Building Community in Santiago: Our 2025 DWA

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IES Abroad
 July 31, 2025

As part of our mission at IES Abroad, we have a commitment to the representation and integration of inclusive perspectives, cultures, and ideas at every level of our organization. We believe that the work is ongoing and that we’re all better when we are committed to the work of learning and growing together.  

That’s why our Access & Strategic Partnerships team hosted our third-annual DWA, this time at our Santiago Center, during the Spring 2025 semester. The workshop was attended by IES Abroad U.S. staff members Noelle Baldwin, Jody Felton, Michael Green, Quinn McMurtrey, and Robin Pipkin-Parker. DWA participants engaged with Santiago’s layered history—shaped by Indigenous heritage, colonial legacies, and ongoing social movements—while examining how sociopolitical issues and inequality continue to influence the city’s evolving identity and fight for justice.

Learning Redefined: About the DWA

The workshop is a way to build community with practitioners and start a broader conversation around inclusivity, decolonization, and the interrelated concepts of globalization and migration, and how the IES Abroad community aims to approach this work at our Centers, in our curriculum, and with our students.

Core Aims of the DWA

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Build

intentional learning community among professionals.

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Amplify

and center non-majority perspectives, culture and history.

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Create

an opportunity to share perspectives and grow.

Session at the 2025 DWA

The Workshop

IES Abroad has a history of hosting Advisor Workshops Abroad, which serve as a resource in the field for professional development. The idea for the first DWA in 2023 was developed from IES Abroad’s Advisor Workshops Abroad (AWAs), which serve as a resource in the field for professional development. DWAs have an intentional focus on issues of equity, access, inclusion.

The purpose of the four-day workshop is to foster meaningful discussions, identify effective strategies, and develop best practices for actively and authentically embracing inclusion in study abroad. Throughout the workshop, participants attended site visits, lectures, discussions, and workshop-style activities interspersed with opportunities to debrief and unpack their learning.

Skyline in Santiago, Chile

Location: Santiago

After two successful workshops in London and Berlin, IES Abroad hosted its third DWA in Santiago due to the city’s rich cultural diversity, historical significance, and complex political past. Santiago’s vibrant cultural identity is rooted in its Indigenous heritage, colonial history, and ongoing social movements advocating for equity and justice. The city has become a vibrant space for addressing issues of inclusion as it grapples with its complex legacy of social stratification, economic inequality, and race relations. In recent years, Santiago has witnessed powerful movements for human rights and the recognition of marginalized communities, from Indigenous groups to Afro-descendants and migrants.

Participants at the 2025 DWA in Santiago

Participants

DWA participants hailed from 17 U.S. institutions and partners. The workshop aimed to honor and celebrate the unique perspectives of each participant while embracing the valuable contributions their diverse backgrounds brought to the collaborative learning environment, enriched by having such a large and dynamic group.

Noelle Baldwin Headshot
“This workshop is an intentional endeavor to engage colleagues across our higher education community from global education offices, first-generation departments, and others committed to student success, to think deeply about how we create access and expand opportunities for students across a wide range of identities. Our students navigate difference daily while on global internship and study programs. In this workshop, we can meaningfully bring professionals into that student headspace and explore how we develop, execute, and explore concepts of access, inclusion, and equity across the world to deepen the impact of these experiences for the next generation.”
Noelle Baldwin • Director of Access & Strategic Partnerships

Setting Intentions

The group determined a set of “Community Agreements," which outlined how they wanted to work together and the kind of environment they hoped to create. The DWA leaders proposed some agreements to the group and encouraged participants to suggest changes and additions, which increased buy-in and mutual participation. They then referred to these agreements throughout the workshop to remind everyone what their aims and expectations were. While these actions did not guarantee that issues would not arise, they provided a framework for managing them if/when they did to help establish a sense of community. 

“Participating in the DWA in Chile was a transformative milestone in my professional journey. The workshop's deep intentionality and thoughtful design created a powerful environment where meaningful relationships flourished through courageous conversations and shared cultural immersion.”
Workshop Participant

Itinerary Snapshot

DWA participants had an action-packed four days and nights in Santiago:

Sunday, April 27

  • Arrival at the hotel and optional activities, including an IES Abroad Santiago Center tour and historic Santiago bus tour.
  • Evening: Welcome dinner at Solace Hotel Terrace.

Monday, April 28

  • Morning: Program introduction, intention-setting workshop, and a reflective lecture on Chile today and its history within Latin American countries.
  • Afternoon: Lunch buffet and a visit to the National Stadium Memorial.
  • Evening: Dinner featuring Chilean-International cuisine.

Tuesday, April 29

  • Morning: Native cultures presentation and bus trip to Ruka Mapuche.
  • Afternoon: Lunch at Ruka Mapuche and cultural activities paired with discussions on cosmovision, history, and current challenges.
  • Evening: Dinner and dancing lesson at a typical Chilean folklore restaurant.

Wednesday, April 30

  • Morning: Bus to Educación Popular en Salud to learn about social justice policies, domestic violence, social empowerment, and immigrants in Chile.
  • Afternoon: Lunch at Educación Popular en Salud and optional activities at a Pre-Columbian Museum, Memory Museum, and LGBTQ Chilean organization.
  • Evening: Farewell dinner at a Peruvian restaurant.

Thursday, May 1

  • Morning: Hotel check-out, lunch at IES Abroad Santiago Center, and departure.
“I truly encourage colleagues in higher education and study abroad to take part in future IES Abroad events. These gatherings create such a welcoming space for real conversations, idea sharing, and fresh thinking around access and inclusion in global education. For me, connecting with professionals from different institutions and backgrounds was both energizing and inspiring—it reminded me why we do this work. I walked away with new insights, practical ideas, and a renewed sense of purpose. It’s more than just professional development—it’s an opportunity to grow, reflect, and come back to your institution recharged.”
Workshop Participant
Photo from the DWA in Santiago

What's next?

Our third DWA was a success! As always, we're evaluating all of the key learnings we gained from the DWA as well as when, where, and how we can deliver another DWA so that more people can benefit from the experience. Until then, feel free to sign up to be kept up to date on future workshops.

If you’d like to learn more about our Access & Strategic Partnerships efforts and initiatives, please contact Noelle Baldwin at accesspartnerships@iesabroad.org.

Learn more about inclusivity at IES Abroad

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