A Cork-based charity has selected 22 young Irish people to take part in a global cultural immersion programme.

EIL Intercultural Learning, a non-profit organisation focused on intercultural learning and exchange, has chosen 11 third level students and 11 under 18s for its prestigious EIL Explore programme for 2023.

This summer, the participants will embark on fully-funded, transformative cultural immersion experiences around the world.

EIL Intercultural Learning believes in the importance of fostering global citizens through intercultural learning. With this in mind, the Explore programme is designed to offer both under 18s and over 18s the opportunity to immerse themselves in new cultures and experiences.

Participants should be curious, tolerant, open-minded, and willing to engage with challenging situations. Upon their return, they are required to complete an Action at Home Project to critically reflect and share their learning with their communities.

The Explore programme consists of several projects for both age groups. Under 18s options include one Japan Award, five Youth Activist Awards, two International Summer School Awards in collaboration with the Cork Life Centre. There are also three Study Abroad Awards, which are partially funded by Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) as part of their #ThinkLanguages competition.

Over 18s can participate in the partially-funded Global Awareness Programme or enter to win the fully-funded Mexico Award, Access Award, Mature Award or University Awards, which are currently being co-funded by MTU Cork and the University of Galway.

– EIL Explore 2023 winners at their Enrolment Day in Dublin along with past participants and EIL staff.

Each of these experiences aims to enhance participants’ open-mindedness, global awareness, self-reflection, and self-improvement.

This year EIL Ireland is funding one mature student and three access students to go on a valuable cultural learning experience through cultural immersion and volunteering abroad.

One access student is Irish/Tunisian, Fatimah Guetar (24) from Ballyfermot. Fatimah is an international relations student in DCU and is very passionate about equality rights. She has experience with horses and has carried out voluntary work with people with disabilities. Therefore, she has been selected for an Equine Therapy project in Mexico, where she will assist with stable chores and support horse therapy sessions for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Fatimah will visit a language school in Oaxaca for two weeks to learn some basic Spanish before going to live with a Mexican host family located close to the stables for the remaining six weeks of her eight-week adventure.

Other over 18s explorers will travel to Mexico, Ecuador or Vietnam this summer to live with host families and volunteer in various projects related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

EIL Intercultural Learning’s under 18s will embark on different learning adventures.

Alex Gravina (17), a 5th year student from Midleton in Cork, is the winner of the Japan Award. The Japan-Ireland Friendship Link programme is EIL Explore’s longest-serving award, which was first introduced in 1994. Alex will take on the role of an ambassador for Ireland. She will share various aspects of Irish culture while learning about Japanese traditions during her homestay for four weeks in Japan.

Alex has been learning Japanese independently for several years and recently acquired formal lessons to sit it as an exam subject for her Leaving Certificate.

The remaining ten young explorers aged between 16 and 17 were selected for the Youth Activist Award, the International Summer School Award and the Study Abroad Award, which will see them travel to the USA, Denmark, and other European countries.

– The three Access Award winners for EIL Explore 2023 – Jennifer Sawyer (UL), Molly Measey (TCD) and Fatimah Guetar (DCU)

EIL Intercultural Learning manager Adam Peerbux said: “We are very excited and consider it a great privilege to collaborate with each person on their journey of personal development, as they seize the opportunity to enhance their approach to active global citizenship. The insights gained and the critical self-reflection that takes place while abroad are clearly evident upon their return, as they engage with their local communities and participate in activism initiatives across Ireland.

“Witnessing individuals transform and evolve into active change-makers who champion impactful social and climate justice initiatives on both a local and global scale is truly inspiring.”

The application for Explore awards is open from mid-October to December for the following year. Applications can be submitted directly through the online application at www.eilexplore.ie or through specific channels for various awards,  for example the Access/Mature Award applications will be submitted directly to the third-level institute’s access or mature student officer.

Adam explained: “Applications aim to be inclusive and accessible as possible so we do allow for hard copies and we ask people to apply through creative mediums that might suit them better, for example art, photos, vlogging, music, written, etc.”

For more on EIL Ireland or their Explore Programme, see www.eilireland.org