Na’atik Language & Culture Institute

Na’atik is giving local Maya students a brighter future through immersive language programs.

The MISSION of Na’atik is to provide scholarships and affordable English classes to bright, deserving students in the local Maya community so they may find better employment opportunities and continue studying higher education.

Why is it important?

• The town in which Na’atik is located, Felipe Carillo, Quintana Roo, Mexico, suffers from a 70 percent poverty rate - despite being a rich cultural center.
• Na’atik aims to teach students in the local community the skills to visualize and achieve their dreams. English classes open the door to opportunity for local students and help access well paying jobs, study in fields such as engineering, education and medicine as well as travel the world.

How do they do it?

• Na'atik is committed to sustainable tourism by working solely with local businesses, being fully solar, and reinvesting in the community. The school's name comes from the Maya expression "To'on Na'atik" meaning "We're understanding each other." Na'atik believes that cross-cultural exchange is the key to true understanding.
• Na'atik is a social enterprise where the school’s Study Abroad Yucatan (SAY) program teaches Spanish and Maya language through homestay immersion and cross-cultural activities. Ten percent of revenue from SAY programs are reinvested back into English classes for local students.

How you can #TravelKindly:

• Empower a young mind and choose Na’atik Language and Culture Institute when you book with Kind Traveler.
• Donate to Na’atik’s Library Project to help maintain a full-time librarian, buy much needed equipment and materials as well as keep free programming activities throughout the year.
• Na'atik offers Spanish and Maya language immersion to foreigners. By studying Spanish or Maya at Na'atik, 10 percent of the cost is reinvested into the English language program, directly subsidizing it for local students. Volunteering, where needed, is an option for our Spanish and Maya students.