Youth Social Work Internship, Cape Town

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Help spread the message of Ubuntu and achieve happiness for the children

Join a grass-roots social development charity to support their valuable work and provide support to children with troubled backgrounds. Based in a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, you’ll be working with a community center that hosts up to a hundred children each day to ensure they have a safe and stimulating space to go.

As an intern, you’ll assist with the day to day running of the center and create stimulating, educative, and fun activities for children. This social work internship is a great opportunity to gain some on the ground experience in social work and to contribute to a worthwhile and very much needed project.

QUICK FACTS
Cape Town, South Africa
Nonprofit, community projects
Youth development, Social Work
4-26 Weeks
From USD 1,641
ORGANISATION

Ubuntu Project is a social development organization that works in Masiphumelele, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town that deals with a high level of social issues such as poverty, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Ubuntu’s main focus is the Ubuntu Centre, a community center that directs resources to the community and cares for between 60 and 100 children every day. The children are from families that lack the resources to provide them with daycare, and the center offers a safe and educative space on a daily basis. They also offer the children healthy meals. Many of the children have experienced traumas and receive as much emotional support as possible at the center. The organization also supports a number of daycare centers in the township that are run by the grandmothers and mothers of the community.

TASKS & REQUIREMENTS

There are three groups of children in the afternoon aftercare program every day: 1-6 years 6-10 years, 10-14 years. As an intern, your role will be designed according to your specific skills, academic focus, and desired learning outcomes.

What you’ll do
  • Helping create stimulating, educative, and fun activities for the children in the after care program
  • Assist with the coordination of other volunteers who come to help with the activities
  • Assist with individual or group sessions with children in order to support them with traumatic events they have been through
  • Helping cook for and feed the children at the center
  • Assisting with the day to day management of the center
  • Assisting with the development of the center, which can include fundraising, communications, partnership management, and organizational structuring
  • Offering organizational support to a number of daycare centers in Masiphumelele

Project hours

Monday-Thursday Friday
08:30-12:30 Morning projects Monday projects
12:30-14:00 Lunch Lunch
14:30-16:30 Afternoon projects  –

The weekends are off unless you are assisting with volunteer house arrivals/departures.

Requirements
  • Preferably background or experience in sociology, psychology, social work, community development, education, pedagogy, or similar
  • Good social skills
  • Good English skills
  • Enjoy working with children and people of different cultures
  • Interest in community projects
  • Open minded and creative

This organization also offers a Psychology and Event Coordination Internship.

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

You’ll be staying at a volunteer house called Yoga Shala, a house in Capri, on Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula, where people from around the world stay while volunteering in the surrounding communities. Everyone at the house plays a role and assists in the general day to day operation of yoga shala, from the kitchen to gardening and cleaning, creating a great community in the house. There is free WiFi and the nearest shopping center is a 10-minute drive away.

DATES & RATES

You can start your internship with this organization every Monday. Please keep in mind this organization is closed for one month of summer holiday at the end of the year.

What you’ll pay (2023 rates)

4 weeks USD 1,769
8 weeks USD 2,832
12 weeks USD 3,895
16 weeks USD 4,958
20 weeks USD 6,021
26 weeks USD 7,616

At Roots, we do everything we can to make your internship experience smooth and hassle-free. We offer an all-inclusive service, which means we will help you find the right internship (we believe we are great matchmakers!), help you with visa arrangements, book accommodation for you in Cape Town, give you all the pre-departure information you need before arriving, pick you up from the airport and check in with you while on your work placement to ensure you feel supported. Your exact fee depends on the duration of your stay, so if you tell us how long you would like to stay, we can give you an exact quote.

What you are paying for:
  • Full accommodation rental fees including breakfast and dinner
  • Transfer from Cape Town International airport to your accommodation and back on arrival and departure day
  • Transport to and from the project
  • Assistance with finding the perfect work placement
  • Assistance with your visa arrangement & other preparations
  • Regular check ins during your internship with you and your supervisor.
  • Your own account on a career development platform that offers content and courses focused on exploring different career opportunities
  • On the ground support during your stay and troubleshooting if needed
  • A reference letter at the end of your internship
  • A discount on weekend activities, exclusive to Roots interns
Excludes:
  • Flights to Cape Town
  • Visa, medical and travel insurance costs for the duration of your placement – must include cover for repatriation
  • Lunch, drinks, snacks, and items of personal nature (f.e. curios, gifts, clothing).
  • Costs for additional excursions or activities

Optional extra:

Personal Development Sessions
To help you optimise your personal and professional development during your internship, we offer individual monthly sessions with a professional consultant. These 1,5-hour sessions offer opportunities to set goals, reflect on your experience, and ensure your internship will benefit your career as much as possible.
Monthly fee: USD 65
Workshop: Exploring the Nonprofit Landscape
To give you a full understanding of the nonprofit sector in Africa, we offer one-off individual online workshops by a South African digital marketing and fundraising specialist. You’ll learn about the needs of the nonprofit sector, best practices in nonprofit management, and sustainability of fundraising initiatives. You’ll also be given a large amount of useful resources.
Workshop fee: USD 65
QUICK FACTS
Cape Town, South Africa
Nonprofit, community projects
Youth development, Social Work
4-26 Weeks
From USD 1,769
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

”During my time here, I worked with all those children in different morning projects and with the children at the Ubuntu Center in the afternoon. I planned the activities for the younger and the older children at the Ubuntu Center to bring in more structure. It was a great chance to see all the differences in the development and structure of each project. My work was always different and there was always something new for me to explore. It became a great challenge for me to experience all those parts of working in and for the township.

Paula, GermanyYouth Social Work Internship, Cape Town
READ MORE REVIEWSHow to Apply
INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
  • Gain experience in social work and community outreach in one of the townships of Cape Town
  • Contribute to a charity on a mission to spread the message of Ubuntu and achieve happiness for the children
  • Gain a full insight in the day to day running of a community project
  • Live and work in Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world
  • Enjoy exploring South Africa’s many highlights during your time off
4 WEEKS USD 1,769
8 WEEKS USD 2,832
12 WEEKS USD 3,895

See Detailed Rates

Other internships with this organization
APPLYING
How to apply?

If you’re ready to apply for this internship, here’s what to do:

  1. Fill in the application form (it will show in a new screen) and send your CV to info@rootsinterns.com.
  2. We’ll set up a call with you to go through your application.
  3. If we feel it’s a good match, we’ll set up a call between you and the supervisor for this internship.
  4. If everyone’s happy, we’ll provisionally confirm your placement! We’ll then send you the invoice for the deposit, get started with a detailed booking form, and we’ll give you all the information you need to prepare for your upcoming adventure.
  5. Only once we receive payment of the deposit your placement will be confirmed.

Or if you’d just like to ask us some questions about this internship first, just fill in the contact form on the right. We’ll be happy to assist!

    If you have any questions about this opportunity, please ask us by completing the form below.

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