STUDY ABROAD & FIELD IMMERSION PROGRAM
GHEF’s Study Abroad & Field Immersion Program exemplifies our commitment to advancing equity through education, connection, and lived experience. Launched in partnership with Montana State University Billings and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences in Bavaria, this program began with a cross-Atlantic exploration of the Syrian refugee crisis. Students prepared through coursework on communication, human rights, and health equity before traveling to Germany to conduct filmed interviews with refugees — building firsthand understanding of how migration shapes health and access to care.
The program continues to evolve, with upcoming modules incorporating mental health, trauma literacy, and ecological determinants of health in collaboration with German and Swiss institutions. Facilitator training on participatory field research is also available, equipping educators and community leaders to guide students through these transformative learning experiences. We invite you to explore highlights of this program and to contact us for technical support or to discuss partnerships in adapting similar study or field immersion opportunities.
Filmic Educational Tool:
A short film serving as a community education tool and student classroom resource, exploring cultural boundaries through storytelling and journalism.The film documents the 2019 study abroad journey of Montana State University Billings journalism students to Germany, where they attended cultural forums, engaged in symposia in Würzburg and Bonn, and trained inculturally specific interview techniques with director Faisal Attrache.Through hands-on workshops, they learned about storytelling, diversity,sensitivity, and interviewing—skills that informed their interactions with displaced communities and shaped their understanding of global narratives.
