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PXD Practicum

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Senior Ben Rush completed a practicum at Blacks Run Forest Farm in Harrisonburg, practicing a diverse array of skills, from plant cultivation and sustainable agriculture to ecology education and restorative justice practices.

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After you are admitted to EMU’s Peacebuilding & Development program, you will begin to discern your career aspirations and imagine a practicum experience that will help you achieve those goals.  The PXD program offers four different types of placements, which are outlined below.

  • International Peacebuilding & Development Practicum (IPDP)

    A grant-funded three-month summer internship program in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee in Colombia.  Students are placed with an Anabaptist peacebuilding partner organizations in the capital of Bogotá or outside of the capital on the Atlantic Coast and in the region of Cali (Pacific Coast).  These partners address a variety of topics, including psycho-social trauma work, documentation and research of human rights violations, and community development enterprises for re-establishing lives.

    Students apply for the practicum in early in the spring semester for placement the following summer.  Spanish ability is preferred.  Grant funds cover the cost of tuition, travel, room, and board.

    Benefit of this option: international peacebuilding and development experience with little to no cost to you; Spanish language immersion; gain knowledge and make connections for future work in Colombia and surrounding region

    Organizations in Colombia where DASS students have been placed:

    • Mencoldes
    • Coordinacion Eclesial para la Acción Psicosocial
  • Washington Community Scholar’s Center (WCSC)

    Share a house with a group of students in Washington D.C. while working at an urban internship and taking classes that meet CORE requirements.  The semester option costs the same as tuition and qualifies for all loans.  The summer option costs $7136 and only qualifies for the Stafford Loan.

    Benefits of this option: meet EMU CORE requirements; affordable city/work life experiences; make connections for future employment in D.C.

    WCSC internship placements for DASS students have included:

    Organizations in D.C. where we'd love to get a DASS student placed:

  • Local Placement

    Work for a local Harrisonburg organization while taking classes during the semester or during the summer.  During the semester this option is covered by tuition.  During the summer the cost of the credits is $350 - $1050 depending on how many you need to graduate.

    Benefit of this option: ability to maintain studies on EMU campus; gain knowledge and make connections for future employment in Harrisonburg

    Recent practicum agencies in Harrisonburg, VA include:

    • EMU’s Women’s Peacebuilding Leadership Program
    • Fairfield Center
    • Habitat for Humanity
    • New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center
    • Immigration and Refugee Program of Church World Service Harrisonburg
    • The Collins Center
    • Our Community Place
    • New Community Project
    • Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence at James Madison University
    • Center for Interfaith Engagement at EMU
    • Summer Peacebuilding Institute at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
  • Other Placements

    During the summer, work for a peacebuilding or community development organization in your hometown.  This option allows you to live at home, but the cost of the credit is $350 - $1050.

    Benefit of this option: save money by living at home; gain knowledge and make connections for future employment in your home community