IPSL: South Africa - Apartheid's Footprint, Community Health and Transformation

Financial Aid is available for eligible students. IPSL also accepts AmeriCorps Segal Education awards.

Cape Town is a beautiful port city on South Africa’s southwest coast, with a colorful mix of cultures, cuisines, and landscapes. It is located beneath the flat-topped Table Mountain which is accessible by cable car. At the top there are sweeping views of the city, the busy harbor and boats heading for Robben Island, the notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela, which is now a living museum. 

 

Be a part of a program that helps you gain experience by supporting (& assisting) experienced social workers in a rehabilitative program for people seeking a better life. The focus is on health, finding purpose and building community and social networks. Help beneficiaries learn to replace destructive thinking and behavior patterns with healthier ones resulting in improved self-esteem and confidence. Opportunities for volunteer service include working on an urban farm, maker’s market, moving produce to marketplace, community engagement events (with topics of literacy, arts and crafts, self-defense, yoga and cooking and sustainable design projects), social work and assisting in group sessions. 

 

IPSL is partnered with a social service organization in South Africa. This international non-profit recognizes that the challenges of homelessness and mental health requires innovative solutions. They offer rehabilitative employment, to vulnerable people, giving them a chance to heal themselves mentally and emotionally. A student’s specific placement will be determined by community and agency needs, as well as the students’ interests, goals, and skills.

Volunteer opportunities may include: 

·       Youth Development and Leadership

·       Counseling and Health and Mental Health Education including TB and HIV testing, care and prevention.

·       Sports and Recreation

·       Social Services including teaching life skills in a mobile clinic with a focus on sex workers, inmates and the houseless population

·       Micro-Enterprise Training

Academic courses frame the history of South Africa, its challenges and opportunities that help students to understand the South Africa of today. Courses may include (all classes are taught in English): 

·       Intro to COSA (Community Organizing and Social Activism) and COSA in South Africa---Apartheid’s Footprint: South Africa Today 

·       Ethics and Community Health

·       Language Across the Curriculum (Afrikaans or tribal language study plus an Independent Study project)