Kalu Yala Interns
In the jungles of Panama, a settlement and community have been rising over the past few years which has made a major change to the way life in the Tropics is lived. Kalu Yala is the name of the settlement established by Jimmy Stice and his co-founders in 2010 as a way for young people and entrepreneurs to come together and make a positive difference to the way life in the Tropics is lived in the 21st-century. Despite rumors of Kalu Yala problems the settlement actually has a low rate of departures among interns and has seen most students given credit by their college for academic time spent living and working in the three different Kalu Yala environments.
The rumors are not true
Let’s start out with the elephant in the room, the rumors of Kalu Yala problems which have dogged the settlement due to some misconceptions about the program. Obviously, as with any internship, the environment is not always suitable for all to enjoy and inevitably some interns choose to abandon their time at a location early.
However, the leaders of the Kalu Yala Institute publish a list of alumni who are happy to discuss their experiences at the settlement in the jungles of Panama on a regular basis; in fact, more than 30 percent of all staff members at the settlement are alumni who began their career as an intern. The blog, “The Truth About Kalu Yala” reveals potential interns and entrepreneurs looking to become involved in the project are required to complete an interview with a member of the alumni of the program to ensure they are suitable for the role they hope to undertake.
Not just a jungle location
Wikipedia reports Kalu Yala is a settlement located just outside Panama City in the tropical region which allows easy access to the capital for a city internship. One of the major reasons for the choice of the Tres Brazos Valley as the location of the community is its easy communication links with the capital where business ideas can be explored. In fact, despite portrayals of so-called Kalu Yala problems as beginning with a construction-based internship, the truth is interns have the chance to work in the Panama City-based office of the group.
Another site where interns can explore the different options open to them in Kalu Yala is that of the nearby community of San Miguel where the local people interact with interns and staff members. Those interested in teaching or becoming an educator can use their skills to teach local children English and help develop the close links already developed between Kalu Yala and the people of San Miguel.
A sustainable future
As with all groups who are looking to spark a positive change in the way we live our lives, the community at Kalu Yala is often seen as moving outside the norm and being mistrusted. Sustainability comes in many different forms with few Kalu Yala problems reported with the group in its everyday working alongside members of the township of San Miguel. Go Overseas reports interns can choose to follow a culinary arts program designed to explain and expand upon the farm to table program Kalu Yala and San Miguel residents are exploring and working together to develop; the development of this program was a joint effort and shows how there is an interchange of ideas and plans between local people and residents of the newly established community.
Sustainability comes in a range of ideas and options with many choosing to develop the construction side of the community on a site which was once a cattle-grazing area developed by one of Panama’s largest farming brands. Jimmy Stice and his team have brought together some of the world’s leading experts in sustainable construction and architecture to ensure there are no Kalu Yala problems. The California-based sustainable architecture experts, Moule & Polyzoides have been commissioned to design buildings which use little to no air-conditioning despite the high temperatures and humidity seen in this tropical region.
Internship options
A range of different options are available to those choosing to become interns at Kalu Yala including working in health and wellbeing, media arts, and engineering. Jimmy Stice is well-known among those who have passed through Kalu Yala for his willingness to listen to all ideas from interns about how best to move forward with the establishment of the community. Although the community at Kalu Yala has only been building for a few years, the location is already attracting visitors interested in learning about sustainability, living a healthy lifestyle, and creating a better future for the people of the world living in tropical regions.
A high success rate
Just how do you measure the success of a new community exploring life and the experience of living and working in the Tropics from the point of view of those from the developed world? The dropout rate for interns compares favorably with many other internships at just under five percent to disprove the theory of Kalu Yala problems. The real success story of Kalu Yala is the fact students and entrepreneurs are working to develop business ideas in Panama which could change the way life is lived across the Tropics.
For Jimmy Stice, who has dreamed of developing his own community since his teenage years in an Atlanta suburb the desire to disprove the theory of the suburbs being the best option for developing new communities has almost been achieved. An estimated carbon footprint including flights to and from Kalu Yala reveals each intern uses just eight percent of the carbon of the typical American citizen to prove the settlement is proving a success in many different ways.