India Virtual Internships Summer 2022
Hyphen the World: Virtual Internships with Community Organizations in India
Hyphen the World is a journey of professional development and self-discovery coordinated by the Delhi-based non-profit, Pravah, which designs and facilitates inside-out leadership journeys for young people to build their agency and enable them to become self-aware, deeply empathetic and socially responsible leaders. Pravah has a rich history of working with international volunteers both in person and virtually.
Hyphen the World includes project work with a community organization from Pravah’s network, reflection/ mentorship meetings 1:1 and with a UW cohort, and completion of independent assignments. Students choosing to earn credits will also be required to complete a learning contract that facilitates connections with their academic learning goals.
The commitment is part-time, 10-12 hours per week dedicated to the project and 2-3 hours per week of mentorship/ reflection activities for processing and deepening learning.
Molly Crumley, a 2020 participant of Hyphen the World, shares her point of view on how her unplanned virtual experience went. “I feel it’s really worthwhile to learn about other cultures – even if you can’t be physically there,” she says. Learn more about her experience from this UWB News story and from her blog.
A video testimonial by Christina Lai, another 2020 Hyphen the World participant shares what she gained throughout the program.
Logistics
Program Options:
4.5 week journey (2 credits, $600 USD fee): 40-50 hours of project time and 10-15 hours of learning input and mentoring
9 week journey (5 credits, $975 USD fee): 120 hours of project time and 20-25 hours of learning input and mentoring
Program Dates:
- Monday, June 21 or Tuesday, June 22: Hyphen the World orientation
- June 21-July 20 (Summer Term A): Hyphen the World 4-week journey (+/- 1-2 days)
- June 21-August 19 (Summer Quarter): Hyphen the World 9-week journey (+/- 1-2 days)
- Late August: Final reflection meeting
Academic Credits: Students wanting to earn UW credits will be enrolled in a fee-based, study abroad placeholder course for Summer 2022, for either 2 credits for Summer Term A or 5 credits for Summer Quarter. At the end of the quarter, the placeholder will be converted to BIS 498, or a similar equivalent in other schools. If you need the internship to count for IPR (IAS majors only), please speak with your advisor.
Scholarships: The UW Bothell Study Abroad Ambassador Scholarship can help to offset the program fee for those earning academic credits.
Potential Placements
Pravah, and their network of community partners, focus on the following issues:
- Youth development
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights
- Quality education
- Gender equality
- Inter-faith harmony
- Environmental sustainability
- Advocacy against child abuse
- Health and nutrition
To browse the list of participating organizations and projects for 2022, click here. Please note that these are subject to change. You will be matched with a specific host organization and project based on your application and conversations during the interview process.
Information for Applicants
Pre-requisites
None. Prior knowledge of India or experience with the specific social issues is welcome but not required. Students interested in this program should have an openness to learn, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility amidst changing circumstances.
Application
The online application includes the following:
- multiple choice questions about you, your interests and skills;
- short responses to the following prompts:
- How would you like to introduce yourself? Help us get to know you by sharing your personal background and relevant experiences.
- Explain your top motivations for volunteering (with a community organization in India).While you’re on this volunteering journey, you’ll be working on projects to support the host organization, so we’re interested in how you’ve helped others in the past. Don’t worry if you’ve never volunteered before as part of a structured program. If you’ve ever done anything to help someone else, please tell us about it.
- What challenges do you foresee for yourself as you become part of this journey? And how would you like to deal with them?
- resume (PDF format).
Apply early to secure your top choice of project placement.
Resources
What’s the experience like?
Check out this UWB New story and blogs from UWB Study Abroad Ambassadors who participated in the program last year:
Program Support
Natalia Dyba, Director of Global Initiatives
425.352.3261
nataliak@uw.edu
Study Abroad Advising
Peer Advisors
425.352.3986
uwbworld@uw.edu