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Are there sites/work that do not qualify for SIP?
There are many activities which could be learning experiences: a student could go camping for three weeks and test his mettle; a student could travel through France and keep a journal; a student could stay at home and read books for three weeks. These are learning experiences. BUT...they would not be SIP Projects. All learning experiences are not SIP Projects. SIP Projects have the following requirements:
An adult mentor must work with the student. This does not necessarily mean that the adult mentor is right there all the time by the student's side as she works. It does mean that the mentor is in frequent contact, is teaching the student, and is evaluating her work.
The adult mentor may not be a AFS Faculty member, a family member, or a close family friend. The purpose of SIP is to allow a student to develop a skill through work with a knowledgeable adult to challenge him to learn beyond the classroom. Working with a relative or a close family friend or working in an organization with a relative defeats the spirit of SIP. Family members may be the initial contact for students; they can help students arrange work with someone outside the family.
Students must work alone. One goal of SIP Options #1 and #3 is to challenge students to move out of their own “comfort zones” to face challenges on their own. Working with a friend undercuts the challenge. If a student is interested in traveling to another city or another country for a project, for safety and for financial reasons, he may live with another senior as long as each student is doing a different project.
Only under Option #2, an academic project with an AFS Faculty Member, are students permitted to work in groups.
Not all work and not all sites are acceptable. Preparing for a test or certification (paramedic, stock broker’s, driving, scuba diving, etc.) is not acceptable as a project. Nor are activities the school has identified as outside its educational mission e.g. learning to tend bar. Nor is a student permitted to be paid for SIP.
SIP must occur within the dates set aside for it. Trips or programs that fall outside of the set dates do not qualify for SIP. When students research their projects, they need to be aware of this time frame.
If a student has any question about the nature of her project, she should ask Kristine
Long, the SIP Coordinator. She is in the best position to answer your
question. Contact Kristine at klong@abingtonfriends.net or call
215-886-4350 ext. 4529 or see her in school.
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