"Empowering World's Agents of Change" Internship & Leadership Training and Development (EACILD)

 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

between

Americas Global Foundation
and the
University of ABC

Background
    Americas Global Foundation (AGF) is a 501(c)(3) NGO, nonpartisan, think-tank organization based in Washington, DC whose mission is to address and offer solutions to some of the major needs and challenges impacting Hispanics in the United States, and the people of Latin America and Caribbean helping them achieve their educational, economic and political empowerment.

    AGF designed its Internship Program to provide university students from Latin American countries an exceptional opportunity. The opportunity to learn, observe, experience how the government of the United States and democracy works, its culture and commerce, and how other supporting entities work; meet with, listen from and exchange with government officials, private sector executives, and establish long lasting relationships. The opportunity to prepare themselves for successful professional careers in the private or public sectors in their cities or countries of origin. AGF seeks to bring to Washington, DC groups of 15 or more highly motivated, selected university students, professionals, government officials and others from countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Hispanics from around the US.

    Students are provided with knowledge and experience about a specific government agency, entity or corporation by serving as unpaid interns.

Goals
To provide interaction between citizens of Latin American countries and the United States in various settings
To foster future mutually beneficial government, commercial and cultural relations between our countries.
To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas regarding government and corporate environment, communication styles, culture, and international relations; and,
To contribute to the development of future leaders in the areas of government, trade, commerce and civil society, our “Empowerment -Agents of Change.”

Participants
    AGF’ students participants are selected by a screening process which includes professor recommendations, two personal interviews, and an article explaining the reasons why the student is applying and what they expect the program will provide them.
    All participants must meet a GPA minimum, be bilingual, highly motivated, have an all around personality.
    The students intern full time with AGF and AGF’s strategic partners, allowing the entities to gain the most benefit from the interns and at the same time, interns gain their valuable experience and establish long lasting relations that will grow within the global network of our Foundation.
    Students may be from any academic major.

Participating Companies
    AGF’s Internship Program is administered by AGF. AGF’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status allows anyone to provide financial contributions to the program tax-deductible. Through a corporate sponsorship or donation, AGF’s Internship program is able to send its students participants to AGF’ strategic partners, including government entities that benefit directly from the intern’s bilingual ability and dedicated work ethic. Corporate and others donations go toward the cost of providing students airfare, housing and program administration.
    AGF’s program provides unique opportunities to talented students who would not have otherwise been able to participate in the program or have never traveled outside their country due to economic limitations. AGF is ready to provide a package of benefits to corporate sponsors and other program contributors.

Letter or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between

Americas Global Foundation
                and the
                University _______________

In an attempt to formalize the relationship between Americas Global Foundation (AGF) and the University ________                 the following guidelines are agreed upon by both parties.

(NOTE: Americas Global Foundation (AGF) formerly was The Americas Foundation (TAF)

University’s Responsibilities
    Promote AGF’s Internship and Leadership Development Program on campus and outside.
    Recruit suitable candidates for the AGF’s program.
    Select finalists for the AGF’s program.
    Assist students in securing possible entities for financial assistance if needed. The funds will cover, housing, personal insurance, the daily subsistence expenses, i.e., food, local transportation and incidentals. (The        
    amount of the housing* and airfare* cost for each student must be at AGF’s office in Washington, Dc at least
    15 days prior to student’s departure for Washington, DC.)
    Assist in identification of companies that might be interested in receiving students as interns.
    Grant academic or social service credit for the AGF’s Internship experience.
    Prepare students for departure through university-sponsored orientation sessions regarding cultural issues.
    Pay to AGF the placement, administration and monitoring program fee for each student selected to represent the university. (The fee* must be in AGF’s office in Washington, DC at least 15 days prior to the date of         
    student’s departure to Washington, DC.)
    File a signed letter of understanding with AGF
* The amount for each of these items vary according to various factors, such as: time duration of internship program and airport of origin of student.

Americas Global Foundation’s responsibilities
    Manage the administrative components of AGF’s Internship and Leadership Development program
    Develop program structure, agenda, to include budget, evaluation process and growth.
    Market AGF’s Internship program to prospective university students, corporate members and other entities.
    Participate in student interview and selections process
    Assist with the logistics of student flights, health insurance.
    Manage the students housing during program
    Enlist corporate sponsors to fund the program and to accept corporate interns.
    Implement student application and screening process.
    Place students in AGF’s programs and with government agencies, corporations and other entities taking into     account the need and interests of both students and companies /organizations.
    Complete agreement forms between AGF and all participants.
    Conduct a pre-internship orientation session to prepare students for their experience in the AGF’s Internship     program.
    Maintain close contact with the university coordinators, interns, sponsors, companies, entities and all other          participants to facilitate communication.
    Monitor each and all interns during program
    Provide appropriate follow-up with all AGF members, and staff who have participated in and contributed to the     program (evaluation, thank-you letters, etc.)
    Manage any conflicts that arise
    Complete a final report for each AGF’s internship group.


SOME Benefits our program offers

University
    Offers a unique, international internship experience for their students
    Provides students a practical experience to complement academic studies
    Creates an opportunity to share in the development and education of future leaders who will possess the    
    necessary tools to create beneficial economic, government, cultural relations between our two countries.
    Exposes their students to the exceptional international working environment in Washington, DC, broadening      opportunities for future employment.
    Participation in a program praised by government and business leaders of both countries and supported by
    the US and your country’s private sector and government representatives.
    Enhances the relationships between the university, the government and private sector through interaction with      students.

Students
    Serve as ambassadors and representatives of their university and country.
    Participate in a unique, international internship program which combines the development of skills in the    
    areas of business, culture, commerce, and government.
    Gain and appreciation and sensitivity for cultural issues.
    Perfect foreign language skills
    Share knowledge of their country with their team workers and others
    Serve the host entities as a valuable resource and expert on their native country.
    Gain exposure to methods of conducting business, programs and projects in the United States, specifically in      Washington, DC.
    Learn about a specific industry or government entity by interning for a AGF’s placed entity
    Gain an overview of US-your country’s business / government relations through contact with AGF multiple         
    projects, programs and events and AGF’s strategic partners.
    Increase individual marketability for entry to the workforce.

Sponsoring Companies
    Contribute to a program which has the potential to create stronger positive business and government ties          between the people of our two nations.
    Receive the assistance of a bilingual, highly educated and enthusiastic university student for the internship    
    time program.
    Expose their employees to an intern from another country, thus helping them learn about another culture and     other ways of doing business.
    Utilize the intern as a resource of knowledge about their native country.
    Gain the perspective of an international student on different business issues.
    Evaluate the intern’s performance during the internship to determine future possibilities for employment.
    Contribute to the educational, economic and political empowerment of Latin American countries and        
    Hispanics in the United States through our future “Empowerment -Agents of Change.”

AGF's Alumni Association
    The AGF’s Internship Alumni Association is established as a means of creating a dynamic hemispheric and      global network among the past, present, and future participants of the program as well as with AGF's     
    membership, associates, strategic partners and others.
    When our alumni return to their cities and countries of origin, AGF will continue providing logistic support to    
    help them achieve their personal professional goals. Accordingly, we will encourage them to actively    
    participate in our growing hemispheric and global network through Internet and other technology.
    We plant to provide our alumni the tools and communications support for them to become what we call    
    "Empowerment -Agents of Change;" thereby, contributing to the economic, educational, social and political
    empowerment of the people of Latin America, the Caribbean and Hispanics in the United States.


Some Additional Benefits
    Participants in the AGF’s Internship Program share a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Corporate supervisors feel that students contribute significantly to their companies by completing special projects and offering their country’s perspective on different business issues. Others have a chance to learn more about the student’s homeland and to practice their language skills.
    The students benefit greatly from the experience of putting theory into practice and from the opportunity of living in the United States, which for many of them may be their first.
    The program encompasses many areas that cross the government, historical, cultural, political, and economic ties that have always existed between our countries.
    Participation in the AGF’s Internship Program is a win-win-win program for all.

Anyone interested in working with The Americas Foundation as an Intern or Volunteer or Representative, we invite you to help us expand our "Empowerment -agents of Change"  EACILD program throughout the Americas or to contribute donate resources for this or any of the other AGF's projects or programs; please contact us.

[Note: Americas Global Foundation (AGF) was The Americas Foundation (TAF)]