Hawke Ambassador International Volunteer Experience Program
Coordinated by the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages and The Hawke Centre
- Introduction
- Pre-departure preparation
- International placements
- Pre-requisites
- Timeline
- Returning to UniSA
- Contacts
2008 Hawke Ambassadors and associated partner
Testimonial from recent Hawke Ambassador: Luke Ebbs
Projects Abroad
- Rachel Baker
- Anna Benton
- Nick Birrell (Argentina)
- Alina Eacott (Peoples Republic of China)
- Tessa Henwood-Mitchell
- Michael Jessop (Mexico)
- Lincoln Rothall
- Kyla Raby (Ghana)
- Kimberley Robertson (Ghana)
Red Cross/Oxfam/Australian Refugee Association - local
- Arn Duncan
- Ian Swift
- Elise Beacom
World Youth International
- Kimberley Hampel (Kenya)
- Jessica Roberts
- Alison Wells
Global Vision
- Trent Lawson (Ghana)
AIESEC
- Elissa McKenzie
Gap Activity Projects
- Monika Deptula
2007 Hawke Centre Ambassadors
Report from Luke Ebbs - World Youth International (Kenya)
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I'm working for a community centre in a
town called Ugunja, which is just near the border of Kenya and Uganda. I am
writing stories for a community newsletter on local issues and also writing
transcripts for a community radio station.
I spend one a day a week working for another community centre which provides
primary schooling for kids who cannot afford education. I am teaching
English and simple maths and may also be teaching classes on sexual health
and conducting AIDS awareness programs in the near future.
My main project is to do with 'street kids.' These are children that live on
the streets of Kisumu, the third biggest city in Kenya. There are hundreds
of these kids, some as young as three, that have left home for all kinds of
complicated reasons. Many have been orphaned by malaria and AIDS and have no
where else to go. Some have been kicked out of home because their mothers
have re-married and step-fathers refuse to raise another man's child.
Extreme poverty drives most of them to the streets where they manage to
survive by begging or stealing. 90 per cent of the kids were sniffing glue
all night long to kill their hunger and keep warm, and many of them hard
scars and infected wounds from where the police had beat them.
At the moment, there is an organisation in the city that provides a
day-shelter for the kids. Here, the kids give up their glue bottles and in
return they get a feed and are given free schooling. The aim of the shelter
is to rehabilitate kids back into society by getting them sponsered or
reuniting them with their families.
The day shelter is great, but it's not enough. The kids come in the day, get
a free feed, play sport, learn a thing or two and then return to the street
life where they go back to sniffing glue and getting into trouble. My aim is
to fund a night shelter, where the kids can eat a good dinner and sleep at
night without being beaten and bitten my malarious mosquitoes. This is where
i need your help....
Introduction
The School Communication, International Studies and
Languages is pleased to
announce an international volunteering placement and internship Program for
students at the University of South Australia. Called the Hawke Ambassador
International Volunteer Experience Program, it has the support of the
Honourable Mr Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia.
The Hawke Ambassador Program is also supported by the Hawke Centre at the
University of South Australia, our Double Degree partners, and a number of
local and international volunteer agencies.
The Program will be available to students undertaking their 2nd, 3rd and 4th
year of the:
- Bachelor of Arts (International Studies)
- Bachelor of Arts (Languages and Intercultural Communication)
- Double degrees Programs with International Studies, including International Business, Management, Marketing, Journalism, and Social Work and Social Policy.
Students in their 1st year of these Programs are not eligible to take
part in the Hawke Ambassador Program.
The Hawke Ambassador Program is worth 18 units (typically one semester of
full-time study) towards a Bachelor degree. For Double Degree students, the
Program is offered as an alternative to the existing Study Abroad semester.
The Hawke Ambassador International Volunteer Experience Program differs from
traditional international exchange or study abroad Programs. Students will
be based within an international non-government organisation (NGO), usually
in an overseas location and working as a volunteer, rather than undertaking
formal study at an overseas university.
Students who are unable to travel overseas are able to work as a volunteer
in a local, internationally focused Program and receive 18 units towards
their degree.
The Program offers an opportunity for Australian and international students
in the above degree Programs to work in international and intercultural
situations, and to volunteer their time and intellect in the service of
others. It will assist with academic achievement, broader global and
societal understanding, and leadership capacity.
Students will have the option to work with one of a number of possible non-governmental agencies, including:
- AIESEC (An international student organisation located at the City West Campus of the University of South Australia)
- Australian Red Cross
- Australian Refugee Association
- Gap Australia
- Oxfam
- Projects Abroad
- Uniting International Mission
- Volunteering SA
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
- World Youth International
(All above files: PDF format - download Adobe Acrobat)