By Kathy Jenkins Hart
November 8, 2005

University of Georgia students are using their study abroad experiences in developing countries to give back to the Athens community.

In 2005, seven UGA students received Community Engagement Fellowships from the UGA Office of International Public Service and Outreach. The awards helped pay for expenses related to study abroad programs in developing countries, requiring each student to develop a service project related to their overseas experience after returning to campus.

"This fellowship program gives students an opportunity to experience life in developing countries and connect classroom experience to real world development challenges," said Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach at UGA.

Throughout the summer and fall semesters, students have worked on a variety of projects with Athens area partners, including local schools and nonprofit organizations.

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	• IPSO Community Engagement Fellowships for Study Abroad

Leah Kapa, an undergraduate in psychology and advertising, found that even the poverty she has seen in North Georgia did not prepare her for the sight of homeless children in the Ukraine. She now is drawing on her research on the Ukrainian homeless problem to help implement parenting workshops for the homeless in Athens.

"I am currently working with the College of Family and Consumer Science to collect and alter existing parenting education curriculum for my project with AAHS," said Kapa. She also plans to recruit child and family development graduate students as volunteers for the project.

Courtney Davis, director of the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, said she was pleased that Kapa chose the organization to work with on her project. "I can imagine that parenting in a shelter environment is incredibly stressful and overwhelming," Davis said. "Any opportunity that our residents may have to develop their skills in managing this stress will be wonderful."

Christina Hannon and Jennifer Adams, graduate students in forest resources, are sharing their knowledge of conservation biology with elementary school students in South Africa and Athens. During a stay in South Africa's Kruger National Park, the two UGA students visited rural classrooms and talked about wildlife habitats in Africa and the United States. This month, they will give similar talks at a local elementary school and will collect books and supplies to send back to South African schools.

According to Hannon, the experience provided an appreciation for the need of South Africans to balance wildlife preservation with their own concerns, including protection from attacks and damage to crops. "On a trip to the Makuleke community, we observed two hippopotamuses in the man-made water hole where the community members wash their clothing and collect water for the community, Hannon said. "In the week before our arrival, two students at the middle school lost their mothers due to attacks by the hippos."

The 2005 fellowship recipients and their study abroad destinations are: Jennifer Adams, South Africa; Yameka Anderson, Mexico; Linda White Chastain, India; Sallie Jane Fox, Ecuador; Christina Hannon, South Africa; Leah Kapa, Ukraine; and Benjamin Liverman, Ghana.

IPSO will host a workshop and reception for the fellowship recipients on November 9 at Tate Gallery at 5 pm. The students will present the outcomes of their service projects and will discuss their experiences abroad with sponsoring faculty and community partners.