The most impactful part of our time with Grootbos for me was meeting and speaking with the individuals that come together to make this organization operate the way it does. It appears that people from all different backgrounds, different ages, different interests, and different skill sets, were able to join each other as a team in an effort to create a series of projects and not only cultivate and protect the local environment but also engage with and support the communities that surround it.
Chapman Impact Program
The Chapman Impact Program connects a cohort of Semester at Sea students with carefully selected nonprofits in countries we visit, giving them an up-close and hands-on introduction to each organization’s work to craft bold solutions to both global and local challenges.
The Chapman Impact Program
Our vision is to harness the power and potential of travel for the collective good. Through the generous financial support of the Chapman Family Foundation, Semester at Sea is excited to help further this vision. At its core, this project is about exploring the positive impact of local changemakers and organizational partners in the port countries we visit and providing unique and meaningful opportunities for you to deeply engage with people and places throughout the voyage.
Our ultimate goal is to contribute to sustainable, positive impact for our in-country communities and our student voyagers.
Organizational Partners
Each voyage may collaborate with one to two international, organizational partners doing beneficial project work in Semester at Sea port countries.
As a student enrolled in the cohort, you will participate in one in-country Field Class exploring and supporting the work of NGOs.
This video features staff and artisans from Fall 2019 voyage organizational partners Global Mamas (Ghana) and Global Diversity Foundation (Morocco).
3-credit course
Participants in the Chapman Impact Program will be enrolled in a 3-credit course designed to explore global issues in the countries we visit and the work organizational partners are doing in-country.
Multi-Day Field Class
Fall 2024: Multi-Day Field Class
The Fall 2024 Chapman Impact Cohort will participate in one multi-day, in-country Field Class, free-of-charge, exploring the work conducted by international partners. Field Classes will be developed to dive deep into the content of the course. After each Field Class, you will further debrief and reflect on the experience.
Spring 2025: Multiple Field Classes
Participants in the Spring 2025 Chapman Impact Cohort will engage in two 8-hour field classes in two different port countries. These insightful field classes are provided at no cost and are meticulously crafted to allow students to gain a thorough understanding of the work being done by our international partners in-country. The classes are designed to delve deep into the course content, and after each field class, the cohort will debrief, and reflect on the experiences gained.
Program Overview
Each Chapman Impact Cohort (approx. ~15–25 students) will travel together on one custom-built, multi-day, overnight Field Class to visit partner NGOs. The Cohort will work together during at-sea days to learn about relevant concepts, prepare for the Field Class, and reflect and process after the in-port experience.
Do you want to learn more about international NGOs and do something meaningful and unique while in port — for free? Interested in exploring the concept of sustainable and responsible tourism and delving into the complexities of international development? Apply to join the Chapman Impact Cohort!
Expectations & Commitments
- All members of the Cohort will be registered in the course connected to the Chapman Impact Program and attend all on-board class sessions. Dropping this course during the drop/add period is not possible.
- All members of the Cohort are required to participate in the mandatory Impact Field Classes. This means no other travel can be planned for these days.
- All awardees will be required to sign a contract that outlines specific expectations and criteria. After the contract has been signed, failure to fulfill the expectations as outlined, or withdrawing from the cohort altogether, will result in a penalty being charged (this is due to the fact that per person nonrefundable costs for the Field Class are paid well in advance).
Summer Internship Opportunities
Students who successfully complete the Chapman Impact Cohort are eligible to apply for a fully funded, 8-week internship in Cape Town, South Africa which will take place the summer following the voyage. During this internship, you will be placed with a local business or organization, dedicating up to 32 hours a week to work on Social Impact issues. This unpaid opportunity aims to enhance your professional skills, improve your ability to communicate across cultures and provide you with substantial work experience to kick-start your career in today’s competitive job market. The internship will be administered by IES Abroad.
Funding to cover the internship placement fee, accommodation, meals, and travel will be awarded to several applicants from each Chapman Impact Cohort. This opportunity is generously provided by the Chapman Family Foundation.
Important note: The required Field Classes for other Semester at Sea courses might conflict with the scheduled Chapman Impact Field Class dates. Therefore, students who register in a course with a Field Class on the same date will not be able to participate in the Chapman Impact Cohort.
Voices from Our Voyagers
Prior to this opportunity I had such a small understanding of the rest of the world, how others thought, and what made them happy. Because of this scholarship, I was able to discuss important topics like what is Islamic feminism looks like. I talked to a Berber man about the very real effects of climate change in his village. I talked to a mother in Ghana about balancing work and home. Each of the people I talked to made the impact, the change, that is the purpose of the Impact Cohort.
Being a part of the Impact Cohort I have been able to grow as a global citizen. Not only have I had the opportunity to visit a new country but I can tell you I was able to immerse myself in a way that I could have never imagined.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we define ‘Impact’?
- Impact is Reciprocal. As a Chapman Impact cohort participant you will explore a topic of global importance from a local perspective and project grants support work in local communities. You should come into this experience with the knowledge that it may be your worldview that is transformed.
- Impact requires Awareness. The humility to acknowledge the limitations and gifts of our own lens, the curiosity to learn from others and explore multiple ways of knowing, and the ability to recognize that there is not one right solution to complex challenges
- Impact requires Continued Engagement. The challenges we collectively face, those we have created and those that we are just subject to, were not forged in a day. While some may benefit from short-term solutions, others require a longer-term investment. Impact takes time and is a continual process of learning and trying again.
What will I gain from getting involved in the Chapman Impact Cohort?
In addition to participating in the 3-credit course and the multi-day Field Class free-of-charge, it has been said that one of the most powerful aspects of the Impact Program for students is the ability to explore an important issue in depth with an expert faculty member and other cohort students. The connections that Chapman Impact Cohort students build with their faculty facilitator and other cohort members can be lasting. Previous cohort students have credited the Chapman Impact Program for having inspired in them new possibilities for their future – what they would like to explore personally and professionally in their adult lives.
Who should get involved in the Chapman Impact Cohort?
The opportunity to participate in the Chapman Impact Cohort is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students. Gap Year students are not eligible to apply. Applications will be submitted through the Semester at Sea student portal. If a student has been selected to join the cohort they will be notified and will be registered in the Chapman Impact course.
If you have an interest in learning about how global issues affect local communities, international development work, non-governmental organizations, and responsible travel then you should apply. The Chapman Impact Cohort is made up of students from a variety of majors and home institutions.
The Chapman Impact Program is generously supported by Greg and Kristen Chapman through the Chapman Family Foundation.
Interested in supporting the Chapman Impact Program?