Institute International Study ~ Guatemala
For the first time, the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death ~ in collaboration with Be Humanitarian and the Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México Centro ~ offers up an opportunity for international travel and transformative experiential learning.
Welcome to the first annual Institute International Study Trip
Destination ~ Guatemala
June 22-29, 2022
This summer, join Tobie Spears, founder and director of Be Humanitarian, Wilka Roig, founder and president of the Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México Centro, and Amy Wright Glenn, founder and director of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death, for a week of transformative personal and professional learning in Guatemala.
Participants will engage in self-care practice, group study, service work, and meaningful interactions with local birth and death workers in Guatemala. Participants will have the opportunity to earn a 75-hour certificate of completion honoring their powerful dedication to deepening awareness of birth and death practices within the context of contemporary Guatemalan life as well as the practice of self-care and discovery through personal journal writing, meditation, yoga, Qigong practice, and group discussion. Five hours of contact time occur before and after the week-long study in Guatemala. Participants are required to read portions of The Guatemala Reader: History, Culture, and Politics as part of our study.
Mornings in Guatemala will begin with meditation, Qigong and/or yoga practice. Evenings are dedicated to the independent and group study and significance of birth and death practices specific to the San Andrés region of Guatemala. Day excursions to cultural sites in Antigua, local markets, and Lake Atilán are also central to our week-long adventure. Participants will also engage with social justice work supporting the educational and nutritional initiatives dedicated to lifting children out of poverty/malnutrition. Be Humanitarian provides thousands of meals a month to individuals living in San Andrés and participants will play an active role in supporting these efforts during part of their stay in Guatemala.
Join us as we embark on a week of deep personal/group study,
service, and remarkable exploration.
*$2199 USD
Register today
The trip is open to 25 participants.
Please secure your place now by paying a $199 deposit.
*Tuition covers lodging, food, and the Birth, Breath, and Death curriculum/program. Airfare not included.
Lake Atilán, Guatemala
I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.
~Mary Anne Radmacher
Each year an Institute International Study Trip will be offered up to all Institute members and friends.
Mark your calendar now for summer 2023 in Ireland!
Be Humanitarian has been working to improve the lives of Guatemalans in need for the last 10 years. We have a thriving community with our own preschool, nutrition program and sewing center in a remote area of Guatemala. At Be Humanitarian we believe our duty is to improve the lives of those in need. This eye-opening experience was created to offer volunteers a hands-on experience exploring Guatemala and learning about life. While in Guatemala volunteers will be provided the tools to know exactly how to make a difference in the lives of others so that volunteers feel fulfilled and connected to the world around them. Our service vacations combine service learning and leadership, allowing volunteers to learn about global development issues, such as poverty or public health, as well as solutions being put forth within the communities we support.
Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross México Centro
EKR Foundation México Centro currently spans four states of central México—Guanajuato, Querétaro, Michoacán and Mexico City—and is dedicated to creating platforms for didactic discussion and facilitating healthy relationships with loss, grief, aging, illness, dying, end-of-life care, death, and beyond. We stand for compassionate care for the grieving, the dying, and those who love them, fostering awareness of the power of unconditional love as the essential element of good living and good dying. Inspired by EKR’s work and teachings, we aim to actively contribute to the evolution our death culture and bring dignity and humanity back to our loss, grief, dying, and end-of-life processes.
Tobie Spears holds a BA in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Utah and has completed a Certificate in Criminology from the University of Utah. Tobie is the Founder of the nonprofit Be Humanitarian where she leads humanitarian-minded expeditions to explore Guatemala while paying it forward. Since 2007, Tobie has been working as a birth and postpartum doula where she has volunteered with the Utah Doula Association as President, Vice-President, Mentoring Chair, and Retreat Chair in service to birth and postpartum doulas across the state of Utah. Tobie has assisted families through the excitement of birth, the sorrow of loss, and has a particular focus/expertise in supporting people through postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Tobie is honored to be able to offer private consultations for individuals as they travel through life’s journey as a Holding Space Consultant for The Institute. Learn more.
Wilka Roig, MTP, MFA, PLCis a transpersonal psychologist, death doula, grief counselor, dream worker, educator, ordained minister, facilitator, writer, Taoist Arts instructor, musician, photographer, performance artist, silversmith, baker, mythmaker. She is president of Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (EKR) México Centro, deputy director of education of EKR Foundation Global, end-of-life doula instructor and BIPOC Council co-chair of the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA). Her interests include neurobiology of trauma, loss, grief, and relationships, conscious living & dying, birds, stars, confectionery arts, and wine culture.