The Volunteer Adventure Corps was founded, in part, to satisfy a growing demand for practical internships in Cape Town, South Africa. As our motto goes, by interning in South Africa, you are doing “something exceptional for your resume.” Any one of our diverse selection of VACorps-sponsored internships is guaranteed to catch the attention of employers. Yet, we felt it necessary to offer our participants more than basic internship placement services. Considering that Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we also wanted to ensure that our participants experience all that this city has to offer. So we challenged ourselves to create a curriculum that combines professional exposure with African adventure. Under our guided watch, participants won’t waste a single day in Africa.
VACorps is also the proud partner of IE3 Global Internships, a program based out of the Pacific Northwest. If you are a student at one of the following schools, please refer to the IE3 homepage to learn more about how you can receive a semester's worth of credits to participate in one of our VACorps-sponsored internships:
Schools affiliated with IE3: University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, Portland State University, Eastern Oregon University, Lane Community College, University of Washington, Central Washington University, Western Washington University, University of Utah, and University of Alaska.
Visit the IE3 website here:
We are also members of NAFSA: The Association of International Educators. NAFSA is the leading professional association promoting the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States.
We are academic partners with Pacific University School of Occupational Therapy in 2007. Should you be a student enrolled in this program, please contact Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Sandra Pellham-Foster, to learn more about how you can receive credit to participate in our professional internship program.
But who are the individuals behind the Volunteer Adventure Corps?
Oliver Hagan
Director
Oliver graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 with a BA in Journalism and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. Oliver’s path to Cape Town originated when he decided to spend his junior year studying abroad at the University of Cape Town. From his first few days in the country, Oliver fell in love with his surroundings. It is for this very reason that he feels so strongly about providing VACorps participants with the necessary support and information to have a memorable overseas experience. His personal volunteer experiences include teaching English to 5th graders in the Khayelitsha Township and working as a writing tutor for students speaking English as a second language. Oliver has a working knowledge of several South African languages, including Xhosa and Afrikaans. When not engaged in VACorps affairs, Oliver can be found surfing one of Cape Town's many amazing waves.
Read the Journal of the VACorps Program Director to learn more about Oliver's role as director of our internship program.
Contact Oliver at: oliver@vacorps.com
Sean Walpole
Director
Sean Walpole graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2002 with a Bachelor of Social Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Sean is a South African with extensive experience working with international students and university professors, and describes his position at the VACorps as his dream job. Sean has a passion for travel and an insatiable desire for exploration. Since 2001 Sean has organized and led trips to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and along the Garden Route in South Africa. He has also provided the logistical support for university enclave programs, including most recently, a class from American University. In his spare time, Sean has also managed to teach more than 150 people to scuba dive! He is one of the most enthusiastic, hard-working individuals you will ever meet!
Contact Sean at: sean@vacorps.com
Alex Hesketh
Participant Coordinator
Alex was born and raised in the Kwazulu/Natal province of South Africa, and moved to Cape Town in 2000 to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. After five years of of gruelling study at UCT, he placed his studies on hold in 2005 to travel the high seas while working on luxury private yachts. This unforgettable experience instilled within him a great interest and love for the people and places around our planet. For this very reason, Alex is perfectly suited for his role at VACorps; he schedules all weekly social activities and runs arrival orientation. Alex works on his Master's thesis when not coordinating activities for VACorps.
Tyson Neukirch
Program Development Director
Tyson joined the VACorps team in July 2007 and is fortunate enough to focus his work on developing the Mozambique Program. A student of International Studies and Planning, Public Policy, and Management at the University of Oregon, USA, Tyson has dedicated his studies and his professional life to the non-profit sector. He has lived and worked in nine states and six countries, including Mozambique, Angola, South Africa, Guatemala and Mexico. With experience in education, youth development, public health, and sustainable agriculture, Tyson is actively locating NGOs and community based development organizations in Mozambique that would like to partner with VACorps to create a profoundly meaningful internship program experience.
Contact Tyson at: tyson@vacorps.com
Melinda Hoffman
Research and Development
Melinda joined the VACorps team in September 2007 after graduating from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism: Advertising. Her primary academic focus was on the management and research side of marketing. She was drawn to South Africa, and Cape Town specifically, because of its unique culture and climate. During her stay Melinda is working on developing a new VACorps program called the Africa Photo Academy, which is an interesting and eye-opening traveling safari expedition catered to photojournalism students. Apart from traveling, her passions are hiking and taking photographs. Having been born in Alaska, she enjoys everything nature has to offer.
Contact Melinda at: melinda@africaphotoacademy.com
