Whether it is local volunteer work with children, short term study abroad to London, England, or even a trip to New York City to explore issues impacting some Latin@ communities, the Multicultural Understanding through Nontraditional Discovery Opportunities (MUNDO) organization at The Ohio State University provides unique ways to serve, learn and lead.
“Oftentimes, a person can either read about the world, or he or she can experience the world. Being a part of MUNDO has helped me to do both,” said Sincer Jacob, a graduating member of MUNDO.
Taking learning from local to international contexts is a key reason MUNDO students say being a part of the group is like nothing else on campus.
Founded in 1997, MUNDO is a learning community and campus organization committed to helping students develop the leadership skills needed to serve, learn and live with others in a constantly changing, multicultural world.
This past fall, as part of MUNDO’s “Fear Factor” month, the group spent an evening at the Buckeye Village residential community playing, face-painting, and interacting with the children of international faculty and staff.
The experience provided a great opportunity to brush up on, as well as learn, a variety of languages, including Chinese.
During spring quarter MUNDO participants, staff, and faculty will be taking in the storytelling of Olga Loya as part of the OSU Multicultural Center’s “What’s Your Story?” programming series. They will complete a local service project, and then travel to New York City during Memorial Day Weekend to get a “hands on” cross-cultural learning experience. In the Big Apple, MUNDO will explore the multicultural histories of the city, including the thriving Spanish speaking Washington Heights area of upper-Manhattan.
A lively discussion on the hip-hop flavored Broadway musical “In the Heights,” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will serve as a centerpiece for looking at the life experiences of some of the diverse communities that make up a city as large as New York.
Throughout the year, students in MUNDO are able to volunteer with local groups such as the International Neighborhood Coffee Hour (INCH) that provides English conversation and childcare for international families as well as to get college credit for the EDU P&L 271M service learning and leadership course.
The nine credit hour course features an opportunity to spend spring break in London, England working with representatives from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The eight day experience also includes a highly impactful opportunity to work with the homeless in London, through outreach provided by the North London Action for the Homeless organization.
Future plans for MUNDO include exploration of the multicultural histories and legacies of the Bahamas, Spain and Puerto Rico as well as the Appalachian regions of Ohio.
For more information on MUNDO, contact Julius Mayo at mayo.2@osu.edu. |
