Congratulations, you are researching the exciting opportunity to intern abroad or perhaps have already enrolled in an internship abroad program!
Researching an internship abroad is a big first step. Part of your research may include how you can practice your faith, spirituality, or religion abroad. At Global Experiences, a member of the AIFS Abroad team, we understand that this question can have a huge impact on your internship and your journey in another country overall. However, whether you practice religion or not, you will be exposed to new beliefs and cultures as part of your experience which will be extremely valuable… so keep on reading! In this blog, I will share some AIDE resources that you might not have realized Global Experiences has available. 
You may have read the end of the last paragraph and thought, “what is AIDE”? AIDE stands for access, inclusion, diversity, and equity. At Global Experiences, we support all participants in their intern abroad journey, inclusive of their gender, race, religion, age, physical ability, or sexual orientation. Everyone has a complex identity, and the different aspects of one’s identity are important when deciding on an international internship location.
We have general Social Identity Based -Resources, including faith, spirituality, and religion materials, to assist in reflecting on one’s identity and/ or the identity of other participants of the program as they consider a program. 
Curious about how different destinations view the practice of religion? We also have location-specific Social Identity and Access pages to peruse. Scroll through and read about all the different destinations Global Experiences and AIFS Abroad offers. The information on these pages is just an overview. Your program staff will provide you with more details pre-departure and during orientation. However, we highly encourage you to reach out if you have questions at any stage! Letting us know what questions you have or resources you need before you arrive abroad will allow us to better assist you throughout your internship experience. Being able to hear about other participants’ experiences can also be helpful.
You can read more about Christopher’s experience with faith in Costa Rica. Also, check out Sirajul’s perspective on the benefits of cultural exchange.
At Global Experiences and AIFS Abroad, we believe one of the best things you can do before departure is enter into the experience knowing that your time abroad will be different than at home. With that being said, reach out to our staff to hear about their experiences and insights. Doing research and learning more about your community abroad will help prepare you for this incredible opportunity. We are currently updating more AIDE content for 2023, so stay tuned! We can’t wait to welcome you abroad soon.
