Winter 2023 SUSI On Civic Engagement: Week 3&4 Recap

The Study of the US Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders on Civic Engagement includes 20 undergraduates from Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

During the 5-week program, the group travels to Washington DC, and Seattle to study civic engagement and participate in volunteer activities, leadership workshops, and cultural excursions.

Program themes include civil rights, grassroots student activism, volunteerism, political leadership, citizen advocacy, and minority political engagement. Throughout the program, participants take part in intensive project planning seminars to prepare them to develop and lead projects that benefit their home communities.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by Meridian International Center and FIUTS. The 2023 program will run from January 10-February 10 in Seattle and from February 11-15 in D.C..

Take a look at the photo recap to see what the SUSIs were up to during their first and second week in Seattle!

Week 3 started out with a visit to OneWorld Now, which focuses on providing study abroad opportunities to low-income youth and non-white students. They also teach Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Russian, 4 strategic languages that are not typically offered in American Public Schools.

The next day, SUSIs visited UW Tacoma and explored the area.

Thursday’s site visit was at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and included a meeting with Tribal Council Director, Loni Greninger. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe offers a variety of support, tribal programs, resources, and more for the community.

During their time in Olympia, SUSIs had a site visit with Mike Bay, a TVW Producer, and met with legislative interns in the Capitol Building.

Volunteering at the Ballard Food Bank is a staple for all of FIUTS’ Visiting Programs. The SUSI participants helped sort and package food for the vulnerable populations that the Ballard Food Bank serves.

The weekend was spent exploring Seattle and trying lots of delicious food.

That brings us to the end of the second to last week of the Winter 2023 SUSI on Civic Engagement program! We hope you enjoyed this photo recap. Stay tuned for some quotes from the SUSI This I Believe Speeches coming next!