Apply for the Study Trip to Sierra Leone

IFIL targets students and young professionals. But in principle everybody can participate. We do not have a strict age limit. We do, however, favour the participation of young (i.e. under 30) applicants.* We welcome students and young professionals from all backgrounds. The single most important thing is your intellectual curiosity and the willingness to engage actively with the country you are traveling to.

*You have to be aware that most participants will be younger than 30 and that budget options are chosen for most overnight stays (including shared rooms and dormitories).

Usually we accept applications on a first come, first serve basis. We may, however, choose to ask you to explain your motivation for the study trip and to select participants on the basis of that. Occasionally we might also deviate from the first come, first serve principle in order to ensure a more balanced group (in terms of countries, gender, etc).

No. If you’re looking for a relaxing holiday, then a study trip with us is not the way to go. If you want to engage with key figures of a country and learn more about the culture, politics, economy, and society then apply immediately! Participants usually tell us that they found the trip exhausting but at the same time highly rewarding and enriching.

Usually the study trip will cover four key areas: society, politics, culture, and economy. Through engaging with key figures such as civil society leaders, journalists, politicians, activists, artists, etc we try to gain an understand of what drives that country. We place a great emphasis on active participation.

The participants of an IFIL study trip gain a differentiated and lasting understanding of a country and its culture. We understand culture in a broad way, incorporating societal, economical and political factors. In order to ensure genuine and lasting intercultural learning we apply a “hearts and minds” or top-down and bottom-up approach: Every study trip thus consists of meetings with leaders in the fields of politics, society, culture and economy as well as encounters, exchanges and workshops with local youth.

The study trip organizers are usually students or young professionals who have gained particular knowledge of a country and want to enable others to profit from their experience. As everybody with IFIL, they receive no salary whatsoever and work as volunteers. Most of our study trip organizers have some kind of leadership experience. We receive a number of project proposals every year and we try to pick the best ones to ensure a great experience for the participants.

No. But since English is the language used for most of the study trips you should be able to follow a discussion in English. But we encourage you to participate even if you don’t feel absolutely confident about your language skills. We use English as our main language of communication because of the international participants we have.

Nein. Aber Englisch ist die üblicherweise verwendete Sprache während einer Studienreise, du solltest daher in der Lage sein, einer Diskussion auf Englisch zu folgen. Wir ermutigen dich aber teilzunehmen, auch wenn du nicht perfekt Englisch sprichst.

Unfortunately at the moment we don’t. We simply lack the financial means to do so. We are aware that not everybody can afford our study trips and we would like to change that and work towards that goal.

It is your responsibility to check your visa eligibility before you apply for a study trip. All we can do is issue you a letter confirming your participation in a study trip. We cannot offer you any other substantial assistance apart from that.

Absolutely not. While we offer study trips, IFIL is not a travel agency. As a participant in an IFIL study trip you will be expected to act and think independently, take responsibility, and contribute actively.

Everybody at IFIL is a volunteer! This allows us to keep our administrative overhead costs to an absolute minimum. The participation fees for the study trips cover the actual costs (transportation, accomodation, etc), the costs for the organizers, and a small sum for marketing and those minimal administrative overhead costs. This is why we can offer the study trips at such low prices.

Because we love it! We are passionate about our projects and believe that we can contribute, if only a little, to improved understanding between cultures.