Our Semester Program removes the barriers that prevent athletes from studying abroad while using sports as a vehicle to increase cultural immersion and language acquisition. Students live in Cape Town and take classes at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, a facility dedicated to optimizing the performance and health of South Africans through the execution, dissemination, and application of science. The program offers courses on the history of South Africa, Nutrition, biology, business communication, and an engaging internship experience with one of our local NGO partners.

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The program will be structured in two 7.5 week terms, with a week long break in between terms for a trip to Wilderness and Addo for an African Safari experience. Students will be enrolled in two classes per term, plus their assigned internship for the entire semester.

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Sport for Development Internship

We partner with sport for development non-profit organizations in Cape Town to provide hands-on internships. The work includes a combination of supporting the organization’s daily operations and completing an independent project to address a specific challenge. Example internship projects include event planning, website and social media improvement, newsletters system design, grant writing, monitoring and evaluation systems, and partnership development. Each organization that we work with takes a unique approach to sport for development-- whether it’s a soccer program dedicated to teaching youth about HIV/AIDs awareness, a basketball program keeping kids away from gangs, or a boxing program teaching girls about self-defense and women’s empowerment--all these programs share the singular vision that sports have the power to change the world, one community at a time.

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Housing
All students will stay together in dorm style accommodations within walking distance to University of Cape Town and the Sport Science Institute of South Africa. Breakfast and dinner are provided at the accommodations seven days a week. Dorms are also equipped with a shared kitchen, common area, and Wifi accessibility. Laundry service is available once per week.

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Athletics Abroad

Students will have access to all gym facilities and the swimming pool at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa so they can maintain their off-season training. SSISA is a subsidiary of Africa’s top ranked university, the University of Cape Town, and is home to some of South Africa’s top exercise-science researchers as well as world class medical and rehabilitation facilities. It is also the home training facility of many of South Africa’s professional athletes and olympians. Students will have access to a state-of-the-art fitness center: www.ssisa.com

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Excursions

Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to participate in the following excursions: District 6 Museum, Castle of Good Hope, Safari trip, Robben Island Tour, Table Mountain Hike, Kirstenbosch Gardens Tour, trip to Boulders Beach and Cape Point.

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