Strasbourg, France is a city where the current generation of European Union leaders come together to build a better world. It’s also the host city of the Sullivan Foundation’s upcoming Study Abroad France program designed for another group of leaders: American college students who will discover, explore and develop their own hidden superpowers as the innovators and changemakers of the next generation.

Click here to learn more and apply for Study Abroad France.

The program, which runs from June 25 through July 23 in Strasbourg, offers students a lifechanging opportunity to perfect their leadership skills and drive impact entrepreneurship and innovation through a trio of courses specifically created with college-student changemakers in mind.

And while there, students can even walk the corridors of the headquarters of the European Parliament and maybe even brush shoulders with some of the EU’s most powerful figures.

Created in partnership with the CEPA Foundation, this engaging and interactive study-abroad program combines classroom instruction with high-profile guest lectures, visits and excursions. Open to students of all majors, it offers practical training in areas such as:

  • Leadership
  • Stakeholder analysis
  • Strategic planning
  • Goal-setting
  • Mediation
  • Social responsibility
  • Intercultural negotiation

At the end of the program, students will be better prepared for future careers as leaders in a globalized world.

Students will live, study, eat and collaborate at the European Study Center Chateau de Pourtales, a 250-year-old fairytale castle located in a beautiful park just minutes from major EU institutions and Strasbourg’s historical center. They will share rooms with fellow changemakers at the chateau, enjoy catered French breakfasts every morning and embark on unforgettable adventures across France as well as trips to nearby Germany, including the historic city of Heidelberg.

Related: “You can change the world”: Students reflect on Sullivan study-abroad experiences

Visiting the Louvre

Most important is the unparalleled learning opportunity provided by the program. In the study-abroad courses, students will explore four concepts critical to leading change:

  1. Leadership in Practice
  2. Effective Community Engagement and Assessment
  3. Principles of Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  4. Storytelling and Communicating for Change

Participants will take two courses and can receive 6 academic credits that can be applied to their home university. Here’s an overview of the courses:

Leading for Impact & Innovation: Offered during the first two weeks of the program, this dynamic course will be taught by Spud Marshall, the Sullivan Foundation’s director of student engagement, and Dr. Jody Holland, assistant professor of public policy leadership at the University of Mississippi. It will introduce students to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship—applying the principles of free enterprise to building stronger communities and supporting social causes that matter to you. Students will develop their individual and collective capacities to innovate and implement impactful, sustainable and scalable methods of solving society’s most pressing problems. Each student will develop their own original blueprint for social innovation and change while working with local partners and businesses.

“This course is going to be exploring what it takes to really understand your leadership qualities and how you can lead in a way that makes a meaningful difference in the communities you care about,” Marshall said.

Click here for more details about the Leading for Impact & Innovation course.

Intercultural Communication: Offered as an alternative to the Leading for Impact & Innovation course during the first two weeks, this course, taught by the CEPA Foundation, introduces students to the key concepts and theories of international and intercultural communication. Being able to communicate effectively across diverse cultures empowers students to become upstanding citizens and successful leaders.

Leadership by Design: This course is required for the final two weeks of the program. It explores leadership philosophies and styles that will help students effectively interact in culturally appropriate and sustainable ways. Through readings, research, dialogue, critical analysis and interactive learning, participants will discover how they can be global leaders in a complex world.

The program fee is $5,790, but all students are eligible to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the CEPA Foundation, and any student from a Sullivan Foundation partner school is also eligible to apply for an additional $1,000 scholarship from the Sullivan Foundation itself. It’s important to apply as soon as possible for scholarships!

Applications for Sullivan Scholarships are evaluated based on financial need and the student’s reflection on identity, program goals and personal investment.

Click here to apply for a $1,000 Sullivan Foundation scholarship. The application deadline is March 15.

Click here to apply for a $1,000 CEPA Foundation scholarship. The application deadline is March 1.

Exploring the scenic beauty of Strasbourg

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