INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS : South Africa : Social Entrepreneurship Initiative
Learn how to design and mobilise solutions for global impact
Hear from prominent guest speakers in social enterprise and development
Live on a campus with students from over 39 countries
Participate at the end of your program
Tour Soweto, home to Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela
Go on a 3-day excursion to Cape Town
What it the future of global community depended on your ideas and leadership? The problems of the world are immense, systemic and complex, but we believe with design thinking, the right partnership and entrepreneurial leadership, every individual can create change. On African Leadership Academy's global campus in Johannesburg, surrounded by young leaders from every corner of the world, challenge yourself to push the edges of innovation. Together, you'll develop solutions to issues you're passionate about. What are the steps for securing clean water access for a remote village in the Congo? How do you mobilise an initiative to get more girls into math and science careers at home? Or sustain a community-owned business to replace a broken cycle of aid? This is your launchpad for becoming an entrepreneurial social good, grounded in design thinking, adventure and a global perspective.
This program draws a diverse group of self-motivated, informed students to go beyond traditional community service and learn how to design long-term solutions for current global issues. Your community becomes the modern world, and your services, the ideas you develop to improve its future. As part of the rigorous curriculum delivered in partnership with African Leadership Academy, you'll culminate your experience and guided learning with a presentation at the Ideal Festival, a chance to share your action plan and identify opportunities for global change.
You'll share a campus with students from over 30 different countries across Africa and the world—a campus that has served as an incubator for dozens of projects that have brought social good to the continent and made their mark on the global stage. Connect with peers across boundaries of nationality, race, religion and class, expanding your understanding of life in other cultures. Hone skills of social entrepreneurship, leadership and human-centered design by working with local organizations, social ventures, experienced entrepreneurs, and through team-based experiential challenges.
Explore the southern most tip of Africa on a 3-day excursion to Cape Town, the spectacularly beautiful and diverse "Mother City" of South Africa. Hike Table Mountain, encounter penguins on the beach and have the option to go shark cage diving. You'll visit places of tremendous historical significance, ike Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during his fight against Apartheid.Near campus, visit the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the earliest ancestors of humans were discovered, and hop on a half-day safari for exciting wildlife sightings.
You'll live on African Leadership Academy's secure campus, nestled in the outskirts of Johannesburg in a suburb called Honeydew. Campus is centered around a quad, and includes a dining hall, library, auditorium, basketball court, soccer field and residential halls. You'll share a dormitory and Western-style restroom facilities with one or two roommates. Meals will be healthy and communal, prepared by an on-campus caterer.During our Cape Town excursion, the group will be housed in safe, modest group lodging.