Community Impact Week: Building Bridges Through Service

It’s CIEE Community Impact Week and we are celebrating the power of community embodied by the CIEE Community Impact Initiative, a commitment made last November to expand our mission to build bridges of peace by helping students engage with local communities through meaningful service-learning activities in all 45 CIEE Centers.  

All around the world, this semester more than 350 CIEE students are working with 160 CIEE community impact partner organizations to make positive contributions to their host communities.

At CIEE Cape Town, for example, where CIEE will host its first Community Impact Initiative Poster Competition as part of our Annual Study Abroad Conference this November, students have been working with a range of organizations on food security, youth development, and education including:

• Through Ladles of Love, students are providing meals while also supporting educational initiatives for Cape Town youth.
• Students are helping distribute food through Meals on Wheels to individuals and families in vulnerable situations.
• Students are planting a garden at Rainbow of Hope, a sanctuary offering physical, emotional and educational support to children in need.
• In partnership with Christine Revell Children’s Home, students are contributing to a warm, friendly, and nurturing environment for children facing hardship.

Community Impact Initiative Poster Presentations

This week the impact of CIEE students will stretch across the globe, with notable activities in several countries including:

• At CIEE Seoul, students will participate in an event at Yonsei University featuring student and partner presentations and reflections of their collaborative work.
• A showcase event at CIEE Lisbon featuring partners from ReFood and +Skillz along with student poster presentations.
• CIEE Seville students will present their posters at a service fair featuring numerous local organizations and open to all students.
• Students at CIEE Sydney will prepare and serve breakfast alongside Will2Live outside Central Station.
• At CIEE Buenos Aires, students will visit Fundación Sí to help cook food to be distributed among homeless individuals.

The students with the best presentations will be invited to share their poster at the 2026 CIEE Study Abroad Conference in Cape Town, South Africa this November.

Students Growing as Global Citizens

CIEE Cape Town student Ma’ayan, from Brown University, shared that serving alongside community impact partners and fellow students helped her recognize her role within the larger global community.

“Our world is bigger than just our country. It’s important that we explore other communities,” said Ma’ayan. 

 CIEE students are reflecting on their growing understanding of local communities, their needs, and the meaningful relationships they are building through service while studying abroad.

We look forward to sharing additional stories from our students and international partners as the Community Impact Initiative continues to grow.

You can follow along this week on our website and on social media using #cieecommunityimpactinitiative.