International Service-Learning: Jamaica

  Jamaica

Kingston

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer 
Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: Spring, Fall, Summer

Description: You will spend a semester in Kingston, living with a Jamaican family; studying Jamaican and Caribbean history, literature, and social issues; serving 15-20 hours per week meeting human needs in a local agency; and exploring Jamaica and Jamaican culture through field trips. Your volunteer service immerses you in the culture and deepens your understanding of Jamaican society in a way that goes beyond that experienced in traditional study abroad programs and by tourists.

Academic Study

The program is based at the University of Technology, Jamaica. As the national university, it is highly regarded in Jamaica and the Caribbean, preparing students from a wide variety of backgrounds with strong qualifications and skills for entry into the workplace or for further studies. When field trips or organized cultural programs are relevant to deepen understanding, these are incorporated in the academic program. You will take four required courses for a total of 12 credits. A transcript is issued by the University of Technology, Jamaica, upon successful completion of the program.

Volunteer Service

You will volunteer 12-20 hours per week in a local agency or program. As you work with local people and care for those in need, you will find your experience and understanding of the culture enriched and deepened, and your leadership skills developed.

As a developing nation, Jamaica has a wide range of developmental concerns requiring social intervention. As a result, the volunteer service needs in Kingston are many and varied. They often include programs of tutoring, from pre-school through community college, helping children and young adults with basic literacy and coping skills; health care clinics, health education, and drug abuse programs that address medical issues; micro-business and womens projects that contribute to community and economic development.

In Jamaica, you might:

- supervise recreation at the YMCA
- serve as a teachers aide in a primary school
- work with at-risk adolescents
- assist in health care, the arts, or community and economic development
- work with recently released prisoners seeking re-entry to society
- help with womens projects
- serve in other areas of need.

Highlights: Jamaica's famous beaches and resorts are only a part of the life and culture of this mountainous island nation. The people of Jamaica and their rich historical and cultural background are as varied as the geography. You will learn about the original Carib and Arawak Indian peoples, Spanish and British colonialism, the plantation period and economy, the achievement of independence in 1962, and Jamaica's efforts toward development in the contemporary world as the leader of the Caribbean community. Kingston, the national capital, is a vibrant, colorful, yet challenging city which displays in full Jamaica's connections by culture to Africa, by geography to the Americas, and by history to the British Commonwealth.

Qualifications: IPSL welcomes applicants from all nations and backgrounds. Language requirements for selected programs. Minimum age is 18. College students and graduates are encouraged to apply.

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: IPSL participants are typically undergraduate students who want to study and volunteer abroad. They generally take 3-4 academic courses (12-15 credits) and do community service (12-20 hours per week). Participants want an integrated experience where learning and service work together.

Age Range: 18-30+

This Program is open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Jamaica Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership's Mission Statement: The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership has two related missions: 1) offering programs uniting academic study and volunteer service to the community in international/ intercultural settings that are models for the practice of service-learning, and 2) promoting the theory and practice of service-learning through research, publications, conferences, and training.

Year Founded: 1982