The York International Internship Program (YIIP) is a unique program that enables students to gain international and cross-cultural work experience through internship placements in Canada and abroad in regions such as Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia. (See the Aug. 19, 2004 issue of YFile for a story on the adventures of past interns.)
Left: Faculty of Education student, Daniella Mantilla, (lower left) with her English class in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua
These internships, which run for three months in the summer of 2006, are open to senior students from various disciplinary backgrounds. Through an open competition, students will be selected and offered placements. Each placement carries a $3,000 York International Internship Award. Students placed overseas are also eligible to apply for the York International Mobility Award (YIMA).
Past interns Liliana Begg and Joseph Silva, whose internship was in Peru, had this to say about their time as interns: "We look back with happiness and pride at what we've done and experienced. We are grateful to so many people and have grown academically, personally, spiritually, and professionally. We hope to be able to continue this learning experience and put it to use and share it with others."
Right: Fourth-year Faculty of Arts student Sarbjit Sondha at the Parvati Hill Temple in Pune, Maharashtra, India, where she did her York International internship
The internship placements, many of which have been arranged through the cooperative efforts of York faculty members, include work in countries as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka and the United States. Opportunities exist for undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of fields, including art history, fine arts, education, engineering, history, international development studies, international studies, anthropology, computer science and social science. Several placements require students to have foreign language proficiency.
Students must apply by Jan. 6, 2006 to be considered for this year's internships. Applications and full information are available on the York International Internship Program Web site.
York International is also offering a number of information sessions on the internship program. Click here for a full schedule of dates and times.
York International has also posted photo journals created by past interns. Click here to view their journals.