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2025 Program Options

The GESI program will be offered in Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam for Summer 2025. Program details can be found below and in the . An interview with the relevant GLO advisor (see below) is required as a part of the application process. Please note that there are limited spaces at each site.

Attend an upcoming info session:

• Wednesday, January 15, 2025 | 12:30-1:30pm | Crowe 1132. Register .

Schedule an appointment with a to discuss the program options in more detail:

• Miranda Goosby (GESI-Thailand, GESI-Uganda, GESI-Vietnam)
• Sara McGuinn (GESI-Argentina, GESI-Costa Rica, GESI-Ecuador)
  
  

***For SESP Students***
NEW IN 2025--GESI is now one of the programs approved to count as a SESP global practicum experience. Find more details .

Summer 2025 Program Dates

Pre-departure Seminar (at Northwestern): June 15-18
Departure Day: June 19
In-country Immersion: June 20-August 17
Final Reflection Summit (at Northwestern): August 18-20

About GESI

The Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI) is a study abroad program that provides undergraduates with the knowledge, tools, and experiences to partner with communities to confront shared global challenges. GESI provides opportunities in collaborative experiential learning – opportunities that develop global leaders while contributing to the sustainable development of communities in which our students work and learn. Working in internships, interdisciplinary teams of students join the efforts of local organizations to advance community-driven change. If you are looking for a program where you learn by doing and are ready to challenge yourself in the pursuit of global social change, GESI is for you.

Quick facts:

• GESI is one study abroad program with different location options
• Applicants are assigned to an internship based on their preferred location and sector interests
• All students live with a host family 
• All years in undergrad and all majors/minors are eligible

Learn more about GESI:

• Connect with a GESI Alum to hear the student perspective
• Attend a GESI info session or

Application Process

1. View a to learn more about the program and location-specific details before scheduling your advising appointment or interview. 
2. Select your preferred GESI location. Program specific details are available in the GLO portal.
3. Complete your to a specific GESI location. Applicants will select a specific GESI location and one alternative location preference.
4. Schedule a with the appropriate GESI advisor 
   
   

GESI staff will review applications with attention to your:

• Location preference. Students will apply to a specific GESI country location and indicate a second-choice option in the event spots become unavailable in their preferred location. 
• Demonstrated language ability for Spanish-speaking locations--to be evaluated in your interview.
• Interests and how they align with available internship opportunities and the needs and priorities of the community organizations where students work.

Program Details

GESI has three components that make up the structure of the program:

• Pre-departure Seminar (4 days of coursework and orientation at Northwestern)
• In-country Immersion (8 weeks interning with a host organization and living in a homestay)
• Final Reflection Summit (3 days of re-entry programming back at Northwestern)

All accommodations and the majority of meals are arranged for students for all three components.

Academics

Pre-Departure Seminar

The GESI program starts on Northwestern’s campus where students take part in several days of intensive pre-departure coursework and orientation focused on building an understanding of their role in the process of international immersion and community development. In addition to lectures, team-building and small group activities, students will attend country-specific sessions, learn about development topics from practitioners, and attend language classes to prepare them for time abroad. The pre-departure seminar also include a focus on discussing social identities, health and safety, and sharing resources and practical information for the field. GESI students will also work closely with a team of peer facilitators, who will provide academic and personal support, as well as assist in teaching activities.

3-credit GESI field studies course:

• INTL ST 393-SA Development in a Global Context
  
  This course combines intensive classroom with structured experiential learning, as well as peer-to-peer education to examine international development work. The course sets contemporary development practice in the context of fundamental debates over the nature and goals of non-profits and other such efforts, the causes of global poverty, and the history of development, with particular attention to the relationships between power, participation, and social change. Students will be introduced to the political, social, economic, cultural and geographic characteristics of their different locations, with consideration to how these factors influence community-based work. Overall, the course seeks to give students the intellectual, emotional and practical readiness, and framework to pursue and reflect critically on their field experience and in-country work.

In-Country Immersion

While abroad, you will be working in teams with local organizations, advancing their efforts towards sustainable change. Topics vary by program location and include a focus on issues like human rights, sustainable agriculture, gender rights, health services, and youth/education. Your schedule will resemble a work schedule common in your location (roughly 30 hours/week). All students live in homestays and will complete weekly assignments (reflections, field essays and final papers) submitted to ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵprogram faculty. Host organization supervisors will also evaluate students on their project work and community engagement during the internship experience. 

Final Reflection Summit

At the end of GESI, all students reconvene in the classroom at ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵfor three days of re-entry coursework and programming as a cohort.  Everyone discusses lessons learned, challenges, and successes of their internship and in-country experience. We believe that reflective practice is an integral component of study abroad programs. The GESI Final Reflection Summit is designed to help students contextualize their international community development experiences within the larger issues of international development theory and practice and to look ahead to next steps beyond the program.

Housing

Housing is provided during official program dates. During Pre-Departure Seminar, students stay in accommodations in Chicago near the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵChicago campus. During in-country immersion, students stay in vetted homestays in their host communities. During Final Reflection Summit, students stay in dorms on the Evanston campus. Please note that outside of official program dates, students are responsible for their own housing arrangements. 

Travel, Passports, & Visas

Please make sure to have a current passport, valid for at least six months from the end of your program. Once you are accepted to the program, you will be provided more information about applying for your visa, flight booking, etc.

If you have more questions about the GESI program, review the program pages for your desired location(s) and read through GESI FAQs.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Scholarships are available to support participation in GESI for financial aid eligible students, including scholarships to cover the full program fee (tuition, room and board) and other program costs (airfare and other travel-related expenses). 

Eligibility

Admission to GESI is limited to Evanston campus students only. Current students of all majors and minors and any year in school are eligible. Seniors may be eligible only if they plan to defer their graduation date to the end of the summer quarter. 

Student Stories

One active way GESI encourages story sharing is through the Open Letters curriculum. Open Letters are an exercise to deepen reflective practice, reinforce group formation, and provide opportunities for students to convey the impact of their experiences and engagement in new ways. The Story Slam is the live recording of GESI students sharing an Open Letter. These are live recordings that have not been edited or modified.

Story Slam Summer 2016

Story Slam Summer 2015