| Internship Descriptions International Development Intern Join FSD in working with local communities to support economic, social, and educational transformations around the globe. Learn the hard skills needed to enter the competitive field of development, while building capacity for and delivering financial resources. Since 1995, FSD has relied on volunteers and interns to support grassroots organizations in addressing the challenges faced in the following areas: Micro-Enterprise/Microfinance • Health • Environment • Youth and Education • Women’s Empowerment • Community Development • Human Rights Program Overview: To meet the various skill levels and needs of participants, FSD offers three programs – Internships, Pro Corps, and Short Term Volunteering. Internship Program: FSD’s internship program serves students and young professionals looking to gain international development experience and training while making a sustainable impact on an underserved community abroad. The internship program commonly acts as a catalyst for students to build a career in development or strengthen applications for graduate programs. Also, some interns simply want to serve a community abroad, while gaining a tangible understanding of grassroots development. Regardless of motivation, FSD encourages participation from those who boldly wish to become a catalyst for change in the developing world. Pro Corps Volunteering: This program is designed to effectively transfer skills from experienced professionals to our partner organizations and the communities they serve. Typically, Long-Term Pro Corps Volunteers (9+ weeks) develop projects geared toward assessing organizations and their programs to find more efficient methods of project implementation and resource usage. Shorter-term volunteers (4-8 weeks) generally work toward building greater capacity at an organization and with its employees. Short-Term Volunteering: Offers professionals, students, and retirees an opportunity to observe and support an international organization while staying within a strict time schedule. Many volunteers simply want to use their vacation time immersing themselves in a foreign culture and helping to empower underserved communities, instead of traveling and experiencing the culture from a distance. Each of these programs encompasses the following structure: Orientation (one week) – You’ll begin your program with a group of 3-8 other participants. The FSD Site Team will help you acclimate to your new surroundings and deliver a variety of activities and educational sessions to prepare you for the work ahead. Throughout your program, the Site Team will be there to support you and ensure your safety. Accommodation – You will live individually with host families for at least the first 8 weeks. These accommodations allow full immersion into the local language and culture, while providing a chance to form relationships with an extended family and community. Host Organization – Your work setting will be a locally managed FSD host organization that fits your skills and interests. The first step will be to familiarize yourself with the staff to gain a full understanding of the resources, people, and projects currently in progress. Typically, you will be the only FSD participant placed with the organization to ensure immersion during your work. From here you’ll shape and initiate specific project work in collaboration with your organization and the FSD Site Team. Development Training – All of FSD’s programs provide development training, which supports you with a series of tools to maximize your project work and your understanding of sustainable development principles. Initially, you’ll learn the most pressing issues and initiatives in the region. Regular group sessions and a midterm retreat will offer you the chance to process the work you are involved with and share insight to cross-cultural issues. During development trainings, you will learn to: - Critically observe your surroundings - Perform an effective needs assessment - Build partnerships and assemble key community members (community mapping) - Design and manage a cohesive work plan that reflects realistic and sustainable objectives - Prepare a persuasive grant proposal - Facilitate sustainable project work - Complete a sustainability plan that synopsizes your accomplishments and guides the organization and future interns on how to continue your work Grant Writing – Once you’ve jointly prepared a work plan, you and the organization will be given a $200 seed grant to support its implementation. If additional funds are integral to your project work, FSD offers a grant competition. To be involved, you will participate in grant writing training and, subsequently, write a grant proposal to FSD. Grants are awarded to projects that best exemplify sustainable practices and approaches. Veteran Community – Upon completion of your program, you will have access to a large network of program veterans that, through FSD, share common experiences, values, and a willingness to help each other achieve their vocational goals. Program Fees and Dates –Programs are available year round in each country and development subject. For a list of program fees and start dates, please visit our website. FSD is a not-for-profit charitable organization with 501c(3) status. We are a non-endowed foundation and rely on the annual support of generous individuals, foundations, and corporations. Our non-profit model gives 100% of our grant funding to the international communities we serve. How to Apply: 1. DO NOT APPLY THROUGH THIS SITE. Instead, first visit our website at. Read about the projects recently funded by FSD and review our database of over 200 unique host organizations in eight countries. Our participants come from over 300 universities and a wide variety of professional vocations. 2. Select a program that matches your skills and interests. 3. Complete an application and send it to us via email. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and space is limited to a maximum of 12 participants for each program site. 4. FSD will evaluate your application and respond within 10 business days. If accepted, you will be given an offer letter from the host organization that optimally fits your needs. You will also receive information about how to comprehensively prepare yourself for the work ahead |
