The UGA Ghana Service-Learning Study Away program, run by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is a finalist for a 2020 PIEoneer award in “Real Life Learning.”
Alex Kojo Anderson, an associate professor in the college’s foods and nutrition department, leads the summer service-learning program created to act as a practicum with two main components: hospital and community. Students have the opportunity to observe in hospitals, to perform screenings in the local neighborhoods and to attend lectures on public health issues in Ghana. Students typically reside in family housing providing cultural immersion and additional community experiences.
“The program provides life changing opportunities to students preparing them for their careers and to be global citizens. The cultural immersion component of the program also teaches students the importance for appreciation for diversity,” said Anderson, who been directing the program since 2006.
The PIEoneer website states, “The PIEoneer Awards are the only global awards that celebrate innovation and achievement across the whole of the international education industry. With a distinguished judging panel representing geographical and professional diversity, the PIEoneer Awards recognize both individuals and organizations who are pushing professional standards, evolving their engagement or redefining the international student experience.”
Last year, the UGA study abroad program in Stellenbosch, South Africa, administered by UGA’s Center for the Study of Global Issues, was a finalist in the “Real Life Learning” category.
“I am very pleased that an academic rigor and transformative nature of UGA study abroad programs are being recognized for the second year in a row by these prestigious international awards,” said Yana Cornish, director of global education at UGA. “UGA faculty who design and lead these unique study abroad programs deserve our highest appreciation and praise for their commitment to experiential learning for UGA students.”
While the date is yet to be determined, the awards will take place virtually.
For more information, visit https://pieoneerawards.com/2020/en/page/pieoneerawards or https://www.fcs.uga.edu/ssac/study-away-tours-ghana.