Service Exchange Internship #1—HIV/AIDS Care and Education

One Yale student will be paired with a student from New Asia College to work in the field of HIV/AIDS care and education. The pair of interns will spend four weeks in Hong Kong, where they will work at the Red Ribbon Centre, an AIDS education, resource and research centre established by the Hong Kong Department of Health. The pair will then travel to New Haven together and work at Leeway, Inc., a nursing home for people living with HIV/AIDS. At Leeway, the students will work with residents, helping organize activities and teaching work and life skills. Chinese language skills are not required for this internship.

About Red Ribbon Centre

Red Ribbon Centre is an AIDS education, resource and research centre established by the Department of Health, under the sponsorship of the AIDS Trust Fund, Hong Kong. Among its objectives are to promote community participation in AIDS education and research and to develop AIDS-education programs. While in Hong Kong, students will live in a dormitory on the campus of New Asia College at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

About Leeway

Leeway, Inc. in New Haven is Connecticut's first and only skilled nursing home dedicated solely to the treatment of people living with AIDS. Since 1995, Leeway has provided compassionate, individualized medical care for more than 500 people living with HIV/AIDS. Leeway provides short- or long-term sub-acute, respite and terminal care, as well as palliative treatment. Leeway provides significant psycho-social support to its residents through substance abuse counseling, life skills training, and various support groups and activities. Leeway is committed to providing residents with a safe, nurturing environment that promotes quality of life and dignity for each individual with a focus on the integration of body, mind and spirit through mutual respect among residents and caregivers. Leeway currently has about 40 residents. While in New Haven, students will live in an apartment inside a house in the East Rock neighborhood.

Interns’ projects

During their time at Red Ribbon Centre, the interns will help to conduct public surveys related to HIV policy and patterns in Hong Kong, as well as assisting with other projects and research. At Leeway the interns will work directly with residents, helping to organize activities for them, as well as teaching work and life skills.

Qualifications

Candidates need to be people-oriented, sensitive to cultural differences, flexible and independent. Applicants should also be enthusiastic about hosting the Hong Kong students in New Haven for part of the summer. Although Chinese language skills are not required for this internship, knowledge of Mandarin or Cantonese would be a plus for the intern’s work at Red Ribbon Centre in Hong Kong.

Funding

Yale participants in the public service exchange will receive round-trip airfare to Hong Kong, as well as free housing in both Hong Kong and New Haven. In Hong Kong the interns will stay in dormitory accommodations on the campus of New Asia College at The Chinese University of Hong Kong; in New Haven they will live together in an off-campus apartment. Students will also receive a modest stipend in both places to help defray the costs of their commuting and daily living expenses.