DukeEngage builds on external partnerships

Applicants to DukeEngage this year may have noticed the list of international programs followed by three letters: FSD and SEC.

DukeEngage has added nine new programs for summer 2011—five domestic and four international.

Most of the international programs are affiliated with outside “volunteer-sending organizations”—two of the four are run through the Foundation for Sustainable Development, and a third program is run through the Social Entrepreneur Corps.

In the past, DukeEngage has offered an FSD-sponsored program in Kenya and an SEC-sponsored program in Guatemala, but this year DukeEngage expanded its partnerships. The two new FSD programs in La Plata, Argentina and Jodhpur, India and the new SEC program in Nicaragua are part of a larger effort by DukeEngage to partner with external foundations.

DukeEngage Executive Director Eric Mlyn said previous programs with FSD and SEC have been successful, adding that students overwhelmingly reported positive experiences with both programs.

“I visited two programs in Kenya this summer and was very impressed with [FSD’s] model,” Mlyn said. “It was an incredible approach to civic engagement.”

Senior Brooke Kingsland, DukeEngage student advisory committee member, said the committee did not weigh in on the decision to add more FSD and SEC-affiliated programs.

“From what I understand from the beginning, DukeEngage was hoping to move away from the model of working with outside organizations, but given the lineup for this summer, it seems that is different now,” she said.

Although three programs affiliated with these volunteer-sending organizations are new this year, DukeEngage has worked with SEC for three summers and FSD for one summer. George Glickley, SEC co-founder, said DukeEngage originally reached out to partner with the organization.

“I think DukeEngage was looking for intelligent opportunities,” Glickley added.

Mlyn said DukeEngage did not shift to outside partnerships out of a financial need, adding that upper administration has always strongly supported DukeEngage funding.

“The addition of [FSD and SEC] programs this year was not at all motivated by budgetary concerns,” he said.

FSD programs have three elements unique from other DukeEngage programs, Mlyn said. Students live in home stays to learn firsthand about the local people and culture where they are doing service work. Students also work individually with small, grassroots community organizations, and every student part of an FSD program receives $200 to create and implement his or her own project.

Mlyn said the application process to FSD and SEC programs does not differ from other DukeEngage programs. Applications to FSD and SEC programs will be expedited to their respective program coordinators, Mlyn added.

SEC programs specifically revolve around microfinance initiatives. Duke students on SEC programs work as interns to help “mom-and-pop endeavors” with what Glickley referred to as “the last mile”—they help gauge which products would be most beneficial for entrepreneurs to sell in their areas.

The partnership between DukeEngage and SEC has been a beneficial one, Glickley said. Before the partnership, SEC could not provide enough products to entrepreneurs and did not have enough human resources staff.

“The work that DukeEngage interns are able to do in two months is work that would take the organization two years,” Glickley said. “For us, it’s been a complete blessing that every summer we have a great influx of human capital.”

He said Duke students represent the largest portion of university volunteers working with the organization, adding that SEC has partnerships with other universities.

Although SEC benefits from its partnership with Duke, Glickley said the organization helps fund the programs. SEC programs are partially funded through SEC donors, but DukeEngage pays for living expenses, technical training and lodging, he said.

Mlyn noted that he did not have figures available for the differing costs of the new DukeEngage programs.

Evaluating Engagement

Many students spoke positively of their experiences with the outside organizations.

Junior Lauren Zalla was originally supposed to work with WISER this past summer through DukeEngage until she was reassigned to an FSD-run program in Kenya.

The WISER DukeEngage program was shut down last summer after problems with a contractor. Zalla agreed to serve on an FSD Kakamega, Kenya site with a non-governmental organization. African Canadian Continuing Education Society, the program, operates nine non-formal primary schools throughout the Western Province of Kenya in communities that cannot afford the hidden fees associated with Kenya’s primary education, Zalla said.

She said her work with FSD was fulfilling, adding that one of the hallmarks of her experience as an intern was the ability to live and work independently.

“Being an FSD intern gives you the skills—from grant writing to asset mapping—to help you pursue a career in international development,” Zalla said. “You develop bonds with family and coworkers, learn the language and really feel like part of the community.”

FSD programs are especially beneficial for their interns to learn about real world solutions while working independently, Zalla said.

“As an intern you learn to identify strengths in the community and build on them rather than pouring money to solve a problem,” Zalla said.

Freshman Bryan Lockwood applied to the Kenya FSD program for the upcoming summer because of the opportunity to serve in a place with higher need than his hometown. He said the program’s affiliation with FSD was not the reason he selected the program, but added that he found FSD’s mission worth supporting.

“Programs such as DukeEngage in Kenya help FSD reach its ultimate goal of sustainable development,” Lockwood said. “They give university students like me the chance to be a part of this movement.”

Staying close to home

Lockwood said he will apply for a domestic program if he is not admitted to the Kenya FSD program.

“There are plenty of areas close to home that could use the aid that I can provide,” he said.

Mlyn said a cornerstone of DukeEngage is its domestic programs, even though Duke offers more international programs.

The five new domestic programs will be located throughout North Carolina, in Bayou Grace, La. and in New York City.

“We added more domestic programs this year because I feel we have an ethical commitment to the domestic U.S.,” Mlyn said. He added that programs were devised with the goal of addressing a certain target, such as the new program in Louisiana intended to alleviate damage from this summer’s oil spill.

Domestic programs will also allow for more students to participate in DukeEngage.

“We receive twice as many applications as we can afford to support,” Mlyn said. “Our goal is to reach as many students as possible.”