What the Community Learns: International Service-Learning in Yucatán, México

Colleges and universities have increasingly adopted international service-learning (ISL) as a pedagogy for students studying abroad. The literature on these programs has illustrated that international students receive more attention than host communities as objects of study. Host groups often face real challenges caused primarily by historical and social factors that contribute to their long-term marginalization. If ISL implies mutual learning and reciprocity between host communities and students, it is important to question how communities live the ISL experience—in other words, what do they learn? This study introduces the voices of a group of women in Mérida, Mexico, who participated in an ISL program. Utilizing an ethnographic approach, including participant observation, focus groups, and interviews, the study discussed in this article produced findings that suggest that communities participating in ISL gain important learning outcomes in areas such as empowerment, skills, values, and collective organization.