Invest in your future
Social Economic Development
In partnership with
Overview
Project Focus Areas
Choose to complete your project work in 1 of 6 focus areas.
Alternatively, choose not to focus and complete projects in a range of areas.
What you get
Complete a project that solves a problem for a real organisation and add it to your resume.
Get a professional recommendation from your personal mentor that details your skills and accomplishments.
Learn new skills, relevant to an impact-focused profession, and apply them to real scenarios.
Complete three online courses and earn a certificate from the University of Richmond.
Receive support during weekly one-on-ones and career coaching sessions from your dedicated mentor.
Attend an immersive series of lectures delivered by leading academics, professionals and local experts.
Book and pay your Virtual Internship Program, and receive a $1025 grant towards
an internship in any of our locations around the world.
COMPLETE REAL PROJECTS
Throughout your internship you’ll be completing one project each week that helps a local organisation solve an actual problem. Since we work with real partners, real, valuable projects will be assigned to you. This means that the types of projects you could work on will vary. We aim to match you as closely as possible with an organisation and a task that aligns with your personal career goals. See below for some of the projects you could work on during your internship.
HOMELESSNESS MONITORING
Help a local organisation learn how they can prevent and eliminate homelessness in their community. Conduct research into effective solutions and propose suggestions to the organisation for how they reduce homelessness.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING PLANS
Increasing vocational skills can help to improve access to income. Work with a local organisation to set up lesson plans for groups, such as youth, women or those with disabilities. Create lesson plans to support learning computer skills, English and other vocational skills.
BUSINESS RESOURCES FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Work with a local business incubator that specialises in working with aspiring entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds. Work with one of the local entrepreneurs to create a business plan. You might also work with them to create funding proposals and marketing materials.
Example of a Typical Week
CAREER PATH INSIGHT
Engage with academics, professionals and other interns by attending lectures and live chats where key topics and trends in your field of interest will be discussed.
LOCAL IMMERSION
Gain insight into culture through a range of interactions with community members. Learn about cultural or environmental topics by attending sessions led by local experts.
PROJECT WORK
Solve a problem or challenge for a real organisation by learning about their challenges, carrying out research, finding a solution and proposing an implementation plan.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Speak to someone with your dream job and find out how they got there. Attend career development workshops. Receive career coaching and ongoing support from your mentor.
Masterclass Series
Meet your global team
3 ONLINE COURSES INCLUDED
2 weeks before starting your virtual internship, you’ll work on our Foundations in Sustainable Development program. The includes three online courses offered in partnership with the University of Richmond.
– Careers In Sustainable Development
– Leading Teams For Emerging Leaders
– Introduction to Community Development
– Introduction to Scientific Conservation Research
SPECIALISATION COURSES*
