Team4Tech Middlebury 2023: EdTech Internship in Uganda
This summer, Team4Tech is offering a unique internship opportunity to a cohort of Middlebury students to work with two of our nonprofit partners in Uganda. Students interested in conflict transformation, education, technology, and/or international development who want to gain real world skills in helping to devise and deliver solutions to educational NGOs will find the internship valuable. Previous examples of university students’ internship work with Team4Tech can be found here.
CCI is subsidizing the program fee for a cohort of Middlebury students to engage in this eight week opportunity and is also providing a $1500 travel grant.
Internship Description
The eight-week internship experience will kick off on June 12 and end on August 4 and include a mix of virtual and on-site experiences.
Our nonprofit partners in Uganda for this project are The African SOUP and SOUL Foundation. The African SOUP aims to empower communities through national education change, focusing especially on community development programs in rural Eastern Uganda. SOUL Foundation has a holistic approach to addressing the challenges that youth and adult learners face by providing them opportunities to thrive inside and out of the classroom.
- Phase 1: Three weeks of virtual preparation led by a Team4Tech Program Director. During these weeks, the interns can expect to spend 10-15 hours per week getting to know the nonprofit partners, the project scopes, doing research, and engaging with our leadership development curriculum. This will include early morning and/or evening calls with their teammates and partner NGOs.
- Phase 2: Three weeks of on-site program work in Uganda with The African SOUP and SOUL Foundation. Food, lodging, in-country transportation, and project management are included in the grant and will all be handled by Team4Tech Program Directors.
- Phase 3: Two weeks of virtual debrief, follow up, and reporting.
During Phases 1 and 3, the team of interns will engage in one call with the full team and another with a sub-team to which they have been assigned. During the full team calls, led by Team4Tech Program Directors, the interns will discuss overall project goals, build empathy and understanding for the NGO client, and engage in Team4Tech's human-centered design leadership development curriculum. This curriculum was designed in partnership with leading technology companies to develop key leadership capabilities that are critical for professional development: customer-driven innovation, decision-making amidst ambiguity, growth mindset, communication and collaboration, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Interns will be assigned to a working sub-team based on their skills and experience; specific requests will be considered but final placement decisions will be made by Team4Tech staff. On the sub-team calls, smaller groups of interns will convene to work on their deliverables. There will also be weekly readings and research to be completed.
During Phase 2, the entire team will travel to Uganda and be hosted by our nonprofit partners. During those three weeks, the team of interns will execute work they spend the prior three weeks preparing for alongside our nonprofit partners.
Location:
- The two NPOs are just one hour apart from each other in the Iganga region of Uganda.
- SOUL Foundation hosts participants in a beautiful spot on the Nile River.
Scope of Work:
- African SOUP would like help with creation and delivery of digital literacy classes.
- SOUL Foundation would like help with computer classes as well as their women's health and vocational education programs.
Project Timeline
- June 12: Project kickoff
- June 12-30: Phase 1, Virtual Project Preparation
- July 1-2: Travel to Uganda
- July 3-14: Phase 2, On-Site Project Implementation with NPO Partners
- July 15-16: Travel home from Uganda
- July 17 - August 4: Phase 3, Virtual Debrief, Follow-up & Reporting
Desired Intern Skills & Experience
- Interest or experience designing and conducting technical training
- Interest in working with and mentoring young learners / high school students
- Interest in working in a developing country
Application Process & Timeline
- March 26: Deadline to apply through Handshake
- March 1 – April 7 : Team4Tech interviews with student finalists (in other words, don’t wait to begin interviewing so that selection can be completed sooner)
- No later than April 10: Selection decisions communicated to students
- April 17: Deadline for student acceptance
Please note: This program is unpaid, though each student will receive a $1500 travel grant. The Center for Careers and Internships is subsidizing the program participation fee. If you are offered and accept this internship, please be aware that your funding for this position is provided by CCI, and therefore you will be required to complete funded internship paperwork. Typically, seniors graduating in May and those who have not been enrolled for Spring ’23 are not eligible for CCI sponsored internships, but occasional exceptions are made. Students planning to transfer in the Fall are also not eligible.
Students may only be funded by CCI once per summer. Participation in this program means you are not eligible for CCI's competitive internship funding or other CCI-sponsored programs.