Omprakash
Vitals
- GYA Accredited Since:
2015
- COVID-19 Plans: Hybrid (online & in-person)
- Enrolling:
- App Deadline:
- Next Available Departure? Sep, 2024
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Mission Statement:
A leader in the field since 2004, Omprakash offers a radically different way of approaching global engagement and cohort-based, immersive, independent learning.
We offer social impact internships with vetted grassroots organizations (Omprakash Partners) in 40+ countries around the world. We supplement the internship experience with robust, cohort-based online learning and mentorship. Our commitment is to make gap years more affordable, more ethical, and more educationally robust (through our award-winning EdGE online learning plaform).
Our new Widening Circles program (https://www.omprakash.org/joinedge/widening-circles) is purpose-built to respond to the circumstances of COVID-19 and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.
In the COVID era, many Omprakash Partners are offering online internships. These can pivot into travel-based internships in the future if and when travel becomes feasible -- for zero extra program fee. In other words, students can join our program anytime and start working with our Partners, and their travel plans can evolve based on their own comfort level and the evolving global situation.
At the core, our work is about learning through relationships, and our primary goal is fundamentally educational. By forging connections within our network, we aim to "lead out" citizens of the world towards an awareness of the human community from which they are indivisible and within which they can enact change. This process helps our diverse international Partners amplify their impact, and it empowers everyone involved to become more critically conscious participants in processes of social transformation. - Level of Independence/Supervision (mouse-over for definition):
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Attachments
Program Locations
Typical Itinerary
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W e e k 1 |
Pre-dept training typically lasts several months... | ...but is self-paced by each student... | ...and supported by Mentors. | During this pre-dept period, students apply to work with Partners & confirm their internships. | |||
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W e e k 2 |
During field positions, student work varies based on location. | Possibilities include working in the fields of health, education, advocacy, construction ... | ...conservation, economic development, and more! | Throughout the experience, students receive on-site supervision from their Partner... | ...as well as digital mentorship and guidance from their EdGE Mentor. | **In the COVID context, students are often completing online internship(s) concurrently... | ...with their work within the EdGE classroom. |
Departure dates and lengths of stay vary widely depending on each individual's preferences, and those of the Partner organization.
Typically students can expect to volunteer for approximately 40 hrs/week, conduct research and write blog posts (or Records of Perspective -- ROPs) for another 10, and otherwise do what the locals do! As they ease into their volunteer term, many will take on more responsibilities and additional projects.
Peer Reviews
Program Details
- Program Starts: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
- Program Duration: Less than 2 months, Semester, Yearlong
- Program Cost: The cost of our standard EdGE program is $750. Students are responsible for their own travel and living expenses, which vary by Partner and location, but typically range from $0-$25 per day.
- Program Financial Aid: Yes
- Other Financial Aid Details:
Omprakash's Ethical Global Engagement Grant Program offers a Gap Year Grant which includes free EdGE tuition and up to $2500 to cover international travel and living expenses for individuals who can commit to volunteering or interning with an Omprakash Partner for 6+ months and who are 22 years of age or younger at the time of their application.
Omprakash does not charge a fee to volunteer, but recognizes that the costs of traveling and living abroad present barriers for many individuals, and that the cost of joining the EdGE learning community leads many to go without the valuable training and mentorship that EdGE offers. In addition to the Gap Year Grant, Omprakash also offers EdGE Travel Grants, EdGE Scholarships, and Crowdfund Matching Grants - all of which help to defray travel and tuition expenses for applicants seeking to volunteer or intern abroad with Omprakash Partners.
Anyone is eligible to apply for an Omprakash Ethical Global Engagement Grant, regardless of nationality, age, gender, religion, or any other background characteristics. Applications are always open and grants are awarded on a rolling basis.
Learn more at www.omprakash.org/volunteer-grant
Program Learning Outcomes
- Global Health
- Education
- Environmental Justice
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Conservation and sustainability
- Language Fluency
- Research
- Construction & rebuilding
- Social change
- Rights and advocacy
Learning outcomes will vary by host Partner and position. All EdGE interns will complete a Capstone project, which will explore local perspectives on a social issue of interest to them and relevant to their host organization.
Staff Training and Certification
Omprakash EdGE has won 3 Reimagine Education Awards, and a 2018 Ashoka U Innovation Award.
Read more about the Omprakash team and our Partners on our website (www.omprakash.org).