GESI-FSD

Sites (Bolivia, India, Nicaragua, Uganda)

GESI-ThinkImpact Sites GESI-Social Entrepreneur Corps Sites (South Africa) (Dominican Republic)

Northwestern All students will attend the Pre-Departure Learning Summit taught by Northwestern faculty on the University's campus. Pre-departure Preparation & curriculum is designed to help students think critically about international development issues, to work effectively in teams, and to learn about Reflection their host country. All GESI students must complete readings and assignments given before and during the Pre-Departure Learning Summit. At the end of the program, all students will attend the Final Reflection Summit at Northwestern to share, compare, and reflect on the diversity of experiences students had in all six countries. All students will be required to prepare and present a final poster during this summit. Location Field placements vary between urban and semi- Field placements are rural; students live and Field placements are rural; students live and urban settings. See locations page for specifics. work in villages that are approximately 1-hour work in villages that are approximately 1-hour (by car) to a city or town. (by car) to a city or town. Homestays GESI students will live in carefully vetted GESI students will live with another student in GESI students will live in carefully vetted homestays. When logistically possible, a carefully vetted homestay, often sharing a homestays. Students will generally be placed in students will live alone with their host family to room and even a double bed. A similar living single homestays so as to deepen their deepen their cultural immersion. However, arrangement is not uncommon for brothers or immersion experience. Host families will single homestay placements are not always sisters in the communities, and sharing space is provide students with two-three meals per day possible. At times, GESI students, particularly all part of the homestay experience. Homestay (in some instances, lunch may be provided by women, will live with another student, often families will provide students with breakfast SEC in-country staff. sharing a double bed. A similar living and dinner each day. Lunch will be provided by arrangement is not uncommon for brothers or ThinkImpact country staff. sisters in the communities, and sharing space is all part of the homestay experience. All host families will cook/provide students with three meals per day. In-country Staff All sites employ professional full-time staff available 24/7 to help students with health, safety, and logistical needs and issues. In-country staff typically consists of 1-2 locals and 1-2 Americans. Staff also provides project guidance and connections to local resources and people, as needed and requested by the tudents. Direct Supervision GESI students' host NGOs will appoint a staff Each GESI team is appointed asThinkImpact GESI students will work daily with SEC in- person to supervise the students and their advisor. Advisors have several years of work country staff, which will accompany and projects. The amount of support the supervisor and international experience and commit their oversee all student work. Staff members will can provide will depend on his/her existing summer to supporting students on-the-ground. live in the same community as the GESI workload as well as the needs of the students. Advisors live in the villages with GESI students, students, coordinate logistics, communicate Students must be patient and persistent when coordinate logistics, communicate with with Northwestern faculty and staff, and lead working with supervisors, as they a 5 during Northwestern fork as teams of 5since during students through SECs in-country c5 during Teams Students will work in teams of 3 to re often Students will w aculty and staff ( to 6 email Students will work in teams of 3 to urriculum. GESI Pre-Departure Learning and Final Reflection summits. Students will continue to work together in these original teams once in- country as well. GESI Pre-Departure Learning and Final GESI Pre-Departure Learning and Final Reflection summits. Once in country, however, Reflection summits. Students will continue to the original student team will break into Design work together in these original teams once in- Teams of 2 to 3 American students with 4 to 6 country as well. local community members. The original GESI team of 5 to 6 will meet periodically to support one another and share experiences while they explore different projects and innovations within the community.

In-Country In-country curriculum and project work focuses In-country curriculum and group work utilizes In-country curriculum and project work focuses Curriculum on using the tools of asset-based community asset-based community development on poverty alleviation using the development and team-based consulting. principles to spark business innovation in local MicroConsignment Model and other tools of Projects are conceptualized with direct input markets. Curriculum explores the concepts of social entrepreneurship. Projects are from the NGO and/or community members, human-centered design and social conceptualized by SEC in-country staff with and implemented by the group, NGO and/or entrepreneurship through the three phases of support from SEC overall leadership and direct community members. FSD will train students in Immersion, Inspiration and Innovation. input from community members and other project planning and budgeting to build strong Students will prototype new products and local beneficiaries. SEC will provide students project management skills. NGOs work on a services with community members before with in-country training to give them the tools range of issues including (but not limited to) ultimately designing a small-scale businesses or necessary to be successful in their projects. health, income generating activities, education, income-generating activity. Students will work on a range of issues youth, women's issues, and environment. including (but not limited to) health, access creation, income generation and education. In-country Students will submit 1 to 2 public blog posts, a project proposal, budget, external workplan, and weekly individual reports to their in-country Assignments site team and Northwestern faculty. Students will be provided with a journal and/or workbook that they must each complete before returning to Chicago. Assignments are graded by Northwestern faculty. Work Schedule GESI students in India will work Monday thru Saturday. Students in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Uganda will work Monday thru Friday (plus weekends as required). GESI students will work Monday thru Friday (plus weekends as required).

GESI students will work Monday thru Saturday (plus weekends as required).

GESI-FSD Sites (Bolivia, India, Nicaragua, Uganda)

GESI-ThinkImpact Sites GESI-Social Entrepreneur Corps Sites (South Africa) (Dominican Republic)

Work Environment GESI teams will be placed at an NGO. Some GESI students will live in the villages where GESI students will live in/near the villages NGOs are smaller (5 to 10 staff members) and they work. Students will not be working with where they work. Students will not be working based directly in the communities they serve; an NGO and will not have access to office with one specific NGO in-country and so will other NGOs are larger (10 to 25 staff members) space. Instead they will need to find communal arrange and find (with the help of SEC staff) with field staff and/or branches throughout the places within the village to meet or meet at communal places to work together in their region or country. The office environment for each other's homes, with the permission of groups. SEC staff will be responsible for each NGO varies, depending on the staff size their host families. The ThinkImpact advisors, creating daily structure and ensuring that the and current resources. Some NGOs will have a ThinkImpact staff, and in-country curriculum environment allows students to complete their designated workstation for interns, while help provide students structure in the absence projects. others will have a communal work area for all of a formal office environment. staff members. Students are expected to show professionalism in the office environment. Depending on the nature of the NGO and nature of the students' projects, students may or may not spend much time in the field with community members. Internet Access & Many NGOs do not have computers available Laptops for interns, so bringing your own laptop is strongly advised. If you do not own a laptop, please ensure at least one person in your group is bringing one that you can use from time to time. While students will not have internet access, they are encouraged to bring their laptops to type certain assignments. Advisors can submit students' assignments electronically as they have some limited internet access. If you do not own a laptop, please ensure at least one person in your group is bringing one that you can use from time to time. Students will have Internet access and are encouraged to bring their own laptops in order to take notes and create presentations, etc. in order to complete their assignments. If you do not own a laptop, please ensure that at least one member of your group is bringing a laptop that you can use if necessary.

Funds Each student is allocated $200 as part of a seed Students receive $33 as a group to prototype Each group will be allocated $150 to be used to fund for the team to use towards developing products and services with community design help develop a project already being an existing project or piloting a new one with teams. After completing local market research, implemented within the community. Students the host community. Unused funds will be teams will adjust prototypes to meet market will investigate local projects during their in- distributed to the host NGO, sometimes needs, ultimately creating small-scale country work and will be required to submit a restricted for use on a particular initiative. businesses (or income generating activities) paper explaining their use of funds before Students are required to submit a workplan that address a particular challenge in the funds are distributed to chosen projects. and budget to the FSD site team that details community. Financial literacy training and the use of the seed funds before funds are access to microcredit institutions are also distributed to the group. provided to community members, so that they develop greater business skills and grow the budding social enterprises. Travel Some weekend travel (to areas deemed safe by Students will only travel outside of the Some weekend travel (to areas deemed safe by FSD and Northwestern) is allowed, so long as it communities during excursions organized by SEC and GESI) is allowed, as long as it does not does not interfere with students' work ThinkImpact. All modes of transportation, interfere with students work schedule and schedule and responsibilities. Students who aside from ThinkImpact sponsored vehicles, responsibilities. Students who decide to travel travel must notify the FSD site team of their are strictly forbidden. Walking will be the main must notify SEC staff of their plans and sign a whereabouts and sign a waiver releasing FSD mode of transportation, with ThinkImpact waiver releasing SEC from responsibility of responsibility associated with their trip. The vehicles available for some pre-arranged associated with their trip. SEC staff is not FSD site team is not responsible for meetings. Students must be in their homestay responsible for coordinating or arranging coordinating or arranging student travel. by nightfall every night, unless they are with individual student travel. ThinkImpact staff or advisors. Northwestern Northwestern has developed the GESI program and host sites in partnership with FSD, SEC, and ThinkImpact. All sites undergo equal health, Support safety, and risk assessment and provide high-quality learning opportunities to undergraduates and meaningful partnerships to host communities. Northwestern staff members support students from the time they consider applying to the months and even years after they return. Northwestern's coursework and final reflection activities are designed to holistically equip students with the knowledge, tools, perspective, and skills to explore community development work responsibly and to think critically about the causes of global inequality. By offering a variety of site placement options through the GESI program, Northwestern fosters a comparative learning and reflection environment, so that students can situate poverty, inequality, and community development within a larger context, learn from their peers, and continue their experience forward into new opportunities to do good in the world.