Building Community in Rabat & Granada: Our 2026 DWA

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 fourth-annual DWA, this time at our Rabat and Granada Centers, during the Spring 2026 semester. The workshop was attended by IES Abroad U.S. staff members Ruby Shields, Michael Green, and Martha Ponce. With this year's theme of Crossing Borders: Heritage Migration and Multiculturalism, DWA participants engaged with Rabat and Granada's layered history while examining how sociopolitical issues and inequality continue to influence the city’s evolving identity and fight for justice.

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.

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.

From immersive lectures and cultural workshops to community engagement and cross-cultural conversations, the DWA itinerary was packed with seven days and nights of meaningful experiences. Highlights included intention-setting and discussions on decolonization, identity, and migration, cooking and calligraphy activities with IES Abroad Rabat students, lunch with a local host family, visits to the Orient Occident Foundation and Granada's historic Albaicín neighborhood, volunteering at Casa-Hogar Escuela Solidaridad, and a farewell Flamenco performance.

Our fourth 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, keep an eye on IES Abroad emails or check the Events Page in Fall 2026 for the 2027 DWA location and interest form announcement.

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

Learn more about inclusivity at IES Abroad