The Interconnected Aspects of IRI
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ACTION IRI's primary mission is to provide free assistance to people in underdeveloped and otherwise impoverished regions. This assistance matches the expertise of our staff and volunteers to the specific needs of the locale: from consulting for sustainable endogenous agricultural and touristic development, to promotional & networking services, to emergency aid procurement and coordination. Our activist work is supported and informed by resources generated in our Education and Research activities.
EDUCATION IRI provides regionally-based intercultural educational experiences with credit available through an affiliated institution. We believe in education by immersion: our students live, work, play and learn with host families from the local culture. Our curriculum follows an interdisciplinary approach designed to foster a holistic understanding of the interconnected cultural, socio-economic, political and ecological dynamics relevant to the focus region. We strive to make these educational experiences both challenging and enjoyable. Scuba diving, sailing, hiking and cooking with members of the host culture are required parts of our curriculum!
RESEARCH IRI provides a variety of research facilitation services to scholars with fieldwork needs in the region. Our staff provides translation, guiding, outfitting and networking services as well as a variety of disciplinary approaches to the local environs. When completeted, our 45' research vessel -- outfitted with the latest communications and computing electronics -- will provide transport and an ideal platform for marine and coastal ecological research. Further, the core staff of IRI are constantly studying the effects and implications of the intercultural interactions and development strategies arising from our Activism and Education projects. The knowledge generated in these studies informs our future activism and education work as well as contributing to the evolution of academic fields such as cultural studies, socio-linguistics, political economics, anthropology, sociology, regional development and ethnobotany. |
