UNC Chapel Hill: APPLES Service-Learning Program: For Students

Vietnam
FAQ's

What is Global Service-Learning?
Global service-Learning provides an opportunity for students to unite rigorous academic learning with substantive volunteer service to the community. By integrating formal study with service to the local community in an international setting, students find their learning takes on greater depth and meaning. Working among the community brings classroom learning to life, while the formal study broadens the students’ understanding of their cultural surroundings.

This program offers UNC undergraduate students a unique opportunity to work with global and local immigrant communities. Students travel to, study in and work with sending communities where social, economic, or political conditions are pushing residents to immigrate to North Carolina and other regions in the United States.

Who sponsors this program?
This program is offered by the APPLES Service-Learning Program in collaboration with UNC Study Abroad and CET Academic Programs.

How many students are selected for the program?
The program typically enrolls about 5-10 students every term. The small size of the program ensures that the Program Director and other faculty and staff are able to work with students one-on-one and better serve their individual needs.

Where do participants take language and culture classes?
Students study the Vietnamese language for 5 hours per week at the Saigon Center for Vietnamese Language Studies (SCVLS). Centrally located in the heart of the Ho Chi Minh City, SVLSF offers excellent classrooms, and employs some of the best-trained Vietnamese language teachers in Vietnam.

Are language skills required to participate?
No language skills are necessary; however, students are required to study Vietnamese throughout their stay.

Do participants receive academic credit for this program?
Yes, students receive academic credit for their participation in this program. This credit may be used to satisfy elective, perspective, and major/minor requirements. The way in which the credit is assigned for a particular course depends on the course content as well as remaining degree requirements. Students will receive 14 academic credit hours for work successfully completed while abroad in the fall semester, and one credit hour for participation in the APPLES Reflection Seminar taken in the spring semester following the abroad experience.

Where do participants live?
CET students live with Vietnamese roommates in a student guesthouse. Past CET students agree that living with a local roommate is one of the highlights of studying abroad, as it allows them to experience local student life and to build important social connections.

What types of service/internship opportunities exist for students? See our list of direct and indirect service opportunities with Vietnam Service Agencies.

How am I placed in my service or internship experience?
After being accepted into the program, students submit a service placement form along with their current resume to the Vietnam Program Director. The service form includes a list of placement sites that previous students have worked at in the past, and asks students to rank sites in order of interest. Using this information as a guide, the Program Director works closely with students prior to departure to find a placement that meets the interest and needs of each student.

Is credit awarded for the service experience?
You will not receive credit for the service, but rather the course your service is grounded in and the learning you demonstrate as a result of the experience.

Are there program staff available in-country?
CET maintains a full-time Program Director in Vietnam who lives in the guesthouse with students in Ho Chi Minh City and travels with students during the study trip to the north and central regions. The Program Director in Vietnam leads the required seminar on contemporary Vietnam and manages academic issues such as overseeing faculty, curriculum development and teacher training, in addition to non-academic issues, such as housing, Vietnamese roommates, activities and on-site emergencies. CET also employees a full-time Student Services Coordinator and a Resident Assistant.

Are there additional APPLES requirements for this program?
This program has three integral components: a Pre-Departure Workshop in the spring, the global experience in the fall semester, and the spring Reflection Seminar. In the spring, APPLES prepares students for their experience through a full-day Orientation focusing on issues related to cultural awareness, cross-cultural service, travel logistics, teamwork and communication. The Orientation highlights the importance of linking the global experience with local service-learning, application and reflection after returning to North Carolina. In addition to the Orientation, students participate in a half-day Ropes Course and reflection experience prior to departure.

On returning to Carolina, students enroll in “Connections”, a 1-credit reflection seminar that compares the lives of new immigrants in their origin countries with those in North Carolina. The seminar explores concerns for health, education and social justice through selected readings, class discussion and reflection. Returning students engage in local service-learning with newly arrived immigrants. As mentors, they provide assistance with activities supporting school achievement and facilitation of bilingual fluency for middle or high school immigrant youth.

May I contact someone who has completed this program?
Yes. Please contact the APPLES Office at 962-0902 to request contact information for past participants.

To obtain contact information for the current GSL Chair, please refer to the APPLES' Organizers directory.


	Vietnam FAQ's Program Destinations \| Application Process \| Funding Photos \| Reflection Seminar Alternative Spring Break- Mexico \| Local Service What is Global Service-Learning? Who sponsors this program? How long is the program? How many students are selected for the program? Where do students take language and culture classes? Are language skills required to participate? Do participants receive academic credit for this program? Where do participants live? What types of service/internship opportunities exist for students? How am I placed in my service or internship experience? Is credit awarded for the service experience? Are there program staff available in-country? Are there additional APPLES requirements for this program? May I contact someone who has completed this program? What is Global Service-Learning? Global service-Learning provides an opportunity for students to unite rigorous academic learning with substantive volunteer service to the community. By integrating formal study with service to the local community in an international setting, students find their learning takes on greater depth and meaning. Working among the community brings classroom learning to life, while the formal study broadens the students’ understanding of their cultural surroundings. This program offers UNC undergraduate students a unique opportunity to work with global and local immigrant communities. Students travel to, study in and work with sending communities where social, economic, or political conditions are pushing residents to immigrate to North Carolina and other regions in the United States. Who sponsors this program? This program is offered by the APPLES Service-Learning Program in collaboration with UNC Study Abroad and CET Academic Programs. How long is the program? 16 weeks. How many students are selected for the program? The program typically enrolls about 5-10 students every term. The small size of the program ensures that the Program Director and other faculty and staff are able to work with students one-on-one and better serve their individual needs. Where do participants take language and culture classes? Students study the Vietnamese language for 5 hours per week at the Saigon Center for Vietnamese Language Studies (SCVLS). Centrally located in the heart of the Ho Chi Minh City, SVLSF offers excellent classrooms, and employs some of the best-trained Vietnamese language teachers in Vietnam. Are language skills required to participate? No language skills are necessary; however, students are required to study Vietnamese throughout their stay. Do participants receive academic credit for this program? Yes, students receive academic credit for their participation in this program. This credit may be used to satisfy elective, perspective, and major/minor requirements. The way in which the credit is assigned for a particular course depends on the course content as well as remaining degree requirements. Students will receive 14 academic credit hours for work successfully completed while abroad in the fall semester, and one credit hour for participation in the APPLES Reflection Seminar taken in the spring semester following the abroad experience. Where do participants live? CET students live with Vietnamese roommates in a student guesthouse. Past CET students agree that living with a local roommate is one of the highlights of studying abroad, as it allows them to experience local student life and to build important social connections. What types of service/internship opportunities exist for students? See our list of direct and indirect service opportunities with Vietnam Service Agencies. How am I placed in my service or internship experience? After being accepted into the program, students submit a service placement form along with their current resume to the Vietnam Program Director. The service form includes a list of placement sites that previous students have worked at in the past, and asks students to rank sites in order of interest. Using this information as a guide, the Program Director works closely with students prior to departure to find a placement that meets the interest and needs of each student. Is credit awarded for the service experience? You will not receive credit for the service, but rather the course your service is grounded in and the learning you demonstrate as a result of the experience. Are there program staff available in-country? CET maintains a full-time Program Director in Vietnam who lives in the guesthouse with students in Ho Chi Minh City and travels with students during the study trip to the north and central regions. The Program Director in Vietnam leads the required seminar on contemporary Vietnam and manages academic issues such as overseeing faculty, curriculum development and teacher training, in addition to non-academic issues, such as housing, Vietnamese roommates, activities and on-site emergencies. CET also employees a full-time Student Services Coordinator and a Resident Assistant. Are there additional APPLES requirements for this program? This program has three integral components: a Pre-Departure Workshop in the spring, the global experience in the fall semester, and the spring Reflection Seminar. In the spring, APPLES prepares students for their experience through a full-day Orientation focusing on issues related to cultural awareness, cross-cultural service, travel logistics, teamwork and communication. The Orientation highlights the importance of linking the global experience with local service-learning, application and reflection after returning to North Carolina. In addition to the Orientation, students participate in a half-day Ropes Course and reflection experience prior to departure. On returning to Carolina, students enroll in “Connections”, a 1-credit reflection seminar that compares the lives of new immigrants in their origin countries with those in North Carolina. The seminar explores concerns for health, education and social justice through selected readings, class discussion and reflection. Returning students engage in local service-learning with newly arrived immigrants. As mentors, they provide assistance with activities supporting school achievement and facilitation of bilingual fluency for middle or high school immigrant youth. May I contact someone who has completed this program? Yes. Please contact the APPLES Office at 962-0902 to request contact information for past participants. To obtain contact information for the current GSL Chair, please refer to the APPLES' Organizers directory.