ACCORD hosted twelve students from the School of International Training (SIT) on Wednesday, 14 June 2023. The students were accompanied by Dr Imraan Buccus, the Academic Director of the SIT Programme in South Africa. The aim of the SIT programme is to prepare students as future inter-culturally competent leaders, professionals and citizens. In so doing, the SIT fosters a worldwide network of individuals and organisations committed to responsible global citizenship. SIT fulfils this mission with field-based academic study abroad programmes for undergraduates, accredited master’s degrees, and certificate programmes for graduates and professionals.
ACCORD prides itself in creating spaces for young researchers and political enthusiasts to thrive, as our mission continues to support their educational, creative processes, while remaining open to the wealth of knowledge yet to be gained from young leaders. During this visit, the students were given a chance to elaborate on their past associations with Africa and/or South Africa specifically, which generated a deeper understanding of what drew them to become part of the SIT field exposure.
Mr. Philip Visser, ACCORD’s Manager for Applied Knowledge and Learning discussed ACCORD’s position in relation to building infrastructures for peace in Africa, while working closely with the African Union, various regional bodies, and several countries. ACCORD has a proud 30-year history of working with leaders and communities and the trajectory reflects such that sustainable peace is more likely, if inspired by local leadership using local resources. Presentations during the session covered ACCORD’s thematic areas of intervention, explaining the relevance of building country specific capacities with a wide range of constituencies that includes youth, women, religious leaders, traditional authorities and civil society. Students raised a number of thought-provoking questions and made insightful comments that deepened the conversation and indicated their engagement and interests in the sector.
The relationship between ACCORD and SIT spans many years and has been a mutually beneficial experience for all concerned. Several SIT students have been afforded internships at ACCORD over the many years of collaboration.
