Introducing new countries and a range of exciting trips this autumn, including an excursion to Bangladesh to study climate change and microfinance, and a new sustainability and environmental justice program in Portugal.

School for International Training this week opened enrollment for its SIT Study Abroad programs in fall 2020, offering a new slate of locations and excursions with an emphasis on climate change, microfinance, sustainability, and environmental justice.

Trilochan Pandey, academic director of SIT’s India: Sustainable Development and Social Change program, will lead a new excursion to Bangladesh to explore the country’s progress in areas of development in comparison with India, despite its slower economic growth, as well as how communities are learning to adapt to the effects of climate change.

The trip to Bangladesh will also include a visit to the world-renowned Grameen Bank in Dhaka, a community development bank that, since 1976, has pioneered ways to make small loans to struggling rural populations.

“Bangladesh is a place where students can learn about microfinance and the impact it has on empowering people,” said Pandey. “It is also a hot spot of climate change, with the risk of floods and sea level rise affecting a large population.”

SIT Study Abroad also is launching its first program in Portugal in fall 2020, based in Lisbon, the European Green Capital for 2020. Students who enroll in SIT’s Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice program will learn about innovative approaches to renewable energy technologies, social equity challenges, and the core principles of economics in Portugal, which is working to map out alternative designs in green policies.

Aside from being the European Green Capital, Lisbon, a port city, has a unique history of overcoming environmental adversity and hardship. In 1755, the Great Lisbon Earthquake nearly destroyed the entire city, triggering a tsunami and fires that razed 85 percent of the buildings and killed thousands. The slow and arduous process of rebuilding Lisbon still looms large in the collective memory and serves today as both a reminder, as well as the foundation for much of Portugal’s environmental progress.

Along with studying Lisbon’s past and present, students enrolled in the program will travel to the ancient university town of Coimbra, the Azores Islands, the coastal city Porto, and Spain’s stunning Extremadura region, comparing conservation projects, sustainable agriculture production, resource management, and environmental best practices.

Another new program, Malaysia and China: International Relations and New Economies, is also accepting student applications for fall 2020. An extraordinary opportunity to witness vibrant economies across Malaysia, China, Singapore, and Indonesia, this groundbreaking program allows students to better understand Islamic finance, environmental diversity, ethics, and the interfaith communities that coexist within a globally dynamic economy.

SIT Study Abroad is also excited to announce the launch of a new International Honors Program in fall 2020, International Relations: Global Governance, Human Security and Civil Society. Spanning four continents, this innovative program will introduce students to the inner workings of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Union, guiding them through comparative studies of neocolonialism, global finance, protest and resistance, peacekeeping, and youth activism. Students will live in Washington, DC, Brazil, France, and Senegal, while examining current global political trends and the rising challenges facing the post-World War II liberal world order.

In Africa, SIT has named Dr. Cheikh Thiam as academic dean for Africa South of the Sahara, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Thiam currently co-leads SIT Study Abroad programs in Senegal focused on global security and religious pluralism. He also designed a pioneering undergraduate program that explores how hip-hop artists and cultural influencers are redefining Africa’s future. That program, Senegal: Hip-Hop, African Diaspora and Decolonial Futures, is accepting student applications for fall 2020.

As academic dean, Thiam will lead one of the broadest portfolios of programs in Africa of any U.S. institution. SIT’s multidisciplinary portfolio of accredited undergraduate programs covers nine sub-Saharan countries and encompasses subjects such as biodiversity and wildlife management, multiculturalism and human rights, health policy and social transformation, and journalism.

All of these new and expanded programs build on SIT’s multidisciplinary stable of more than 60 immersive study abroad programs for undergraduates, covering Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, along with comparative International Honors Program offerings in multiple locations.

Each year, the Experiment in International Living Digital Media Fellowship program chooses two outstanding journalism students or recent graduates to travel with Experiment programs around the world and capture participants’ experiences. This year’s fellows are Erinn Halasinski, who traveled with the France: Cultural Discovery program, and Jeanette Lam, who covered South Africa: Leadership and Social Change program. Both are SIT Study Abroad alumnae. Erinn went on Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy, and Media and Jeanette took part in Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media.

Erinn Halasinski

I’m super excited to experience a new country for me, with a camera, in the same way that the students are experiencing it for the first time.

Erinn’s interest in media began in high school when she began making videos with her friends for fun and for her track team. She continued learning about media and expanding her skills at Fordham University, where she graduated in May with a BA in Digital Technology and Emerging Media as well as New Media and Digital Design.

Erinn originally hadn’t planned to study abroad for a full semester because she didn’t think it would fit it into her coursework. However, she changed her mind after speaking with an SIT Study Abroad representative at a study abroad fair about the opportunities for immersion offered by a semester-long program.

She was drawn to SIT’s Nicaragua and Indonesia programs, but ultimately selected Nicaragua because of its focus on media and Spanish language immersion.

“I was able to study abroad in such a perfect program where I wanted to go and practice my Spanish,” she said. “It just fit so well.”

During her time in Nicaragua, Erinn created videos in English and Spanish, which she said helped her not only become more comfortable with her film skills, but also in working in a foreign culture with a camera. She also met Eli Laban, an alumnus of the program who had returned to Nicaragua as an Alice Rowan Swanson Fellow. Eli was later selected as a 2018 Digital Media Fellow and traveled to Japan with The Experiment. Seeing Eli’s work as a fellow on social media and learning about his experience is part of what prompted Erinn to apply for the fellowship.

“When the position came up on my alumni email, I had something to connect it to and could visibly see the work that he had done and that I could also do similar work,” she said.

Erinn has never traveled to France before and said she’s eager to discover the country alongside program participants.

“I’m super excited to experience a new country for me, with a camera, in the same way that the students are experiencing it for the first time,” she said.

In addition to exploring France, Erinn is particularly looking forward to her homestay. “My [host] parents are bakers. I can’t not be excited about that,” she said.

Following her fellowship, Erinn is joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and will spend two years in Belize volunteering with a nonprofit organization that works with children with disabilities. She’ll also continue building her media skills by helping the organization with its social media presence.

In the future, she hopes to experience and document different countries and cultures, especially places that aren’t frequented by tourists.  

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Jeanette Lam

[SIT] was a very transformative part of my college career because that was the first time I was surrounded by peers who were equally as passionate about art and social dialogue …

Jeanette recently graduated from the University of Richmond where she majored in Leadership Studies with a double minor in journalism and film studies. Although she had always enjoyed making videos with her friends and family, Jeanette says she got into professional film and media work by accident. The summer after her freshman year of college, Jeanette created a short, personal documentary about traveling to Taiwan with her grandfather.

“I didn’t even know it was a doc[umentary] at the time,” she said.

Jeanette submitted the video to a film festival and was accepted. After that, she was hooked. She took out a loan to buy her first professional video kit and paid it off over the summer by making videos. That fall, Jeanette embarked on her study abroad program in Morocco with SIT, which she chose because of its focus on media.

“[SIT] was a very transformative part of my college career because that was the first time I was surrounded by peers who were equally as passionate about art and social dialogue and these types of things,” she said.

During the semester, Jeanette completed weekly video assignments and created a short documentary for her independent study project, all of which she believes helped her grow as a filmmaker.

“I feel like that just really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” she said.

During her time in Morocco, Jeanette also learned to navigate living and working in another culture and connecting with people from different backgrounds, which she believes will help her support The Experiment participants.

“I know what it’s like to be in their shoes and how sometimes it can be frightening or uncomfortable, but ultimately really rewarding and eye-opening,” she said

She’s looking forward to documenting the arc of the students’ experiences over the course of their trip and how they grow throughout the program. In addition to working with the students, Jeanette is most excited about going on safari in Kruger National Park.

“That’s always been a dream of mine,” she said.

After her fellowship, Jeanette will move to Albany, New York, to work with Youth FX, which provides film and media production education to youth in underserved communities. Jeanette will be co-directing a filmmaking class in a juvenile detention center, which is similar to work she did in college. She also hopes to return to documentary filmmaking and work on both feature films and shorter video journalism projects.

“I know my heart is with documentary work and people-centric work,” Jeanette said.

Zuriñe (“Zuri”) received her bachelor’s degree in modern languages with specialization in English and linguistics from the University of Deusto in 2016. That same year, she moved to Nebraska, where she completed a master’s degree in literature while working as a teaching assistant of Spanish at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After graduating in 2018, she moved back to Spain and started another master’s degree in teacher training for compulsory secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training, and language teaching. Before working at SIT, she taught English in Bilbao. Zuriñe supports the logistics of the program and communication between students and families.

Aline has worked with SIT Switzerland since 2007 and is from Francophone Switzerland. She studied liberal arts at the University of Geneva and holds a master’s degree in French literature. Prior to SIT, Aline was coordinator of the Geneva International Film Festival for three years and taught French language and culture to international students. As academic coordinator, Aline assists the academic director, teaches in the Research Methods and Ethics course, and advises students in field research.

Heikki Mattila holds an MA in economics and sociology from the University of Helsinki and a PhD in sociology from the University of Geneva. An expert in migration, he’s worked in government, international organizations, and academia, including with the Finnish Ministry of Labor and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). He consulted for IOM on migration policy development in Nigeria and Turkey and on field assessment of migrants’ humanitarian needs in Chad; he also coordinated research on internal displacement in Iraq.

Since the late 1990s, Dr. Mattila has briefed SIT students and advised on their research. He’s lectured at Webster University (Geneva), Central European University (Budapest), and the NATO Defense College (Rome). He has written about human trafficking, irregular migration, and human rights; his interests include migrants’ health, reproductive rights, and comparative health systems.

He wrote or co-edited “You Want a Multicultural Immigration Country, but We Don’t Want It”; “Ideologies, Interests and Discursive Strategies in German Parliamentary Debate on the 2004 Migration Law”; “Between Sanctions and Rights: Addressing the Irregular Employment of Immigrants in the European Union”; “Permanent or Circular Migration? Policy Choices to Address Demographic Decline and Labour Shortages in Europe”; and “Between Demand and Supply: Regional Analysis of the Supply and Demand for Sexual Services and Trafficking in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.”

Gyula Csurgai obtained his doctorate from the University of Geneva and political science degrees from University of Concordia (Canada) and University of Toulouse (France). He earned a postgraduate degree in European studies from the European Institute at the University of Geneva. He worked as scientific collaborator at the Geneva International Peace Research Institute and has taught international relations, geopolitics, and geo-economics for undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate programs.

Dr. Csurgai has organized international symposiums, participated in international research projects, and provided expertise to international organizations, governments, and the private sector. He has been part of SIT in Geneva since 1997 and became academic director in 2002. He was born in Hungary and holds Swiss citizenship.

Dr. Tricot is a political scientist and journalist with more than a decade of experience in international education, academic research, and university teaching. He has led study abroad programs in Chile, Peru, and Spain. This includes development of academic syllabi, excursions, and budgets, as well as managing staff teams. His main research interests and publications involve Latin American politics, social movements, and indigenous peoples’ political participation. Dr. Tricot is a regular contributor to various Latin American media organizations where he comments and writes on current affairs relating to Latin American politics.

See Dr. Tricot’s full list of publications

Nathalie is from the North Province of Cameroon. She has been with SIT since 2008, where she works on the homestay program and service component for students. Her responsibilities include selecting families, giving an orientation to students and homestay families, evaluating students’ adaptation in their family as well as families’ ability to offer a positive cultural and learning experience to students. Nathalie organizes activities for students and is the person primarily responsible for health care support. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music.