The Team4Tech internship opportunity has been redesigned for remote participation. Take a look at the specifics below and apply today on Handshake!
Virtual EdTech Internship Summer 2020, Team4Tech
Applications close May 3, 2020
Team4Tech is a California-based nonprofit that helps education-focused NGOs working in the developing world to increase their impact and improve the quality of education in their local communities. We do this by working with teams of skilled volunteers and interns who develop technology solutions and training for these education nonprofits. Over the past five years, Team4Tech has implemented over 60 projects with more than 500 volunteers from 18 leading tech companies and universities, reaching some 60,000 students and teachers.
Our response to the COVID-19 crisis has been to provide virtual and remote support for our NGO network as they navigate a rapid and turbulent transition to online learning. In partnership with the Middlebury Center for Careers and Internships (CCI), we are offering an opportunity to support two of Team4Tech’s nonprofit partners in Africa: Gashora Girls Academy in Rwanda and the Center for Youth and Development in Malawi. Team4Tech and CCI are confident that this project will provide the interns with an exciting opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a challenging environment, enhance their leadership development skills, and most importantly, help enhance the education of children in two developing countries.
The Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology (GGAST) is a boarding school for 270 girls, located in the Gashora sector of Rwanda, an hour south of the capital city of Kigali. Their vision is for their students to become inspired young leaders filled with confidence, a love of learning, and a sense of economic empowerment to strengthen their communities and foster Rwanda’s growth. 100% of their graduates get scholarships to attend university abroad, including the USA. This will be Team4Tech’s fourth engagement with GGAST as part of a five-year partnership.
Potential virtual project workstreams:
- Remote mentoring of teams who are working on their science and technology-focused capstone projects;
- University application support and general mentorship for girls who are planning their higher education goals;
- Presentations to teachers and students on topics of interns’ interest and expertise, e.g. digital storytelling, data science, computer aided design, programming in Python
Established in 2012, Centre for Youth and Development in Malawi leverages the talent and potential of young people by providing them access to ICT to enable innovation and development. They collect used and refurbished computers with pre-loaded educational software and install them in schools. Schools pay a basic management fee for CYD’s technicians to help with troubleshooting and maintenance. They also train teachers on how to integrate the technology into their classrooms to expand their impact.
Primary virtual project workstream:
- Research and identify relevant content to add to CYD’s digital education resource platform, Kolibri. CYD staff conducted consultations with teachers to identify 30 topics, learning objectives for the topics, and available recommended syllabus-based textbooks. These materials will be shared with Team4Tech’s interns to research and identify relevant content in interactive forms to be added to the Kolibri digital educational platform.
As part of the summer program, interns will be led through our leadership development curriculum by Team4Tech Program Directors. This curriculum was designed in partnership with leading technology companies to develop key leadership capabilities that they find are critical to their employees’ development and success. Important parts of an internship abroad are learning about another culture, acquiring cross cultural skills to adapt to a globalized world, working in a challenging and unfamiliar environment, and developing new friendships. Our remote project preparation and experience will teach interns about working in cross cultural, remote, and global teams. Furthermore, we will expose the interns to Rwanda and Malawi cultures through speakers, readings, and films. Finally, we will give the interns an opportunity to develop friendships with the students and teachers engaged with our NGO partners.
Volunteer Skills & Experience:
- Interest in 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
The project will kick off on June 15 and end on August 15, with an expectation of 8-10 hours of work per week. We will use Zoom, WhatsApp, and email to communicate with the students and teachers.
Please note: This program is a CCI-sponsored program. The Center for Careers and Internships covers the program fee for you to participate, and provides a $1000 stipend. If you are offered this internship and accept, you will be required to complete funded internship paperwork.