The built-in academic structure of the Intern Abroad program begins during pre-departure preparation and continues on throughout the program, even once the intern has returned home. Once enrolled, each intern defines their personal learning objectives, or self-defined goals for their Intern Abroad experience. Your Program Site Specialist and Intern Abroad program handbook are great resources to assist with creating learning objectives, and the Intern Supervisor helps to further refine, develop, and achieve these goals during the internship in-country.
Setting clear goals and aspirations before you arrive will help both you and your Intern Supervisor design and achieve the best possible experience. It will also help you capture how much you have changed and learned — personally, culturally, and academically. Aspects of the academic structure include:
-
Experienced Intern Supervisor: Every intern is assigned an Intern Supervisor who will meet with you on a weekly basis to offer guidance and help facilitate your learning objectives. The resources and unique perspectives you'll gain from your Intern Supervisor will help you truly make the most of your experience and support your academic learning back home. You'll gain an in-depth understanding of the organization you're working with, the population it serves, how it reflects the heritage and aspirations of the local community, and how it acts as an agent of social change to the community.
-
Focus on Your Learning Objectives: Each intern prepares personal learning objectives during the pre-departure process to be reviewed and developed throughout the entire program. The learning objectives are a very important part of the intern experience and should be considered carefully. All other aspect of the intern experience will be based on the learning objectives, from the intern placement to Cultural & Learning Activities to the summary project. Interns keep focused on their objectives by documenting their activities and insights throughout the program, and often engaging in independent research.
-
Dedicated Area of Focus: Your placement is assigned according to your chosen area of focus — Education, Health, or Social Services — taking into account your skills and interests, the needs of the community, the duration of your program, your specific learning objectives, and the service and support you can provide for our Partner Program.
-
Official Record of Service: When you complete the program, we provide a final review along with official documentation of your participation.
-
Summary Project: All interns must complete a summary project at the conclusion of their program, which they work on with the guidance of their Intern Supervisor. Learn more about intern projects.
This comprehensive, built-in academic structure helps participants to achieve their learning goals, and ensure an experience that is academically enriching, personally fulfilling, and meaningful to the local community.
