UWC-USA sponsors Project Week, an array of trips that offer students a chance to explore the Southwest and live the UWC mission in the wider world. In small groups, they collaborate with classmates, work with partner organizations, and dive into questions of place, community, and responsibility. All trips include some kind of community service. The aim is not just to see new landscapes, but to work together, build resilience, and return with fresh insight they can share on campus.
Trips this March include destinations across the Southwest:
- Gila Wilderness Backpacking – Multi‑day New Mexico backpacking.
- Blue Range Primitive Area – Advanced leadership backpacking expedition.
- Rock Climbing in the Southwest – Climbing, camping, natural history immersion.
- Service Animals of New Mexico – Human–animal bond and service learning.
- Big Bend National Park Desert Mountain Adventures – Hiking, ecology, night skies exploration.
- Canyons, Culture, Cliffs – Cultural preservation and geology in Colorado.
- Best Friends Animal Sanctuary – Animal welfare and service in Utah.
- The New Mexico Trip – Regional history, culture, and landscapes.
- Gastrodiplomacy! – Food, justice, and community in Denver.
- Arts in Society – Exploring how the arts shape communities.
- Dance Denver – Intensive dance training and performance experiences.
- El Paso Border – Borderlands justice and humanitarian perspectives.
On the “Gastrodiplomacy & the Power of Shared Meals” trip in Denver, students explore how food can foster belonging and justice as students and staff volunteer with community food organizations, learn about food sovereignty and community gardens, and cook and eat together. They practice meal planning and budgeting, reflect on their own culinary identities, and see how storytelling around the table can bridge differences and uplift marginalized voices.
Another group will travel to Utah for the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary trip, where they will learn about animal welfare in the Southwest while volunteering at one of the country’s leading no‑kill shelters. The itinerary includes visiting shelters and animal sanctuaries, touring national parks like Zion or Bryce Canyon, and engaging in hands‑on project work with animals. Along the way, students grapple with ethical questions around animal care and fundraising, while building community and representing UWC‑USA beyond Montezuma.