Joseph McKeen
Center for the Common Good

The Global Citizens Grant provides students with the opportunity to pursue summer volunteer and public service projects outside of the United States.  The intent of the program is to support student projects that are independently designed and focus on providing direct service by working in local communities.  By enabling students to immerse themselves in foreign cultures, the Global Citizens Grant aims to encourage a broadening of perspective among volunteers, the foreign communities in which they will work, and the Bowdoin community to which they will return.

Do you have experience with digital photography? Are you interested in teaching children photography? If so, consider applying for a PhotoPals grant from Omprakash in conjunction with your Global Citizens Grant. Learn more about PhotoPals.

Read about our current Global Citizens.

Grants of $2500 will cover the cost of travel and living expenses for eight to ten weeks.  Applicants may affiliate themselves with an existing organization in-country, but grants will not pay the costs of joining one of the many varieties of international "service trips" or "service tours" available for purchase.  Students on financial aid as determined by the Office of Financial Aid may apply for an additional earnings replacement stipend of $200/week for up to $2000.

Read about past grant recipients.

 As part of the grant, participants are required to:

1. Participate in an orientation to the program;
2.Convene with other grant recipients and staff upon return to campus for discussion, reflection and to identify common themes which could be addressed through campus-wide educational programming;
3. Present a summary of the experience to students, faculty and staff in a public venue organized by the McKeen Center for the Common Good;
4.Participate in an evaluation of the program at the end of the summer to help craft future program components.

Learn more about international non-profits with whom members of the Bowdoin community have worked.

Explore OMPRAKASH, a database of volunteer opportunities around the world.

For more information on the Global Citizens Grant please contact Janice Jaffe at jjaffe@bowdoin.edu or 798-4156.