The 2013 summer service practicum will allow students to work with Living Way, a microenterprise organization in Cape Town. Students will also visit culturally significant sites in Johannesburg and the Western Cape, a region known for its breathtaking beauty and areas of extreme poverty. Undergraduate and graduate students from any school are welcome to participate!
The estimated total cost of the practicum is $4,730, based on expenses from previous years. Expenses may vary. For participants in the 2013 practicum, the Mann Center will fund up to $2,000 of student travel expenses, making the final cost to the student approximately $2,730.
A $2,000 non-refundable deposit is required. Please contact Azalea Hulbert for more information, or click here to pay the deposit.
In July 2012, five Samford students continued the work begun in 2011 at the Living Way microenterprise center in Cape Town. The 2012 practicum was a collaboration between the Mann Center and Samford's Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement. The team, which included both graduate and undergraduate students, worked with Living Way's agri-academy, a mentoring program for aspiring farmers, to develop a basic business curriculum.
In July and August 2011, three Samford undergraduate students participated in a service practicum at the Living Way microenterprise center in Cape Town. Senior Kley Sippel said of his experience, "Consulting with Living Way in South Africa was a capstone experience for my business education. It allowed me to take skills learned in other internships and apply them on an international level, and, as the team leader, a management level. The trip expanded my network internationally, increased my cultural literacy, and provided an opportunity for undergraduate research – all fulfilling goals of mine since freshman year and better equipping me for graduation."
The Mann Center is partnering with Stellenbosch University and its newly established Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert Leadership Center to create programs on both continents in Leadership for Social Change. Located in South Africa’s Western Cape area, Stellenbosch is one of Africa’s most prestigious universities. A course for Samford students was taught at Stellenbosch in January 2010, and continued collaborations through platforms like video-conferencing are ongoing with students at both universities.