Getting ready - finances

The fees you pay to be a part of the Exus Challenge has been subsidized by voluntary supporters and donors. That's why you pay less than half than what it actually costs to run the program per student. Maybe, after graduation, you'll become one of our financial supporters! In the meantime, getting ready for this semester involves getting the money together for participation. Here's an estimate of what you'll need (in MXN pesos), and a few tips on how you can raise the total amount. Visit xe.com if you want to know what the current exchange rate is between the Mexican peso and other currencies.

 

Fees and other expenses

  • Application fee: $200.00
  • Semester fee: $16,000.00
  • Gear and clothes: $3,500.00 *
  • Personal expenses: $300.00 **
    • Total: $20,000.00 pesos

* The amount listed for gear and clothes is estimated as if you had to buy a lot of the equipment and athletic clothing listed in the Student Manual. If you already have all or some of this stuff, you can plan on spending less.

** Personal expenses include souvenirs and snacks purchased while traveling. Depending on your spending habits in regards to such things, that amount could end up being higher or lower.

 

Fund raising

We recommend that, besides your personal savings, you enroll your family, friends, and church in the fainacial preparation for the semester. Not only will this make it easier on your piggy bank, but it allow you to involve more people in your Exus experience. Here's an example that will give you some ideas for doing this, but be as creative as you want to be in coming up with your "strategy."

You've got $9,000 pesos in your savings. You need to come up with $11,000. Ask your church to be a part of your experience with, say $3,000 pesos. For the remaining balance ($8,000), enroll forty people who will support you with $200 pesos each. Easier said than done, right? Try it!

Now, when you invite people to participate, make sure you do it in a way that represents an opportunity for them to partner in ministry with you, not a burden. Please...

  1. Be respectful and considerate when asking for support. People around you, including your family, do not have an obligation to help you out. So, if you're thinking of asking for someone's financial support, do it in a way that will strengthen and nurture the relationship.
  2. Seek God's guidance. The best fund raising strategies are useless if God as not involved and at their center (Psalms 127:1,2). So, ask God to reveal to you those you should approach and those you shouldn't. He will give you the wisdom you need (James 1:5).
  3. Make an "exchange" commitment with your church. For example, offer to lead or organize training activities with the youth group when you get back, in which you could share what you learned and what God is doing in your heart. A retreat or an adventure with a spiritual application are good examples.
  4. Ask for a prayer commitment from everyone who wants to support you financially. If anyone is interested in pitching in, ask him not to do so unless he can commit to pray for you during the semester. This way, you'll have the kind of support that is initially expresed through money but eventually becomes intercession.
  5. Develop a reporting plan. That is, starting now, make a plan on how you will inform your supporters about what you're learning in Exus, and how you plan to apply it after this semester. This is not only respectful and thoughtful, but also encouraging to those who gave.

 

Scholarships

We don't want money to be the only hindrance keeping you from participating in the Exus Challenge. Currently, we don't have funds budgeted for scholarships, but sometimes the money comes in from unexpected or unplanned sources at the last minute. If you've already done all you can, and you're still a bit short of funds, let us know - maybe we can help.