http://www.umn.edu/
612-625-5000
Virtual Internships in Dakar —
-
Program Details
Virtual Internships in Dakar is a four-credit internship opportunity. It’s critical to learn to adapt, acclimate, discover new ways to contribute, and be productive working remotely. Virtual internships combined with the internship course give you an opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills.
Location Dakar, Senegal Term Fall Semester Credit Type Resident Credit Sponsor Learning Abroad Center Program Eligibility
GPA 2.5 Student Type UofM Students Student Year Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors -
About Virtual Internships in Dakar
The Virtual Internship in Dakar program is a four-credit internship opportunity. Virtual internships combined with the internship course give you an opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills.
You’ll work on projects from the US for an international organization while adding a global perspective to your professional work experience. You’ll apply your in-class knowledge to real-world meaningful work, gain experience working remotely, expand your skill base, earn four credits from coursework, and maximize your time.
While we’ll try to place you in your preferred location, keep in mind that our top consideration is making an appropriate match to your skills, experience, and internship goals.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Communicate and navigate effectively in a global, virtual environment
- Gain culture specific knowledge of work placement country
- Understand your own values, skills, and behaviors and how different values and communication styles may impact workplace dynamics; develop strategies for adapting to these differences
- Identify and articulate skills and experiences necessary to reach future career goals; develop learning objectives for the virtual internship site that will help you move toward these career aspirations
- Conduct your work during the internship utilizing best practices around professional behavior within a virtual work environment
- Understand and practice tolerance of different cultural assumptions
- Use a comparative framework in essays and dialogue with fellow students to examine cultural and professional aspects of work and how COVID-19 has impacted these environments
- Research and analyze the placement country’s workplace, particularly in terms of social media and online presence, including language, norms, values, economic assumptions and compare this to virtual environment to the US
About the Learning Abroad Center
Learning Abroad Center programs are:
- Affordable: our programs are cost effective.
- Academically strong: many programs have strong University of Minnesota departmental support and offer pre-approved courses for many majors.
- Culturally rich: regardless of the program you choose, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture.
- Expertly managed: our staff in Minnesota and abroad are trained professionals and are always available to answer your questions from extensive pre-departure advising and online orientations to reentry programming. Your safety and well-being are paramount, and we work hard to ensure you have a rewarding and safe experience abroad.
-
Program Structure
Program Level 3000-level course Courseload One 4-credit virtual internship course as well as 12–20 hours per week at your internship placement.
Course Schedule
September 21st, 2020: Virtual internship course begins
September 28th, 2020: Virtual internship placement begins
December 16th, 2020: Virtual internship course and placement ends
The class will meet synchronously three times throughout the semester. The schedule of those classes is:
- September 21st, 10:00-11:00am
- November 2nd, 10:00-11:00am
- December 11th, 10:00-11:00am
Coursework
The 4-credit virtual internship course will consist of lectures, small-group discussions, readings, posting to prompts, blogs, essays, a mock interview, and a presentation. Along with the class, you’ll be assigned projects for 12–20 hours per week at your internship placement. The course will help you apply in-class knowledge to your work and understand your newly developed professional skills to articulate in professional situations.
Virtual Internship Syllabus (PDF)
Internship Placements
Journalism and Communication Intern
PressAfrik
Description: Work for a Senegalese online newspaper covering national and international news. Write articles, translate documents, and manage social media of the organization.
Internship Industries: Communications, Journalism, Social Media
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Pending
Peace Education Intern
Timbuktu Institute
Description: Assist an organization that works on peace and security in West and Central Africa. Research activities, peacebuilding work, and project management.
Internship Industries: Communications, Research
Language Requirement: Internship could be conducted in either English or French. If French, students should have completed Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent.
Status: Position Pending
Child Protection Intern
APCASE (Association pour la Promotion des Centres d'Actions Socio-Educatifs)
Description: Work for a nonprofit focused on providing psychosocial services to street children in Dakar and Dagana. Help with research efforts, social media communication, project management, and grant opportunities.
Internship Industries: Communications, Nonprofit, Psychology, Research, Social Media
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Pending
Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocacy Intern
Parole aux Jeunes
Description: Work for a nonprofit that uses a digital platform to amplify the voices of youth on issues related to exclusion, gender, sexual and reproductive health. Assist with social media community management, website editing, and research efforts.
Internship Industries: Communications, Nonprofit, Research, Social Media
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Pending
Human Rights Advocacy Intern
RADDHO
Description: Assist a nonprofit organization that promotes, defends, and protects human rights in Senegal and in Africa by ensuring respect for life and human dignity. This organization promotes the full exercise of citizenship, including the effective equality of rights between citizens, contributing to the emergence and consolidation of the Rule of the Law and Democracy in Africa. Assist with research and advocacy work in rights, governance, migration and protection.
Internship Industries: Communications, Government/Politics, Nonprofit, Research
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Pending
Digital Communication Intern
EXCAF TELECOM
Description: Assist Senegalese media and telecommunication company with 3 TV channels and several radio stations. EXCAF is also in charge of the implementation of the DTT project in Senegal. Assist with infographic design, digital communication, and marketing strategies.
Internship Industries: Communications, Creative Media, Journalism, Marketing
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Available
Renewable Energy Marketing Intern
BONERGIE
Description: Work for a social enterprise that offers a range of products based on solar energy, providing access to electricity, lighting, and running water. This organization has designed products specially designed for remote areas that do not have access to the electricity grid. Assist with digital communication, marketing strategies, research, and project management.
Internship Industries: Business, Communications, Marketing, Research
Language Requirement: Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent - internship communication will be conducted in French.
Status: Position Available
Communications and Partnership Development Intern
West African Research Center (WARC)
Description: Work for one of West Africa's largest research centers and the overseas headquarters for the West Afriacn Research Association (WARA). This center promotes academic and cultural exchange between American and West African researchers, students, and artists, and supports research on the region of West Africa. Help with social media community management and content development, communication material development, partnership development, and grant research and application.
Internship Industries: Communications, Research, Social Media
Language Requirement: No French language prerequisite - internship communication will be conducted in English.
Status: Position Filled
Marketing and Audiovisual Production Internship
Grow Strategizer
Description: Grow is a social and international shop that specializes in sustainability, advertising video production storytelling, film projects, and digital optimization through development of technological applications. Assist with strategizing, marketing, and technology needs. Help draft financing files, implement their business model and plan, develop web and mobile apps, implement digital solutions, create audiovisual content, and film production.
Internship Industries: Business, Communications, Creative Media, Environment/Sustainability, Marketing, Nonprofit
Language Requirement: Internship could be conducted in either English or French. If French, students should have completed Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent.
Status: Position Available
Entrepreneurship and Technology Training Internship
Grow Academy Senegal
Description: The Grow Academy is a social enterprise that transforms young girls age 15-25 who are out of school and marginalized into confident and preserving micro-technology professionals. Help design both technology and entrepreneurship curriculum for young women from lower secondary schools, train in soft skills and micro technology.
Internship Industries: Business, Communications, Creative Media, Education, Nonprofit
Language Requirement: Internship could be conducted in either English or French. If French, students should have completed Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or equivalent.
Status: Position Available
-
Dates & Deadlines
Submit the online application and complete the assigned application checklist according to the appropriate deadline:Program Term App Open Date Deadline* Fall 2020 Jul 15 Aug 15 Virtual Internship Course Begins Sep 21 Virtual Internship Placement Begins Sep 28 Course and Placement Ends Dec 16 -
Fees for Virtual Internships in Dakar
The tuition rate for this 4-credit course is the same as other undergraduate UMTC courses and will be billed to your UofM student account. If you are already taking 13 credits this fall, you can add the virtual international internship course at no additional cost. Visit Onestop for additional information about tuition costs.Cancellation Policy
The regular Learning Abroad Center cancellation and refund policy does not apply to this course. If you decide to cancel your participation in the course after confirming your participation, the Learning Abroad Center will bill your University of Minnesota student account for non-recoverable costs incurred to secure an internship placement on your behalf. In addition to any tuition refund processed per Onestop policies, if you cancel before the course start date, you will be billed $400. If you cancel after the course start date, you will be billed $600. -
Center Name TC Learning Abroad Ctr Country Senegal Submit
Complete
After completing the above application, which includes submitting a cover letter and resume, your application will be reviewed.
Next Steps
After the above application is complete, your application is reviewed by our program team. You will be notified of an acceptance decision by email. After the initial application submission, you may need to submit additional application materials with our onsite partners. This could include a letter of recommendation, transcript, and/or a cover letter and resume in the language of your host city/country. You may also be asked to conduct interviews with potential internship placements.If accepted, you will be assigned a confirmation checklist, which you will complete to confirm your participation in the program. If you decide not to continue with the application process, log into the online application system and submit a Cancel Request.
Register for On Campus Course
Once you are confirmed in the program, the Learning Abroad Center will register you in the 4-credit Virtual Internship course. No other action is needed from you to register for the course. You will not be able to withdraw from this course on your own, you will need to contact the Learning Abroad Center. -
Program Contact
We encourage you to reach out early in the process if you have questions about available placements, so that our advisers can help guide you to the location that works best for your skills, experience, and internship goals.
For further information or questions about this program, send an email to
Ashley Metz or call at 612.626.6380.
