Our Program

Values in Action

• 1. Comprehensive preparation and education

  GESI integrates experiential learning with an in-class curriculum and training developed to equip students with tools to understand and effectively engage in international community development.
  1. Comprehensive preparation and education

• 2. Immersion and experiential learning

  GESI believes that living and working in developing communities is the foundation of a student's education in the field of international development. Because of this, GESI participants live with a family within their host community. Through this immersion experience, students gain credibility in the community, understanding of the strengths and limitations of development projects, and invaluable insight into another culture.
  2. Immersion and experiential learning

• 3. Impact-driven partnerships

  Through our partner, the Foundation for Sustainable Development, GESI pairs groups of students with local NGOs that have an emphasis on community-led solutions and are invested in developing a new generation of global change leaders. Through their relationship with their host NGO, students learn the ins and outs of working with organizations in order to most effectively engage, utilize and strengthen the community.
  3. Impact-driven partnerships

• 4. Group work and a diversity of perspectives

  GESI recognizes that every individual is instilled with experiences, knowledge, and values that can enrich a team. Our students come from various universities, academic programs, and ethnicities, and work in groups of four to six, a structure that allows them to harness this diversity as well as develop their ability to collaborate and cooperate.
  4. Group work and a diversity of perspectives

• 5. Sustainable asset-based development

  In order to create real change, GESI students implement solutions that build upon the strengths of developing communities so that successful projects can continue long after students return to the U.S. Students' worldviews are transformed as they learn to leverage the strengths -- rather than list the weaknesses -- of the communities in which they live and work.
  5. Sustainable asset-based development

• 6. Student-centered, multi-tiered support

  An integrated network of Northwestern faculty, GESI staff, student instructors, and on-the-ground FSD site teams support and equip students before, during, and after their in-country experience. GESI is committed to challenging students personally, professionally, and academically while fostering an enduring community of students passionate about social change.
  6. Student-centered, multi-tiered support