Other Program Information
Orientation
Upon arrival in Tunis, Learn & Serve program students participate in a one-and- a half day orientation designed as an introduction to Tunisian culture and daily life and the logistics of the program. The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities. Topics such as safety and health, family life in Tunisia, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation. An essential part of the orientation is the beginning of Tunisian Arabic classes.
Service Population
During the service portion of the program, students will spend time in both Tunis and Rimell (near Bizerte, northwest of Tunis). Students will travel to the Rimmel/Bizerte area on two separate occasions: once to volunteer at a day-camp for disabled students and again to volunteer at an overnight camp with Acess students. The disabled students will come together at the Centre de Jeunesse in Rimmel from a variety of special schools around Tunisia.
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Buereau of Education and Cultural Affairs and administered in Tunisia by AMIDEAST. In general, this program provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 13-20 year-olds from economically disadvantaged sectors through after-school classes and intensive sessions. Access gives participants English skills that may lead to better jobs and educational prospects. Participants also gain the ability to compete for and participate in future exchanges and study in the United States. Since its inception in 2004, approximately 95,000 students in more than 85 countries have participated in the Access Program.
AMIDEAST Learn & Serve students will work with Access students during an intensive English language program in Tunis as well as at an overnight camp in the Bizerte area northwest of Tunis.
During this English-language intensive program for Tunisian high-school students, Learn & Serve students will assist with English tutoring and conversational activities.
Accommodation and Meals
Tunis: During the first two weeks of the program and during the fourth week of the program, students will live with a Tunisian host family, partnered with one other AMIDEAST student. Host families will provide students with three meals per day.
Rimmel/Bizerte: While volunteering in the Rimmel/Bizerte area of Tunisia, students will live at the Centre de Jeunesse camp and all meals will be provided.
Excursions
Students visit major points of interest in day trips Tunis. These include the site of ancient Carthage; the village of Sidi Bou Said overlooking the Gulf of Tunis; the old city of Tunis, known simply as the Medina; the Bardo Museum, famous for its Punic objects and Roman mosaics; and the American World War II War Cemetery. Evenings are mostly free and students can spend time on their own exploring downtown Tunis, the medina, and the seaside suburbs.
There will also be a four-day road trip to the Sahara Desert, reaching as far as the oasis of Ksar el Ghilaine, where students spend the night in tents and ride camels to a small Roman fort. The trip includes stops at Kairouan, the capital of early Islam in North Africa; Sbeitla, a large Roman site at the edge of the Empire and location of important battles between Byzantine and Arab forces in the 600s; the big oasis at Tozeur, known for its dates; Douz, a small town where the Sahara begins; the hilltop and troglodyte villages in the southern Berber-speaking region which inspired the Star Wars films; and Djerba, where an age-old Jewish community lives side by side with Tunisia’s outpost of the Islamic Ibadi sect.
Health & Safety
With AMIDEAST’s nearly 60-year presence in the Middle East and North Africa, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs are able to draw on AMIDEAST’s long-term experience in the region, strong local connections, and deep understanding of the intercultural, health, safety, and security issues inherent to study in the Arab world.
AMIDEAST provides medical insurance for all enrolled students through HTH Worldwide, as well as medical, political, and security evacuation coverage. AMIDEAST has also contracted with an intelligence provider to assist with monitoring, protecting against, and responding to security issues in the region.
The AMIDEAST Advantage
Guided by an Academic Consortium that represents a cross-section of U.S. higher education, AMIDEAST programs are designed to provide academic excellence. AMIDEAST programs also include ample opportunities to interact with local university students and to reflect on intercultural encounters in structured settings.
Transcripts and Institution of Record
After completion of the program, students receive an AMIDEAST grade report which indicates letter grades and credit received. One grade report will be sent to a students’ university and one will remain at the AMIDEAST office in Washington, D.C. Alternatively, students can request (for an additional fee of $350) a transcript issued by AMIDEAST’s Institution of Record (IoR), Northeastern University. Should a home institution advisor indicate that a student needs to use the IoR, the student (or in some cases the institution) will be billed for this fee. This fee is refundable until the student is a confirmed participant.
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