BRATTLEBORO — School for International Training is accepting applications for a larger portfolio of summer 2018 study abroad programs that expands the range of internships and focus areas available to undergraduate students.
Already one of the largest providers of accredited study abroad programs in the U.S., SIT Study Abroad will add six new internship programs in summer 2018, ranging from a focus on public health in Kenya to counseling and humanitarian action in Jordan. Other summer offerings will introduce new fields to SIT's already expansive portfolio, including computer science in South Korea and water engineering in Jordan.
“These programs represent an excellent opportunity for students to make the most of their summer by examining critical global issues in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East,” said SIT Study Abroad Vice Provost Pricilla Stone in a news release. “This new programming allows us to work at the cutting edge of trends in international education while staying true to our commitment to experiential and immersive study abroad.”
SIT introduced internships on more than two dozen semester programs in 2017 with global partners in the nonprofit, private, and government sectors. Students responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to get hands-on experience and build skills in areas including social justice, sustainability, education, human/refugee rights, responsible finance, development, public health, and the environment.
The 2018 additions, including the six internship programs, bring to 24 the total number of summer programs SIT will offer in 2018. This comes on the heels of SIT's highest summer enrollment on record in 2017. In 2016, working in partnership with hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, SIT sent more than 2,000 students on nearly 80 semester and summer programs worldwide, including comparative programs that examine key issues on several continents.
SIT Study Abroad has been providing immersive, field-based programs for undergraduates for more than 50 years. All programs are grounded in social justice and draw upon the organization's extensive local networks and resources to focus on critical global issues. Hallmarks of all SIT Study Abroad programs include language and cultural immersion, rigorous field-based study and research, and a fundamental commitment to reciprocity within host communities.
For summer 2018, SIT expands its internships portfolio with the following opportunities:
• India: Public Health and Human Development explores the link between public health and human development with a focus on women, children, and other vulnerable populations.
• Jordan: Counseling and Humanitarian Action offers internships with community organizations, health institutions, and international NGOs as they address emergent situations in a country that houses millions of displaced persons from Palestine, Iraq, and Syria.
• Kenya: Public Health in the Tropics offers internships at the Centers for Disease Control and the Kenya Medical Research Institute with intensive courses in Kiswahili, the lingua franca of East Africa.
• Morocco: Development and Social Entrepreneurship examines youth engagement in civil society through the lens of Morocco's diverse cultures and development and includes three French language credits.
• Panama: Community and Non-Governmental Organizations examines diverse cultural identities, community concerns, and social justice initiatives and provides intensive Spanish language immersion.
• South Africa: Social Justice and Activism looks at the legacy of apartheid and the ideas, values, and practice of social justice with human rights-focused internships.
In addition, SIT has added the following new summer study abroad programs:
• India: Agroecology and Food Security in the Himalaya gives future public health practitioners an opportunity to learn about challenges and innovations at respected public health institutions and community organizations in one of the most fragile and biodiverse ecological systems in the world.
• Jordan: Engineering and Design for Sustainable Developments examines design and technologies for sustainable water use and waste water reuse, renewable energy, and organic farming.
• South Korea: Digital Futures explores the open source and open data initiatives driving the next generation of digital and social innovation in Seoul, a global digital hub. Students will also asses the ethical and social implications of digital technology.
• Tanzania: Climate Change and Sustainability, Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar challenges students to understand conservation, diversity, and natural resources as they learn techniques, methods, and ethics of successful field research.