Study Internship in Fiji
In partnership with The University of the South Pacific and over 70 leading charities and social enterprises.
Expand your global experience with a dynamic and enriching summer. Study at the University of the South Pacific, network with leaders in sustainable development and work for one of Fiji’s leading Social Enterprises.
Step out of your comfort zone with an immersion into Fiji, adopt a learning mindset and expand your professional experience as you add real value to Fijian charities and social enterprises working to support disadvantaged groups and transform Fiji’s future, through the implementation of the Fiji National Development Plan.
Throughout the programme you will learn from regional experts and changemakers, explore Fiji through unique field trips and excursions and collaborate in cross cultural environment to produce real world results to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- 4-week combined internship and study abroad programme.
- Study at the prestigious University of The South Pacific.
- Support Fijian charities, NGO’s or government ministries.
- Over 160 hours of professional work experience, cultural immersion and global tuition.
- Contribute to the Fiji National Development Plan & UN SDG’s.
- Collaborate on real world projects that support our partners in Fiji.
- Boost your cultural fluency, global competency & employability, to impress future employers.
- Expand your knowledge of contemporary global issues with influential local leaders, academics, Pacific students and community members.
- Program Fees: £2995 for 1 month. Including university tuition, accommodation, in-country travel, structured internship placement, networking with influential Fiji organisations, field trips and guided adventures, village homestay and most meals.
- Program Dates: 25th July – 22nd August 2022
- University scholarships & bursaries available – Learn More Here.
Here’s Cam, our Programmes Manager, taking you through the ins and outs of the Study Internship. Grab a cuppa, a notepad, pen and enjoy learning about Think Pacific and this unique project.
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It’s so important that you learn about Fiji’s unique way of life and its goals for sustainable development before you dive into your academic study and internship projects. Join engaging briefings and workshops delivered by our charity partners and local leaders. Gain understanding of the project needs and plan your SMART goals, alongside acclimatisation and visiting cultural sites of interest during afternoon field trips.
Receive a warm welcome to Suva and the University of the South Pacific with a campus tour and a chance to meet your Pacific student buddies, who will provide cultural insight to the student experience in Fiji. Begin your studies and expand your knowledge of the Pacific Region, learning from local academics in a range of topics relevant to your internship, including Pacific cultures and Emerging and Development issues. This week also provides the change to visit the HQ of your partner organisation alongside exploring the dynamic and diverse capital of Fiji.
Take your learning into the real world, by spending an extended weekend living with a Fijian family and immersing into a traditional life. This is a unique opportunity to live with local families in a rural community and experience for yourself the local way of life. Embrace the traditions and customs of an indigenous community. Discuss with community members and deepen your learning as you actively engage in subsistence lifestyle. Become more aware of, and able to relate to, different cultures and expand your intercultural competence
Working in a small group, you will achieve a real world project development with local charity or social enterprise in Fiji. Learn from local expertise and through your action project, add real value to your chosen organisation. Help them achieve their mission to advance sustainable development, support disadvantaged or underrepresented groups and assist Fiji to transform its future through the implementation of the Fiji National Development Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
You will put your academic learning, cultural understanding and internship experience into practice by showcasing your completed work to the partner organisation and local leaders. This is your chance to demonstrate how you have applied intercultural understanding and human centred design to achieve project outcomes, which benefit the Fiji National Development Plan. Receive professional feedback from regional experts including International agencies and government ministries.
Your final days will be spent a at beach resort, where you can rest, relax and reflect on your experience. Consider the learning outcomes and your journey of exploration of Fijian culture and global work experience. This includes a de-brief and assessment of your SMART goals and reflective activities. We finish the project with a celebratory dinner and a final farewell to your colleagues and Fijian student peers.
Please note, the program is subject to change depending on COVID restrictions and weather conditions. Depending on the group size, components of the program may split, to ensure small teams and a highly personal experience.
Here is our 5 ‘D’ process for your journey
- Discover – Explore Fijian culture, global citizenship, Fiji National Development Plan
- Discuss – Relevant social issues and policy in a Fijian context
- Define – Contextualise partner organisation challenges
- Design – Use SMART Goals to achieve outcomes
- Deliver – Present and report solutions to key stakeholders, which can be implemented
Only 25 places available on 1 start date. This unique international opportunity is exclusively available to a select number of students.
The objectives of the programme are:
- To support Fiji’s National Development Plan by directly supporting grass roots Fijian charities and social enterprises.
- To enable students to immerse themselves in Fijian culture, history and contemporary issues so they can achieve projects with cultural sensitivity and a global perspective.
- For students to challenge themselves as they work in project teams, lead others and achieve defined outcomes set by partner organisations.
- To use SMART goals to produce results, which can implemented on the ground in Fiji to create positive change.
University Of The South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific is the premier institution of higher learning in the Pacific region, uniquely situated in a region of extraordinary physical, social and economic diversity. USP plays a dynamic role in the Pacific region and is the forefront of local understanding of issues facing Fiji’s future.
You will undertake three short-courses across the 4 weeks with a broad range of leading academics, covering topics including Pacific cultures and Emerging and Development issues around the Pacific, Tourism, Climate change and social, economic, and cultural dimensions to introduce you to current debates, controversies and big ideas in the Pacific Island countries.
High Impact Fijian Internship
Think Pacific has a broad network of innovative social enterprises and charitable organisations, who are inspiring real change and forward thinking approaches in Fiji. These are the young change makers of the Pacific Region in the field of Sustainable Development. Our partners cover diverse fields, from women’s rights to micro-entrepreneurship to environmental protection.
Working in a team with a selected partner Organisations, you will work on real, high impact projects, which have clear goals and can have a direct impact on the ground in Fiji. Examples of key partners within our study internship are:
The Fusion Hub are an awarding winning social enterprise working to eliminate the idea of waste. They promote and encourage sustainable living and provide capacity building and employment opportunities for women living in disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Alliance for Future Generations is a youth-led network. They provide a voice to youth in local and global discussion and create meaningful participation of young people for a sustainable future for all
Established by global youth leaders in child education, this not for profit organization provides vital child education, advocacy and psychosocial support to parents in some of the most marginalised settlements of Fiji.
FAMH is a dynamic Fijian charity network promoting mental wellbeing through education, capacity building, research and service delivery. They are achieving remarkable results in combating stigma and discrimination of mental illness in Fiji.
We pride ourselves on the delivery of a safe, structured and personally supported experience.
Your program fee includes university tuition, structured internship placement, all accommodation, in-country travel, field trips, cultural evenings, most meals, resort briefings, R&R, weekend activities, emergency support and your internship co-ordinator guiding your project each day. As a ‘For Impact’ organisation, your fee also funds the work of the Think Pacific Foundation (Fijian charity FJ 989) enabling our charity to facilitate local development aims in rural communities.
This secures your place in the team and gives you access to our Global Skills Programme, an online course to give you the foundations of success before departing for Fiji. It also provides personal support from your project co-ordinator, online preparation webinars and your Think Pacific t-shirt. Your registration fee is additional to your project fees.
Many students receive bursaries from their universities to support their participation, or arrange to fundraise their program fee. It’s up to you whether you fundraise or not but your project fee is due 60 days before project begins. Over 1/3 of your fee supports sustainable development goals in Fiji.
Since 2009, students have been joining our programs from around the globe. Here’s our prices in some commonly requested currencies;
| Currency | £GBP | $USD | $AUD | $CAD | Euro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration Fee | 195 | 275 | 375 | 350 | 250 |
| Program Fee | 2800 | 3900 | 5200 | 4800 | 3400 |
Through this programme, the culmination of your hard work is to create tangible outcomes implemented at local level in Fiji.
Your action projects are presented to the heads of charities in Fiji and successful proposals will be piloted and rolled out on the ground in Fiji to have immediate positive impact.
You could be responsible for creating programmes to support child development post COVID-19, designing tool kits to support mental health or delivering an environmental research project that has national impact.
