In 2006, Alacridad was asked by the Panamanian Ministry of Tourism (IPAT) to send summer volunteers to Panama City with the specific purpose of complementing its Acompañantes del Turista (AT) program, which provides ex-gang youth with access to job training and greater economic opportunities, enabling its participants to escape the shackles of subsistence level living in a "street" economy.

Alacridad's first volunteers, Judy Watts and Tim Schnippert, spent two months in Panama City developing and ESL course and a computer literacy program for IPAT.  The courses developed provided a model that could be replicated with other community projects in the neighborhood. 

The volunteers worked from May through mid-August, implementing the program and improving their Spanish, while being immersed in the Panamanian culture. 

Links: Panamanian Ministry of Tourism (IPAT) La Prensa article on the Acompañantes del Turista Program Univision article about the AT Program