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How to write a great Go Abroad application

Whether you want to study, work, or volunteer, Go Abroad funding is competitive, so how do you write an application that stands out?

The Global Opportunities team offers their best application tips and tricks to give you the best shot at success.

Do your research

You need to explain why you have chosen that institution/organisation and why that particular country. What attracts you about your destination? Is there a specific part of the culture that you love? Does the institution/organisation do unique work? What would you gain here that you wouldn’t gain elsewhere?

If you’re applying to study abroad you may want to speak to the Erasmus Academic Coordinator in your department for advice on the institutions available.

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Remote South African NGO Internship

Malikah Ullah, an undergraduate Psychology student, is currently completing a remote internship with South African non-profit, Ikamva Labantwana. She was awarded funding from Santander Universities to help cover the costs of her placement. Malikah is blogging about her experience of interning virtually – read part one below. Part two and three are available on Malikah’s blog.

Since June, I have been an intern at South Africa’s Ikamva Labantwana which means ‘our children’s future’ in Xhosa. As a centre for at-risk children, I identify with the beliefs of Ikamva strongly; especially on the importance of education. By providing local young people who are out-of-school or need support after-school with informative and practical modules, they allow students to keep learning and not be held back by geography or circumstance. Not only is Ikamva a learning space, it is a safe haven for kids and a productive use of their time.

This internship was organised by VACorps who worked swiftly to secure me an internship that suited my personality. I was looking for something that would involve people and helping people, which Ikamva focus on. It was a perfect match! Not only was internship a quick and easy match, I was supported by #SantanderUniUK who provided funding making sure finance didn’t put me off.

I think the opportunity to do a remote internship has been one positive to come from COVID (maybe the only good thing!). Due to travel restrictions, internships in South Africa’s townships have been made possible which were otherwise too rural to reach. Not only has working at Ikamva been rewarding, but I’ve learnt a ton about how to conduct research and make raw data and information both engaging and teachable. As a psychology student, this internship has allowed me real-life experience conducting research on sensitive subjects, including sexual violence, in order to create a final informative yet understanding piece which could be communicated to young girls. This is not unlike producing lab reports or communicating research products to the public as we do in my course.

A part of this research was attending a Zoom talk about how COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affecting women in Africa. It was hosted by Africa.com and attended by the awesome politician and humanitarian Graca Machel and philanthropist Melinda Gates. Both women had great ideas about how having a seat at the table on all levels of the government and policy-making boards will benefit all women up as they become a part of the decision-making process. This was actually an opportunity that was put on my radar by my supervisor at Ikamva; it was excellent to see how far women supporting women can get you.

For one of my tasks, I had the challenge of creating a life skills module just for girls aged 10-17 years old on issues that they felt were neglected in school including bullying, consent and having tangible female role models. I took this responsibility extremely seriously and worked hard to find black women who had done great work and changed all of our lives in some way – to which there were many! I wanted to select a few who could inspire the girls and show them that there is no limit to what they could do and become. One problem that the girls fed back was feeling underappreciated and having achievement go unrewarded. At Ikamva, they created an annual showcase for the girls’ work in response to this. This aptly sums up how Ikamva is there to help and develop the youth.

By working with such an ethos, it follows suit that the staff are lovely and very accommodating. It’s been nice to have prompt communication and feedback especially now that my first year at university has concluded. Keeping busy is also important since I have been shielding at home since March! In this sense, remotely interning in a country with a different society and other languages than mine has been a great opportunity that I definitely didn’t want to pass up.

Meetings via Zoom have posed their own challenges with timing differences and issues with connectivity, but it always works out in the end. Technology is really the thing that made this internship possible. I feel privileged to intern at a place that keeps in contact, check in on me and that provides proper support.

Maybe next year I will be in South Africa in person but for now, I’m super happy to work around my own schedule and I am enjoying working from home.

For part two and three, please visit Malikah’s blog.

Remote Marketing Internship in Cape Town (3)

Third year BA History of Art student Adya Jalan completed a virtual internship in summer 2020 funded by Goldsmiths. The opportunity was a marketing internship at Penda Photo Tours and Penda Trust, a photography and non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa.

In her final blog post, Adya writes about how to make the most out of your virtual global opportunity.

Read Adya’s first and second blog posts.

This summer, I participated in a Global Virtual Opportunity funded by the Go Abroad Team at Goldsmiths. I did a marketing internship at Penda, a social enterprise based in South Africa, Cape Town. Through my 9-week virtual experience, I encountered several challenges but also learnt ways to make this experience a constructive one. A Global Virtual Opportunity is something that I would highly recommend. It has allowed me to develop my professional and personal skills. This opportunity provided me a platform to network with people from all around the world. Working online can be quite a challenge, especially in the middle of a lockdown. In this blog, I am highlighting ways I obtained my ideal virtual opportunity, the advantages of doing one and how I made my virtual opportunity more productive by overcoming challenges.

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Remote Marketing Internship in Cape Town (2)

Third year BA History of Art student Adya Jalan completed a virtual internship in summer 2020 funded by Goldsmiths. The opportunity was a marketing internship at Penda Photo Tours and Penda Trust, a photography and non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa.

In her second blog post, Adya explains discusses the power of art.

Read Adya’s first and final blog posts.

This summer, I participated in a Virtual Global Opportunity which was funded by the Global Opportunities Team at Goldsmiths. In July 2020, I started working as a Marketing Intern at Penda Photo Tours, a company based in Cape Town, South Africa. In this blog, I want to write about the work Penda does and the social impact it creates by focussing on how Art can be a powerful tool in doing so.

A few years ago, while I was residing in India, I worked for an NGO called Missing. They run a very successful and award-winning anti-trafficking campaign using art & technology to create awareness against sex trafficking. While I was there, I painted anti-trafficking murals on the streets in order to raise awareness among the public. As a self-taught artist, this made me realise that art can be used in so many powerful ways. Thus, when I came across Penda, I knew this is exactly where I want to be. Along with gaining valuable marketing experience at Penda, I also contributed in making a difference.

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Remote Marketing Internship in Cape Town

Third year BA History of Art student Adya Jalan completed a virtual internship in summer 2020 funded by Goldsmiths. The opportunity was a marketing internship at Penda Photo Tours and Penda Trust, a photography and non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa.

In her first blog post, Adya explains how she found her internship and what she has learnt so far.

Read Adya’s second and final blog posts.

In March, when lockdown in London was announced, I went back to India to stay with my family for a while. It was a difficult transition with lectures moving online and moving back home overnight where I found myself living amidst a strict lockdown under the Indian government’s rules. However, I was determined to make the most out of this time and do something constructive. I wanted to get some work experience. In normal circumstances, I would apply for summer internships or volunteering roles, but given the Covid-19 situation, my options were limited. It was then, I came across the Virtual Global Opportunities on the Goldsmiths Website.

I was really intrigued at the idea of virtually doing an internship abroad. It seemed like an unconventional but ideal option since there was strict lockdown. With website recommendations on Goldsmiths’ Go Abroad page, I started doing some research on the different types of Virtual opportunities available. I found a website called Roots Interns. It is a platform that provides tailor-made, meaningful internships with charities in Africa. Their belief that learning and doing good go hand in hand, inspired me to connect with them. After having an initial conversation with Roots, based on my requirements, they suggested that a Marketing internship with Penda Photo Tours, Cape Town would be ideal for me. I was really interested in this and after the grant application process, the Go Abroad team at Goldsmiths funded my placement at Penda.

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A special perk of being a Goldsmiths student: the Go Abroad programme!

Antonia Morena Olivares, a BA Politics & International Relations student, writes about the Go Abroad opportunities she has participated in as a Goldsmiths student – and why you should get involved!

Dear friend,

Now that you are starting a new academic year at Goldsmiths, I want you to know about a special perk that the uni offers.  So you can enjoy Uni as much as possible, especially during these unconventional times. This perk is The Go Abroad Programme.

I am Antonia, a recent graduate from Politics and International Relations. And I participated in this programme this summer. I am a little bit frustrated because I only got to know about the programme during my last year at Goldsmiths, I wish I knew about it earlier. But to be honest, it came at the perfect timing: lockdown. During quarantine, I made more international friends from the comfort of my couch, than I probably did before covid-19. And this is thanks to the virtual global opportunities offered by Goldsmiths.

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‘Countering Hate Speech’ – an Erasmus Virtual Experience

Antonia Morena Olivares, a BA Politics & International Relations student, has completed an Erasmus+ virtual experience over the summer holidays. ‘Countering Hate Speech’ is a 5-week interactive online course where participants engage with online content and meet with others to discuss and exchange ideas.

The course is centred on understanding what hate speech is, the forms it can take, its causes and consequences, how it is regulated, and what place it takes in our societies. Crucially, the course is designed to provide participants with strategies on how to counter hate speech and promote an open society.

Antonia discusses her experience with fellow participant Roxana on her Instagram Live

Mapping COVID-19 response apps

Yanyi Lu, an MA Computational Arts student, has completed a virtual research project at the University of Amsterdam Digital Methods School. This project brought together participants from across the globe to research the role that mobile apps play in the COVID-19 pandemic response. Yanyi received funding of £355 from Goldsmiths to cover the costs of the placement.

Check out Yanyi’s Instagram post for an overview of the project.

Read Yanyi’s blog on the project.

See Yanyi’s Instagram post about useful tools when conducting a social science research project.

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Summer School in Mindfulness and Compassion

Davy Yong, MA Art Psychotherapy student, completed a virtual summer school at the University of Amsterdam. Davy received a grant of £225 to cover the cost of the placement, and has written a series of insightful blog posts about the experience.

Hi there! My name is Davy, a MA in Art Psychotherapy student at Goldsmiths – University of London. This summer my university offered me a GoAbroad grant for the chance to experience a virtual exchange or study abroad (virtual global opportunity). In a few interactive blogs, I will be sharing some of my experiences with you, just to give some insight into what it was like to (virtually) study ‘abroad’.

When, due to COVID-19, the University closed for face-to-face lectures, and my internship came to an abrupt ending, I was glad the global opportunity came along. While in my final stages of training to become an Art Psychotherapist, I expanded on my interests to implement more contemplative practices into my future profession. That’s why it was an easy choice to follow a Summer School Course in Mindfulness and Compassion at UvA (University of Amsterdam).

Check out Davy’s blog for the rest of his posts. Alternatively, follow the links below for each individual post.

Featured Artwork: ‘Roaring Fire’ (2020)

Virtual Summer School in Cologne

Maisie Goulsbra, a BA English & Media graduate, is completing a free online summer school at the University of Cologne titled ‘Perspectives and Visions on Virtual Societies’. Maisie is writing a series of blog posts about her experience of completing a virtual global opportunity.

I have to admit, I’m entering this experience with my heart slightly broken. Sitting at the dinner table, in my student house, in London. If it were not for lockdown, I would be in Cologne. Two weeks before the summer school begins, we meet via Zoom for a tutorial on how to use Discord, the platform on which all interaction outside of lectures will take place. In the Cologne Summer School Discord channel, are private chat rooms that we, the students, can make use of to have discussions and ‘socialise’. There is a virtual ‘playground’, and even a digi bar which will act as a substitute for going to the pub together. I can’t help imagining the sweetness of German wheat beer on my tongue as the digi bar sits and awaits me.