Internships and Volunteer Opportunities
Many of the approved programs to study in Latin America offer students a chance to volunteer or undertake internships. Some past and present opportunities are identified below. Approved programs and their partners may change, so please check on http://myosce.skidmore.edu as you plan your semester or academic year abroad.
IFSA-Butler
Chilean Universities Program, Valparaiso
Students can do an internship through the program as part of the Chilean Society and
Community Action course. Internship and professional experiences have included a
variety of social and charitable organizations.
IFSA Butler Internships
Students in the Chilean Universities Program in Santiago can participate in a direct
research opportunity on a contemporary issue, as well as in volunteer opportunities.
For more information on directed research, see http://www.ifsa-butler.org/images/stories/pdf/chile/CUP_Santiago/SAN_directed_research.pdf
SIT
SIT Study Abroad is planning to launch internship options on several programs starting in 2017. These programs are not currently approved by Skidmore but I thought it might still be of interest to you:
Starting in Spring 2017
- Argentina: Transnationalism & Comparative Development in South America
- Chile: Comparative Education & Social Change
Starting in Fall 2017
- Argentina: Social Movements & Human Rights
- Argentina: Public Health in Urban Environments
- Chile: Cultural Identity, Social Justice & Community Development
- Chile: Public Health, Traditional Medicine & Community Empowerment
For further information: http://studyabroad.sit.edu/sn/programs/internships-abroad/
CIEE
CIEE Liberal Arts Programs in Buenos Aires
CIEE offers unpaid internship and volunteer opportunities in Buenos Aires, although they are not for credit. Students are placed once onsite and are paired with a mentor. Students typically commit about 90 hours of work for internships. Recent student projects include:
- Management of an art exhibit
- Research for a human rights organization (Comité para la Defensa de la Sauld, la Ética profesional y los Derechos Humanos, CODESEDH)
- Research assistance on ethnicity and multiculturalism for a research institute (Área de Estudios Latinoamericanos de FLACSO)
- A volunteer trip in conjunction with Spanish language courses to identify vulnerable housing (Techo Argentina)
- A project related to detection and prevention of Dengue virus with premed students
CIEE Internships Argentina
CIEE in São Paulo, Brazil offers the following volunteer work in the city:
Centro de Voluntariado de São Paulo: this is a well-organized NGO institution which
offers volunteer work in all geographical regions in São Paulo. Students have to attend
an introductory lecture, then they consult their website and choose the geographical
area where they want to work (usually close to where they live) and the area of interest,
which covers many, many fields. Please visit their link: www.voluntariado.org.br/. Students can use their zip code and find all volunteer opportunities in the same
area where they live or study. It is a fantastic organization.
We also offer the Núcleo de Trabalhos Comunitários (http://www.pucsp.br/ntc/) organized by one of our host institutions: PontifÍcia Universidade Católica (PUC-SP):
it offers several education and social projects for children and teenagers of public
schools in the periphery of the city. Students also work as teachers of English to
people who work at the university, need to learn English, but cannot afford to pay
for language courses. The NTC at PUC SP is supervised by the School of Education.
Its main work is with the excluded segments of society, to defend the inclusion of
the groups which suffer the violation of their fundamental rights. NTC also has a
strong project to teach adults to read and write, using the Paulo Freire educational
method. At present there are 6 NTC centers for “alfabetização de adultos” in São
Paulo.
Novolhar (www.novolhar.org.br: education activities for children in at-risk situations
Um Teto para meu País (www.teto.org.br): construction of emergency houses for families in extreme poverty situations. University
students build simple houses for families, in the outskirts of the city, during one
week end. It is also very well organized by groups of Brazilian university students.
Refugees United and ADUS: support for refugees – documentation, Portuguese Language
courses, clothes etc.
Casa do Migrante: house of support for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
Vitae Civilis: iniciatives for sustainable development
SOS Mata Atlântica: promotes the conservation of cultural and biological diversity
of Mata Atlântica forest
For further information about CIEE internships, see https://www.ciee.org/study-abroad/internships/
Career & Civic Engagement Opportunities
Organizations with Experiential Learning Opportunities
- Annunciation House, El Paso, TX – a volunteer organization that offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants and refugees in El Paso, Texas. Volunteers live simply and in community with the guests who are mostly from Mexico and Central America. Advocacy and education around immigration issues are an important part of their work. They provide a voice for “justice and compassion, especially on behalf of those most marginalized in our society.”
- Pinal County Coroner’s Office, Florence, AZ – The Forensic Technician Intern will gain hands-on experience while assisting PCMEO Forensic Pathologists, Forensic Technicians, and Medicolegal Death Investigators with the day-to-day operations of the office, including exam photography, evidence collection, post-mortem examination processing, and radiograph imaging.
- Kino Border Initiative, AZ – The Kino Border Initiative (KBI) is a binational, inclusive Roman Catholic organization, locally rooted in Ambos Nogales on the Mexico- US border and with a regional approach organization throughout Central America and North America.
- No More Deaths, AZ – No More Deaths is a humanitarian organization based in southern Arizona. They began in 2004 in the form of a coalition of community and faith groups, dedicated to stepping up efforts to stop the deaths of migrants in the desert.
- Columbia County Sanctuary Movement (CCSM), NY - CCSM was founded in rural NY so they could build a base, create direct service infrastructure, and support a political home for immigrants.
- Saratoga Immigration Coalition, Saratoga Springs, NY – A network of civic groups, faith communities, and concerned individuals.
- Backstretch Employee Services Team, Saratoga Springs, NY – BEST is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to resolving the health and social needs of the several thousand barn area ("backstretch") workers of the Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga racetracks by providing on-site counseling and primary healthcare services, access to health insurance, and case management assistance.
- More information: Shannon Rodriguez, Executive Director, Skidmore Career Development
Center, srodrigu@skidmore.edu
