Dr. Danny Recio & Dr. Heather Tracy collaboratively published this article in the Journal of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (2020). It's now live online, so please read the research highlighting alumni comments and reflections about the skills they learned & the growth they gained at the Bridge and in Costa Rica in general. Thanks to the main author - Kurt Youngberg, from University of West Georgia - for all of your hard work compiling, analyzing and coding these interviews!

We all had cajuelas (baskets used for harvesting coffee) to fill, which quickly turned into a friendly competition.  

This experience gave us insight into the daily life of a coffee farmer in Costa Rica and the effort required to produce one of the country's main exports. ​

​The Bridge participates in weekly cultural activities, and we were fortunate enough to recently  visit a coffee farming family in Los Altos de Naranjo, a highland community here in Atenas.

The family led our group through the harvesting process that occurs two to three months out of the year; in addition, they shared some of their family cultivation techniques with the plant. ​

We visited farms and interviewed elders to understand more about the Bribri culture and how pivotal farming is to their lifestyle.  

Afterwards, the Bribri accompanied us back home for a week to visit the city, raise money at the Feria Verde, and to watch USA vs Costa Rica. ​

The Bribri were able to conclude their visit by watching the Costa Rican national team win 4-0 against the US. 

This exchange of culture helped everyone, both the Bridge and the Bribri, grow more aware of the important need to connect and share. ​

Check out more photos on Facebook

For our most recent Aventura, we traveled to live among the Bribri, a group indigenous to the Talamanca area of Costa Rica. Many Bribri people live below the poverty line, somewhere between modern western society and their traditional ways of life. Many of the younger Bribri prefer to identify with modern Costa Rican culture. One of our goals was to help inspire the youth to reidentify with their roots. 

Along with several students from the local school, we traveled to San Jose to participate in the Feria Verde. We sold goods such as chocolate made by families in Sepecue, local medicinal plants, plantains, bananas, and t-shirts that read “We are Bribri”. We also attended another fair several days later to sell more of the goods. The money we raised will benefit the school. 

Several of the students are planning to live in Oregon for two months to improve their English and learn about American culture. Currently, we are raising the funds to help make this trip possible. If you haven't already donated, any donations towards our goal of $2,000.00 would be greatly appreciated. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amigos-de-oregon/#/