SELF- DESIGNED HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL

MISSION TRIP TO HONDURAS

Basic Information
Full Name: Nicole Stacia Brzozowski
UC Email: brzozons@mail.uc.edu
College: College of Nursing
Major: Nursing
Title of Project: Back to Honduras
Thematic Area: Community Engagement
Expected Project Start Date: 7/22/15
Expected Project End Date: 7/29/15
Project Information
1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
I am proposing my mission trip to Honduras as an honors experiential learning project. I will be
going to Honduras from July 22nd to July 29th. I will be traveling to Honduras apart of the Gilmour
Academy Global Outreach alumni mission trip to Nuevo Paraiso. The mission is called the Nuevo Paraiso
Project. On the mission trip, we will be keeping in mind Gilmour Academys core mission, to develop
the competence to see and the courage to act in creating a more humane and just society. This will be a
trip of reverse mission where we learn some of lifes most important lessons from the poorest of the
poor and put into effect Gilmour Academys Mission. I went to Gilmour Academy for high school and
participated on the Nuevo Paraiso Project over spring break in 2014.
Nuevo Paraiso is an orphanage located an hour outside of Tegucigalpa. It is a community of
homes, schools, and activity centers for over 100 children. Nuevo Paraiso is home to children abandoned
or orphaned that now live in group homes with household mothers (Tias). The children who live in Nuevo
Paraiso ages range from infancy to 18 year olds. The children receive schooling, computer training, skills
training, health care, psychological counseling, and love. Nuevo Paraiso prepares their children for the
future to either attend the university in Tegucigalpa or become a skilled worker in one of the trades that
are taught in the schools.
During my time in Nuevo Paraiso I will be assisting in manual labor projects to contribute to the
needs of the community. There will be will be 25 of us traveling to Honduras and we will be split up into
different project groups. These manual labor projects may include continuing to build a brick wall around
the outside of the grounds, painting the inside of the houses, sorting and organizing supplies, building
additions onto existing houses such as building new house porches, or any other small projects brought to
the mission trips attention. During these projects I will be working alongside the older Nuevo Paraiso
teens. During my week stay, we will have three full work days, working from 7:45 am to 4 pm, and two
half work days, working from 7:45 am to 12 pm. We will have break time in between meals to journal,
eat, and play with the children. During the other days and half work days we will have a tour of Nuevo
Paraiso, visit a brother school, Montana de Luz, and tour the Basilica in Tegucigalpa and Valley of the
Angles.
From this experience I hope to learn more about the nature and diversity of the human being and
learn more about the culture of Honduras. During my first trip to Honduras I was humbled by all that I

have to be thankful for in life such as my family and the power of education. On this second trip I would
like to focus more on the human contact aspect of culture diversity. I hope to continue learning about the
people, culture, focusing on how to communicate with those of different cultures. This can be
accomplished while working alongside the Honduran teens and time spent playing with the children. I do
not speak Spanish, but I believe a lot can be taken away from the power of reading body language and
hand signals.

Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work:
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above)
Possesses awareness of purpose of service, including need for reciprocity, understanding of social
issues, and ability to see those issues from multiple perspectives. The project that I will request to work
on is the expansion of the brick wall around the grounds of Nuevo Paraiso. I will understand the purpose
of this service by working along side the Nuevo Paraiso teens and experienced group leaders. Right now a
tall wire fence surrounds the orphanages area. The wire fence has become problematic because there have
been incidents where people on the outside on the fence try and pass drugs and other harmful substances
through the fence rings to the children. The community will benefit from the expansion of the brick wall
as it creates a sturdy barrier between the children and these harmful outsiders. The children who grow up
in Nuevo Paraiso are given nothing to personally own, all toys, clothing, and food are shared. Which is
why when a stranger approaches the fence and offers the children something to keep to themselves, they
jump at the opportunity. By helping build the brick wall, I will be able to personally see that there are
preventative measures and a physical barrier being put up to rectify this issue.
Participates in community and understands own role as citizen of community. All of the projects
completed on this mission trip will be done inside Nuevo Paraiso and be done while working in front of
the children and alongside the teens. It is very crucial that the work done on the Nuevo Paraiso Project is
done in front of the children and alongside the teens. This is important because it lets the kids know that
my job isnt to just drop off supplies and play with them. My mission is to create positive change for their
home. By acting as a community servant, I can help break down cultural barriers between Americans and
Hondurans. It is also crucial that they are exposed to different cultures and see how different people
interact and work with one another. The Nuevo Paraiso kids live a very secluded life until they are 18,
exposure to different cultures can change predetermined stereotypes they have for Americans.
3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate)
A. This experience will work toward the development of both my personal and professional
goals. Personally, I have a passion to help others which is what lead me to pursue a carrier in
nursing. From this experience I will not only be fostering my passion but also growing and
gaining new skills that are necessary for my future professional goals. One of the main issues in
healthcare is the lack of diversity in the workforce which results in decreased cultural
competency. On this mission trip I will be fully immersed in the community as I will be sleeping,
eating, and working in Nuevo Paraiso. This will give me the opportunity learn how to effectively
work with people of different cultural backgrounds and to strengthen my communication skills.
My professional goal as a nurse is to be able to give the best care possible to every patient I have,
this can only be done with the development of my cultural competency skills and communication.

B.
Youniss, James, and Miranda Yates. Community Service and Social Responsibility in Youth. Chicago, Ill.:
U of Chicago, 1997. Print.
According to James Youniss and Miranda Yates, ...youth participation in solving social problems
has the potential to promote the development of personal and collective identity. In our view, identity
development requires stepping into history by adopting a respected ideology that connects youth to other
generations, gives meaning to present experience, and provides hope for the future, (page ix). This
theory resonates with me because it explains that through community engagement a person discover and
create an identity for themselves. The joy that I found in doing service is what lead me to discover my
passion for helping others. I have centered my life around my passion by joining specific school clubs and
picking my major to pursue it further. I will be exploring personal and professional goals during my time
in Honduras in hopes to grow as a person and better myself for the future.
Sherman, Meagan. "Child Abandonment and Homelessness in Honduras." George Mason University. 4
Dec. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
<http://mars.gmu.edu/bitstream/handle/1920/9142/Sherman_thesis_2014.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y.>
In preparation for my mission trip I have read the second chapter of Child Abandonment and
Homelessness in Honduras. A specific theory that I will be investigating will be the idea there are two
types of orphans in Honduras: true orphans, who have no living relatives, and social orphans, children
who have been abandoned or abused by their guardians. Here in the United States there are many
resources and programs to help children cope with both types of abandonment, but the resources in
Honduras are more limited. Both types of orphans are taken in by Nuevo Paraiso, I am curious in seeing if
these different forms of abandonment play a role in how the children interact with each other and how
they interact with me.
4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity
What I bring to the table for this mission trip is experience. I have already been to Nuevo Paraiso
so I have had exposure to not only the Honduran culture but also exposure to the culture of Nuevo
Paraiso. There are specific guidelines and ways to interact with the kids. Having learned how to follow
these guidelines I will contribute the unique ability to be able to communicate and connect with the
Hondurians that those who have never been to Honduras may struggle with at first. Experience and
communication are key when demonstrating initiative in a group. Even though I do not speak Spanish, I
started to learn last trip how to effectively communicate through hand gestures and body language.
Though these may seem like little actions, they have big effects. Having already laid down the stepping
stones with my previous experience, I believe that I can learn to communicate even more effectively in
the hope to further bridge the culture and language gap between me and the kids.
5. Reflection
I plan on reflecting throughout my experience by keeping a daily journal as well as taking
pictures. From what I learned from my experience in Honduras last spring, a journal was very helpful in
keeping track of everything that was going on that day. I plan to journal periodically throughout the day

during meal breaks and at night. I would like to reflect on what I ate that day, all the food that we eat is
fresh and cooked in Nuevo Paraiso, it is very telling of the culture. I also plan on reflecting on my
interactions with the children and teens, a lot can be learned about the culture and their way of life
through simple everyday interactions. I will be reflecting on questions such as, what I have eaten that
day?, what work have I accomplished regarding my project?, how have I engaged in the
community? and what have I learned from the kids and how have I grown from it?. At the end of the
trip, I will write a reflective essay about what I have learned from this experience and how it is different
from what I learned on my last trip to Honduras. I will compare my journal from my last mission trip to
Honduras to my newest experience. I will write about differences in both trips and about the different
ways Ive grown. I will also reflect on the tips and skills I have gained to improve my cultural
competency for my future in nursing.

6. Dissemination
I plan to share my trips experience through the use of social media. Posting my reflections and
pictures on Facebook would allow me to reach out to a broader range of people. I am friends with many
Gilmour Academy alumni and current students on Facebook, I believe that my pictures and reflections
would have a positive impact to persuade other students to travel on the Nuevo Paraiso Project. I would
also share my reflects and photos with my University of Cincinnati BSN Facebook page, I believe that
my fellow peers in the college of nursing would be very interested in the mission trip, as we all share a
passion to help and serve others.
7. Project Advisor(s)
My project advisor is Mr. Tihomir Teisl. Mr. Teisl works at Gilmour Academy as the Dean of
Student Life and Affairs. Mr. Teisl is the group leader for the Gilmour Academy Global Outreach
Program. He has been traveling with Gilmour Academy to Nuevo Paraiso, Honduras twice a year, on the
high school and alumni mission trip, for the past 10 years. Mr. Teisl has been preparing us for the mission
trip by emailing us information, logistics about how to dress, what to bring, and sending resources to
prepare us for the culture change in Honduras. Mr. Teils phone number is (440) 473-8085 and his email
address is teislt@gilmour.org.

9. Budget (if applicable)

Cost: $1,985
Airfare: $1,100
Room and board: $100
Additional insurance to cover medical emergencies/evacuation: $100
Taxes: $40
Materials for the project: $380
Land transportation: $30
Passport Fees: $135.00
Miscellaneous: $100