Tentative Program Itinerary

Pre-Departure Sessions:  Conducted monthly, from January-May 2013 

Following participant selection, participants will engage in five monthly teleconferences and webinars to develop group cohesion, review program expectations, conduct individual research reports, and develop service activities.  

Program:  June 16-July 12, 2013

Days 1-3:  Sunday, June 16 – Tuesday, June 18:  Orientation in Missoula, Montana

• Keynote lecture:  “Climate Change:  Montana in a Global Context”

Administrative Sessions:

• Mandatory session with guardians on participant responsibilities and consequences. 

• Extended group introductions and ice-breaker activities.
• Security, safety, health, food, transportation, and communication issues.
• Guidelines for effective program participation including respect for the views of others, the host culture, host families, and Cambodian partner students and instructors.
• Discussion of culture shock.
• Welcome barbecue by the Clark Fork River.

Academic sessions:

• Sessions on Cambodian history, language and culture: 
  • Cambodian History and Culture
  • Introduction to Cambodian Environmental Policies 
  • Khmer Language Basics
  • Student presentations on individual research topics

Field Study:  Visit to Milltown Dam:  Largest Superfund Site in the U.S.  

Leadership sessions: 

• Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Seminar
• Half-Day High Ropes Challenge Course:  City of Missoula
• Journaling Your International Experience
• Climate Change Ethics and Policy
• Tribal Management of Natural Resources

Days 4-5:  Wednesday, June 19 – Thursday, June 20:  Travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Days 6-12:  Friday, June 21 – Thursday, June 27:  Phnom Penh

Lodging:  Small, central hotel

• Orientation by Khmer Youth Association (KYA) and Mansfield Center (MC)
• US Embassy briefing
• Visits to partner high schools
• Sessions on Cambodian government, history, and culture
• Discussions with local NGOs on proposed dam projects
• Visit to Kompong Som and the Gulf of Thailand
• Cultural visits to the Royal Palaces, Silver Pagoda, Emerald Buddha, National Museum, and Wat Phnom

Days 13 - 18: Friday, June 28 - Wednesday, July 3: Battambang via Cardamom Mountains

Lodging: Host families

• 1-2 nights in the Cardamom Mountains and visit with local indigenous about natural resource management – logging, mining, and water use issues
• Culture and language course – culture of Battambang and basic Khmer instruction
• Market visit and cooking class
• Visit to Phnom Sampeu (the “Killing Caves”) – mountain hike to monastery
• Bicycle exploration in the countryside and meet with local farmers
• River voyage to Siem Reap

Days 19- 25: Thursday, July 4 - Wednesday, July 10: Siem Reap

Lodging: Host families

• Tonle Sap – fishing, sustainable agriculture, and meeting with United Nations representatives of the Tonle Sap Conservation Project
• Guided tours – Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King
• Service project – Ponheary Ly Foundation
• Celebration of the start of Ramadon

Day 26, July 11: Depart Siemp Reap for Missoula

Day 27, July 12: Participants met by guardians in Missoula to return home