UU Holdeen Program: Justice for Rural India

Usgaon and , India A UU Service-Learning Program

During this trip with the Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program, you will explore fi rsthand how partner organization Vidhayak Sansad approaches social justice in rural India. The 10-day life-changing experience will involve fi eld- based activities that include shadowing local social activists and documenting the organization’s achievements in villages and urban neighborhoods.

November 26–December 5, 2012 Cost: $625–$1,250 Visit UUCSJ.ORG to apply. Deadline to apply: September 15, 2012 UU Holdeen India Program: Justice for Rural India Itinerary Day 1 • Arrival in and travel to Usgaon Day 9 • Departure from Vidhayak Sansad campus Monday, • Orientation to campus of partner organization Tuesday, • Sightseeing in Mumbai, including home where November 26 Vidhayak Sansad December 4 Mahatma Gandhi stayed • Flag-raising ceremony Day 10 • Sightseeing in Mumbai, including history museum and Day 2 island caves carved with ancient Hindu iconography • Introduction to social-justice issues in India Wednesday, Tuesday, • Departing flights to the United States • Visit to school for tribal girls on campus December 5 November 27 • Participants joining add-on excursion take overnight train to Day 3 • Introduction to the work of Vidhayak Sansad Wednesday, • Lecture and discussion with founder Optional Add-On Excursions November 28 • Brief visit with migrant workers at nearby brick kilns Day 11 • Visit to Daulatabad , a nearly 1,000 year- Thursday, old fortress • Meeting with leaders of the Shramajeevi Day 4 December 6 • Exploration of the Thursday, Sangathana labor union • Overnight in Aurangabad November 29 • Preparation for village visits Day12 • Visit to the Day 5 • Small-group visits to several villages Friday, • Flight to to continue sightseeing or to Friday, • Meetings with village leaders December 7 Mumbai to return home November 30 • Documentation of observations of village life • Overnight in village Day 13 • Sightseeing in Delhi, including site of Gandhi’s assassination, British architecture, • Interviews with villagers, accompanied by labor- Saturday, Day 6 December 8 and tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun Saturday, union activists December 1 • Overnight in village Day 14 • Travel by car to Agra Sunday, • Visit to the Day 7 • Further interviews with people from surrounding December 9 • Time to explore Mughal city Sunday, villages, accompanied by labor-union activists December 2 • Return to Vidhayak Sansad campus Day 15 • Visit to the Taj Mahal Monday, • Travel by car back to Delhi December 10 Day 8 • Sharing of observations and interview results with organization and other team members Monday, • Visit to the Qutub Minar complex • Evening cultural program Day 16 December 3 Tuesday, • Shopping in Old Delhi’s bazaars December 11 • Departing flights to the United States

Note: Schedule subject to change. Cost Prices include all ground costs — food, lodging, transportation — as well as pre- and post-trip resources, translators, and the guidance of experienced program leaders.

All adults (except as described below): $1,250 Fellowshipped ministers, religious education professionals, and lay leaders engaged in justice work: $940 (25-percent scholarship) Seminarians and young adults (18–35) with demonstrated interest in advancing justice: $625 (50-percent scholarship) Don’t miss! For additional cost, optional add-on excursions available to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves and Daulatabad Fort in Maharashra as well as Delhi and Agra. Additional costs for add-on excursions: Days 11 and 12, $400; Days 11–16, $1,400 Partners The Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) works with India’s most vulnerable groups as they advance empowerment and promote equity. UUHIP supports long-term organizational partnerships in a spirit of solidarity.

Vidhayak Sansad supports marginalized communities in rural Maharashtra. The organization’s programs emphasize universal education, organizing people to defend their rights, women’s empowerment, human-rights training, and economic development. Trip Leaders Derek Mitchell, UUHIP’s director, has lived and worked in India for much of the last 10 years. Before his current position, he was a researcher and writer in India who earned fellowships from the Institute of Current World Affairs and Fulbright Program. Mahesh Upadhyaya is director of the Solidarity Center, a program to cultivate and develop labor-union leaders around India. Currently a seminarian at Meadville Lombard, he is a recognized mentor of social activists throughout India. For more information and to apply, visit UUCSJ.ORG.