfolios

Another useful assignment is the personal portfolio. The portfolio offers students theopportunity to reflect on their placement in creative ways. Photographs, videos, collages,newspaper and magazine clippings, short stories, poems, essays, and tapes are some ofthe media that can be assembled in the portfolio.

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Similarly, the evaluation of the staff supervisor is commonly used as an assessment tooland contributes to a student grade. While this is also not, strictly speaking, an academicmeasurement, it is a means of enforcing discipline on the student at the placement andmaking sure that he or she makes a positive contribution. If the staff supervisor is awareof and preferably involved in the student’s learning contract, he or she is also in aposition to comment on the student’s growth.

Term Paper

Most internship and field placement programs require students to complete a term paperor other scholarly exercise. These assignments arise from the placement, but involvestudent research that may take place entirely outside of the placement. Ideally, they helpthe student understand and analyze the context of his or her placement. Assignments likethis anchor the experiential program in traditional academic work and certainly facilitatethe acceptance of credit to the home institution. The supervisory staff member will makesure that the student begins the project early on in the program and assists the student indeveloping research approaches and locating appropriate materials.

Self- Assessment / Evaluation Exercises

Self-evaluation, where students are asked to assess themselves and then are judged ontheir ability to set objectives, use their analytical skills, demonstrate self-awareness, andshow initiative. Self-evaluation skills, in fact, are a common objective of experientiallearning. The self-evaluation borrows a method from the employment sphere andmeasures personal abilities and attributes as well as academic learning.

Just as employees draw up objectives and goals in some cultural settings, experientiallearners develop learning contracts. The self-evaluation gives the student the opportunityto self-assess how well he or she has fulfilled the learning contract. The instructor’sresponsibility is to analyze the self-assessment. Peer assessment is also useful, especiallyin situations where students are working closely together. Students who have to assesstheir peers are better equipped to assess themselves.

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Staff Supervision

Effective supervision will assist the students to understand what he or she is learningwithin a broader context of the internship experience. The key is to have an organizerwho challenges students to reflect on their experience on a continuing basis, and whoenables the students to link experience with context, thus achieving “deeper learning.”

Future Development of a For-Credit Internship inPartnership with Christian Colleges & Universities

The route of offering a 6 month period internship via the Study Abroad office as a credit

or non-credit bearing program through Christian Colleges and Universities, is another

option that La Montaña could look at as the internship program is developing and Chris

and Missy are well established in Costa Rica.

As an alternative to academic programs and missions trips, which tend to be short in

duration, many students now seek opportunities abroad for work, internships and

volunteering, in part because of their belief in the intrinsic educational value of such

experiences, in part because of the advantages they provide in for career preparation and

vocational calling, which is what La Montaña internships provide. We had many students

do this at Azusa, and they would take a semester off their degree program and return back

to APU to resume their studies.

The phrase “academic component” is somewhat of a misnomer. Experiential education

abroad lies at the intersection of multidisciplinary learning and when well structured,

reinforces a student’s learning at least as much as any other aspect of an academic

program.

The amount of credit that students can earn varies from institution to institution, and evenwithin institutions. Some colleges permit only two semester credits; others allow students

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to register for up to eight or nine in a semester. The usual permitted amount is 3 to 6semester credits.

Credit for experiential study is often not automatic. Credit, according to IES5 surveyrespondents, must be “determined by supervising faculty”; “must be approved prior byacademic advisor”; must demonstrate “close supervision on site and significant academiccomponent”; must have “prior approval”; “must have an additional sponsor on ourcampus”; “must petition for credit in advance”; or “usually [require] approval of our ownrelated department(s).” These qualifications demonstrate that experiential components ofprograms are subject to greater scrutiny than traditional course components and that theyare not readily viewed as having the equivalent rigor and academic content. Studyabroad coordinators. however, are generally positive about internships. They report“students have found them rigorous and valuable” and “attractive components of studyabroad programs.” However, they also express concern about the rigor of academiccomponents.

Faculties are resistant to experiential programs for credit for a variety of reasons. Critics’

central concern is that experiential learning is rooted in perception rather than theory. In

this light, if students are challenged, in their experiential programs, “to articulate and

argue {their] position in the light of conflicting theories, facts and firsthand encounters,”

then the experience is effectively assimilated with academic goals. Since internships are

often justified for non-educational reasons, the “academic component” of the internship

program becomes the major justification for credit and is frequently the focus of

assessment.

5 IES is an independent, not-for-profit, educational corporation chartered in the State of Illinois. Ourmission is “to provide premier study abroad programs for U.S. students that deliver the highest qualityeducation while simultaneously promoting development of intercultural competence.”

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Anticipated Participants & Recruitment

Currently, the maximum amount of interns stands at 8, ages 18-25. Is there a hope/desire

for this internship program to be expanded? Age-wise, participants could include youth

who have just graduated from high school, who may be in college/university and want to

take a “gap year,” may just be graduating from an undergraduate degree program, or

currently in the workforce.

Though I have seen the intern application, I am unaware of how La Montaña seeks to

recruit participants and how it currently partners with North American churches in the

local Southern California area, but imagine that churches whom LM has long-term

relationships, like Calvary in Santa Barbara, and Bible Fellowship/Encounter in Ventura,

offer great grounds for recruiting interested youth.

Due to the specific evangelical and Christ-centric mission of the La Montaña intern

program to see the gospel proclaimed and the Kingdom of God expand amongst Latin

youth, the La Montaña program partnerships would be appropriate for Christian colleges

and universities and those colleges and universities that are part of the CCCU or The

Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The CCCU is an international association

of intentionally Christian colleges and universities 6 whose mission is to advance the

cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help their institutions transform lives by

faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth. A sampling of West Coast

Christian colleges with Christian Ministry and/or Youth Ministry Majors/Minors include:

1. Azusa Pacific University : Youth Ministry Major http://www.apu.edu/theology/undergraduate/practical/youth/careers/

2. Biola University: Christian Ministry http://undergrad.biola.edu/academics/majors/christian-ministries/

3. Point Loma Nazarene University: Christian Ministry with Youth Ministry Minor

6 Founded in 1976 with 38 members, the Council has grown to 113 members in North Americaand 72 affiliate institutions in 25 countries. The CCCU is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofitorganization headquartered in the Historic Capitol Hill district of Washington, D.C.

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http://www.pointloma.edu/experience/academics/catalogs/undergraduate-

catalog/course-offerings-and-descriptions/school-theology-and-christian-

ministry/christian-ministry-major

College / University Missions Office

Most Christian Colleges and Universities have a global missions office, offering short-

term programs for the entire student body, helping mobilize faculty and staff, and those

with missions-minded passions, and bringing global mission organizations and

professionals to the campus. I am wondering if this would be the best route to go?

However, the internship model you currently have of 1-6 months would most likely be

relegated to the summer months, or a month in May, at the end of term.