Custom Group Case Study: The Latino Institute
“I've been waiting for the last 10 years to do this trip, and finally we were able to do it”, stated Mr. William Colon, President of the Latino Institute, after returning from a successful trip arranged by insightCuba.
The Latino Institute is an educational non-profit, based in New Jersey, whose particular interest is educational achievement for Latinos, throughout the educational continuum and the promotion of Latino culture in America. Mr. Colon had always envisioned taking a group of Latino Institute constituents to Cuba, but that vision did not become a reality, until February 2012 when a group of academics, lawyers and students from New Jersey made their way south to Cuba.
"I don't know if you can call this tourism in the regular way that people come and go to the beach," says Mr. Colon. "Here, there is a learning experience; we are learning all about the Cuban people, and our eyes are wide open.”
“Things were well organized and structured. We were taken to a variety of places”, commented one participant.
Indeed, the group was ushered through Cuban hospitals, community organizations, farms, and important historical sites, fully immersing themselves in Cuban history, both present and past.
Among the most outstanding learning experiences, cited by the Latino Institute travelers, were interacting with students at an elementary school in Havana, visiting a foundation that endeavors to educate people about the importance of protecting the environment, and learning more about Afro-Cuban art and music. And most of all, experiencing the warmth of the Cuban people, their humility and their delightful sense of humor.
In the words of one of the travelers, visiting Cuba was a, “once in a life time unforgettable experience!” which is exactly what insightCuba strives to provide.
