'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.

http://www.uwo.ca/international/learning/go_abroad/index.html

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 – for example - the US, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. This is what one recent participant had to say about the experience: “ASB provides students with real world experience and gives them the chance to escape the myopic view of the world that most Canadians have. It truly opened my eyes to what is going on in the world. Most people that travel to the Dominican go to all-inclusive resorts and have no idea that this type of poverty exists a short drive away. I feel that my views of the world and the way I think have changed and that I've grown tremendously as an individual. Some may doubt that this trip can change you in one week but after talking to my teammates, it really has to all of us. What a valuable experience and I would recommend it to anyone.” To see more ASB testimonials, visit http://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. You can read the journals of four Western students who recently worked in East Africa, and blogged about their experiences at http://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 http://www.international.uwo.ca/ and get ready to ‘be the change.’