For a second consecutive year a group of DU students returned to Dharamsala, India as part of Project Dharamsala, an international service learning program. Professor Roscoe Hill and Glenn Fee accompanied the 14 students to Dharamsala, home to the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. The group was welcomed by old friends and new in a way that left them in awe of the sense of community in Dharamsala.
During the three week stay in Mcleod Ganj (the village located on the mountain above Dharamsala), students worked with a number of Tibetans and Indians in a variety of Non-governmental Organizations, lending their considerable skills in helping to make an impact in the community. Hsuan-Hsiang Lin, a PhD student in international studies, worked with the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, utilizing his Chinese language skills and knowledge of the China-Tibet situation to help the group explore policy. Senior Cindy Robinson applied her knowledge of flora and fauna to identify plants to be included as part of United Nations Development Program project. Business major Ben Brooks and art major Tanya Kobilyatsky helped a Tibetan arts organization design a plan for attracting new donors.
The student placements were accompanied by lectures from a variety of community and government organizations, allowing the group to explore in-depth the different situation between China and Tibet. The service placements and lectures were further supplemented by long reflection sessions over warm tea in the evenings.
The most profound memories from Project Dharamsala, however, will come from the depth of individual relationships that were established. A number of students tutored young men and women, ex-political prisoners in Tibet, many of whom were often tortured for speaking out in support of Tibetan independence. Most astonishing was the fact that none of them appeared to harbor any ill will toward the Chinese, a refreshing stance in a world that has so often seen a cycle of violence repeated.

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