‘Be the Change’ with International Learning at Western!

Looking for a university with a proven track record of international learning and study abroad opportunities? At Western University, students have multiple opportunities to step out of their comfort zones, become global citizens and ‘be the change’ they hope to bring about in the future. Western students can choose to study abroad in more than 25 countries, participate in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) or complete an internship in Africa with Western Heads East. In fact, every year Western students head out to every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica.

Students participating in Alternative Spring Break can choose between multiple international service projects in the US, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. This is what one recent participant had to say about the experience:

“For a while now, I've felt as though I had a heaping pile of twigs and grass in front of me, but no spark to ignite a flame. All I needed was one match for that fire to begin to burn, and ASB gave me a blow torch. Because of the ASB experience, my passion and motivation to act is lit, and I can use the resources that I've been building up all these years to BE THE CHANGE.” To see more ASB testimonials, visit www.asb.uwo.ca/testimonials.cfm.

Western Heads East is a long-term initiative - over 10 years! - to establish health programs in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda by working with local women’s groups to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and improve people’s immune systems with probiotic yogurt. Three Western students currently working in East Africa are blogging about their experience at www.westernheadseast.ca/intern_journals.cfm.

Western supports this wide variety of international learning opportunities with a range of scholarships including the Global Opportunities Awards. Announced twice a year, these $1,000 to $2,000 awards can be used to participate in exchanges, study abroad, field research, summer programs, international service learning and more. Western’s international website offers a lot more than can be mentioned here, so check out www.international.uwo.ca and get ready to ‘be the change.’