ACCORD hosted a group of seven SIT students on Wednesday, 19 October 2022. The group was accompanied by Dr. Imraan Buccus, the Academic Director of the SIT programme in South Africa. The relationship between ACCORD and the SIT group spans many years and it has been a mutually beneficial experience. Some SIT students have expressed a desire to be hosted for internships at ACCORD, and several students have returned to ACCORD as Interns, and even as staff members.
The aim of the SIT programme is to prepare students as future interculturally effective leaders, professionals and citizens. In so doing, SIT fosters a worldwide network of individuals and organisations committed to responsible global citizenship. SIT fulfils this mission (https://studyabroad.sit.edu/about/this-is-sit/) with field-based academic study abroad programmes for undergraduates and accredited master’s degrees and certificates 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 the educational, creative processes, as well as remaining open to the wealth of knowledge yet to be gained from young leaders. Presentations during the session included ACCORD’s thematic areas of intervention. Mrs Wendy Coleman welcomed the SIT group and took them on a tour of the ACCORD offices and provided the students with an overview of ACCORD; Ms Lwandile Moyo and Thokozile presented on Preventive Action and Mediation, as well as Women, Peace & Security (WPS); Ms Rumbi Matambo presented of Peace Support Operations; Katharine Bebington presented on the Research outputs, and Mr Adam Randera Presented on the Local and National Capacities for Peace. The students raised pertinent questions, and the discussions were robust.
ACCORD’s Founder & Executive Director, Dr. Vasu Gounden, joined the meeting and interacted with the SIT students, in terms of their fields of study. Dr. Gounden also noted his previous meeting with some of the SIT students at the Independence Day reception on 4 July 2022, hosted by Ms Anne Linnee, the Consul General of the U.S.A.
The students showed great interest in the work that ACCORD carries out on the continent of Africa.
