SIT Study Abroad South Africa: Social Justice & Activism Internship

 NOTE: SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, like COVID-19, SIT may have to modify programs. Visit the SIT website for more details.

Gain professional experience at a nonprofit organization, study apartheid, and understand the history, ideas, values, and practice of social justice in South Africa.

WHY INTERN IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Understand the dynamics of human rights advocacy and the history of apartheid from your base in Cape Town, a hub for human rights organizations in a country emerging from legally enforced racial discrimination and economic and political exclusion. Stay with a local family; be welcomed into their lives and share experiences and learn from their views. Visit important sites of oppression and resistance illustrative of the country’s unique history, and gain a better understanding of social justice issues affecting South Africa today. You will also learn the ethics of human rights advocacy and research during a five-week internship that will give you professional experience in an international setting. SIT uses our extensive networks to facilitate the placement process. Organizations we have worked with deal with issues including gender, community mobilization, public health, migration, media and advocacy and environmental sustainability. Attend weekly assessment meetings with your academic director or internship coordinator, and keep a work journal to reflect on your experiences, challenges, and professional achievements.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore the nuances of human rights movements and how they can change history.
• Tour the island prison that held President Nelson Mandela and other activists.
• Study apartheid’s history and social and economic impacts to the present day.
• Build your résumé and professional experience in an internship that best matches your interests.

 
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on the program courses (including syllabi), educational excursions, and housing.

KEY TOPICS

• Reconciliation, justice, equity, development, and nation-building
• Apartheid, its effects, the anatomy of resistance and its aftermath
• South Africa’s political, economic, social, and cultural landscape
• Diverse perspectives of South African social justice and social activism
• Ethics of internship and learning across cultures

MONEY MATTERS

Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor.  

SIT tuition and room and board fees include the following:

• All educational costs, including educational excursions
• All accommodations and meals for the full program duration
• Transportation to and from the airport, and on all educational excursions
• Health and accident insurance

SCHOLARSHIPS

• SIT awards nearly $1.6 million in scholarships and grants annually.
• All scholarships and grants are need-based.
• Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.  
• Contact the financial aid and/or study abroad office(s) at your college or university to learn if your school’s scholarships and grants and federal and state aid programs can be applied to an SIT Study Abroad program.

SIT PROGRAM PROTECTION

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CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD

• Visit our website: studyabroad.sit.edu
• Request more information or email us: studyabroad@sit.edu
• Call an admissions counselor: 888-272-7881
• Contact a former student.
• Apply to SIT