From Australia to Washington DC: Don't hesitate, Amizade opportunities help you live up to your ideals as you gain incredible travel experiences. Embrace the opportunity to serve around the world with Amizade!

Remember, Amizade volunteer programs and service- learning courses are open to people of all ages and from all locations. Start exploring, serving and understanding the world now!

"Life as Good Work: Public Service Internship Seminar" remains different from other courses in that we are not just students. We are volunteers, advocates, and most importantly, we act as our own teacher. We are not given information and told to regurgitate it for an exam. Instead we are introduced to a spectrum of principles and frameworks and from this we create and carry out the ones we find most beneficial. We also do not have to wait until the "real world" to put to use this newly gained information. We jump right in and create our own vision, mission, and steps on how to achieve this vision. We are challenged mentally to take the next step and create "Good Work." Not many other courses make students take that incredible risk, but it is worth it. We realize something truly profound: that we as students are able to make a difference for the betterment of our community.

This service experience has inspired me to continue being a servant to the community, for it makes me a more open-minded citizen and makes me more aware of issues that plague our society. This service has introduced me to wonderful people and programs that are set up to better the lives of those not only in their local community, but in their global community as well. I have also learned from this experience how easy it would be to quit the first time one gets confronted with obstacles. However, through persistence and motivation I have learned overcoming these barriers makes one that much closer to the individual's vision becoming a reality. The wonderful experiences that I have received from this course along with the following quote will forever act as a splinter in my mind to remember the importance of "Good Work."

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for the good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke

More information on the Public Service Major at Pitt »

Serving and Learning in Washington, DC

In addition to direct service experiences with organizations addressing hunger and homelessness, Amizade includes educational experiences that explore homelessness in the US. Amizade volunteers stay at the Pilgrimage Center, which has long been associated with many social justice efforts. Rosanne Steller,The Pilgrimage Program Manager, and Pat Delaney, Amizade Program Coordinator, arrange for a variety of speakers to give participants a diversity of perspectivies regarding what it means to be homeless in the DC area. In addition to the educational opportunities, appointments are made with US Congressional Represenatives to offer their perspectives on hunger and homelessmess in the US and how they are representing their constituents on these issues.

Meeting with representatives is a formative learning experience itself, and the treatment Amizade participants receive from the Congressional offices makes a lasting impression. While some representatives seem less concerned with homelessness, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina met with a volunteer group from Appalachian State University for over half an hour. Senator Edwards, who had just formally withdrawn from his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, was deliberate in stating that he wanted to continue his campaign pledge to address what he calls the 'two Americas' issue, that of one America for rich people and one for everyone else. Edwards was very enthusiastic about Amizade volunteers' efforts to address homelessness and hunger.

In addition to ASU, four other groups have already volunteered at the DC site. They hailed from Central Michigan University, Concord College, Dartmouth College and the University of Buffalo. Central Michigan student Kari Hatfield was featured for her volunteer service in her hometown newspaper, the Flint Journal. Hatfield reported a long history with volunteering because 'giving back to the community is one of the easiest things people can do to improve the community.' Amizade offers Washington DC volunteer programs for individuals and groups of all ages.

LINK to So Others May Eat Here »

A Match Made in Ireland - by Aja Jones

Like most friends and family, places are capable of bringing happiness into your day as well as fear or sorrow. You can grow angry with a neighborhood as easily as you can with your neighbor and at times, even the most beautiful places can be ruthless and unforgiving. A simple walk through a seaside town can cause you exhaustion and pain if the terrain is rocky or utter boredom if it is flat and even. You can even memorize the curves of a city's landscape as well as the lines on your true love's face. So if it is as easy to fall in love with a place as it is with a person, I've fallen into what I think might just be a serious, long-term relationship with the city of Belfast.

Belfast's intricacies are virtually impossible to explain. Its exquisite beauty lies in the unexpected, and something new can be discovered at each turn of a corner. Whether you stumble upon the Botanical Gardens adjacent to the spectacular Ulster Museum, stand in awe at the vastness of the ancient shipyards, or stare at the haunting murals which line the streets, the effect is the same. So many of these things are an echo of Belfast's tortured past, yet still exude a kind of magnificence in their presence. Surprising as it may be, the beauty of Northern Ireland does not only appear in the stunning cliffs of Ballycastle, but in the dark, brooding, melancholy streets of Belfast City as well.

So I suppose it's not just the Ulster Fry that I miss. I miss the awe-striking views from the northern coast of Antrim which greeted us upon our arrival that first day. I miss our quirky advisor Billy, whose version of one city block is five square miles. I miss the kids we worked with and the four of us in the group who dubbed ourselves Team Thunderforce, although we're not exactly sure why. I miss the group reflections too, but most of all, I miss Belfast. Even though long-distance relationships are tough, I'm in this one for the long haul, and look forward to the day when we might meet again.

Learn more about Amizade courses... »

Service-Learning in Pittsburgh - by Jamie Pelusi

Well you can! As soon as I read the course description for Life as Good Work: Public Service Internship Seminar, I knew it was a class that could interest me like the other classes abroad have interested me. Even better, as a Pitt student, you do not have to pay any more for this type of class. Service learning abroad is very important, but it is just as important to participate in service learning right here in Pittsburgh.

Although we are not traveling to foreign countries, the service component is still very beneficial. It has added an element that is lacking in all of my other classes. Many times in my other classes I have only read about social issues and problems that are happening in our community. But in my Public Service course we actually get to experience, first hand, some of the problems that our local communities are facing. By experiencing these things first hand, I have a better understanding of the issues concerning my community and what is being done or needs to be done about them.

I have not only learned a lot from my service in this class, but I have also learned a lot through the service of my classmates. Each of us has a different service project, and throughout the term we discuss all of our projects. I have learned about issues that I did not even realize existed and what my peers are doing about them. Each of us came into the class with different views and aspirations in what we wanted to get out of the class. And each of us has been able to go our own way and pursue the issues that deeply concern us individually. It is inspiring to see your peers engage in service in the community and also to see that they are really making a difference. One could only imagine what would happen if this type of service learning was a part of all of our other classes. I believe that it would create a generation of students who are brighter, more skilled and more socially aware and responsible.

Link to the fall 04 internship seminar... »