INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP APPLICATION 2013
The Black Law Students Association and TiMap for Justice has come together for the upcoming BLSA International Service Trip. The trip will take place in and around Freetown, Sierra Leone be-‐ ginning March 11th, 2013 and ending on March 17th, 2013. In order to be selected as a member of the service project candidates must complete this application and email the necessary compo-‐ nents to service@uvablsa.org by January 25, 2013. Late submissions will not be accepted. Infor-‐ mation regarding the duties of the participants, the benefits of becoming a participant, the appli-‐ cation requirements and the selection process are listed below. Please direct any questions or concerns to BLSA Community Service Chair, Andrea Canfield at service@uvablsa.org. Participant Benefits Those selected to participate in this service trip will have the possibility of the following: • Pro Bono Hours (which can amount to over 50) • Field Experience (working with international paralegals) • Resume Boost (highly important for future OGI interviews) • Increased understanding of multinational/transnational corporations • Gain Experience in legal research • Ability to compare public/private sector legal work
2012 UVA BLSA
• Develop legal contacts
• Present legal topics and issues (both at the law school and abroad) Participant Duties Participants will be required to: • Attend all mandatory trip and project meetings (at most five) • Complete all assignments given (at most three)
• Participate in the April Luncheon (brief synopsis of each participants work) • Research Sierra Leone Culture & Dualist Legal System • Maintain a professional demeanor throughout the trip abroad Eligibility Requirement This trip is open to all 1L, 2L, and 3L dues paying members of BLSA. Additionally, each se-‐ lected member must be in good standing with the university.
International Service Trip Details By providing legal advice, mediation and advocacy TiMap for Justice aims to increase the strength of the legal system in Sierra Leone. The organization has several offices throughout the country that house dozens of paralegals and support staff. TiMap has adopted a flexible approach to tackling these issues and has solicited the help of several United States Universities including Harvard. Most volunteers center their work around cer-‐ tain objectives. At the request of TiMap, this year’s service trip has two objectives. The first objective of this trip is to increase the legal knowledge of TiMap staff. In or-‐ der to do this, students will be asked to compile short summaries that cover the major are-‐ as of Contract, Tort, Criminal and Human Rights law. Students will later present these summaries to members of TiMap in “session form.” These sessions will occur in Sierra Leo-‐ ne in March. The second objective of this trip is to provide assistance to the organization through scholarship. Currently TiMap members are struggling to find a solution to the lack of legal accountability amongst multinational and transnational corporations in Sierra Leo-‐ ne. Although these entities are given permission to use the country’s resources, villages, crops and communities are disadvantaged as a result. Students will research how other countries handle this problem and what logical solutions are available. As part of their re-‐ search, students will shadow paralegals and visit communities that have been impacted by these entities while in Sierra Leone. The final product will be presented during a lunchtime symposium at the law school in April. Application Process Applications are Due by midnight on January 25, 2013 A completed application will include 1) the identification page, 2) the commitment page, 3) current resume and 4) required essay. Judgment Process The top five candidates, or the candidates with the top five highest points, will be selected to participate in the International Service Trip. Applications will be judged in the following categories: 1) Holistically a. The Selection committee is looking for diverse individuals, therefore your ho-‐ listic score will take into account past experiences, past achievements, current
affiliations and hobbies as well as how well rounded the individual is. This is where a candidate’s resume will help guide the committee. 2) Essay a. The essay will be graded based on writing style, effort, competence, unique-‐ ness of thought, and if necessary whether the candidate effectively made their point. Added research, terminology or base understanding of the topic will not help the candidate. The selection committee is not judging essays based on how well a candidate can research a topic; this section will be judged on how well the author writes. 3) Interview a. Each candidate will have an 8-‐minute interview with the selection committee. The committee will be assessing how well each candidate orally advocates for him/herself. The questions for each candidate may vary but all will center on professionalism, commitment and motivation. 4) Dedication to Community Service a. Each candidate should be aware of the fact that committing to a career in pub-‐ lic service is not necessary to be selected for this trip nor will it be a deciding factor. Those entering a career in public service will however gain recognition for their commitment. A candidate that is dedicated to community service, human rights interests, non-‐profit organizations, philanthropy or volunteerism will gain the same amount of recognition. Notably, it is far more important that a candidate be committed to the Black Law Students Association than an-‐ ything. The following application materials should be returned to Andrea Canfield at ser-‐ vice@uvablsa.org. Although your name will be attached to the email, all applications will be judged blind. P LEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON ANY OF THE MATERIALS YOU TURN IN. Thank you for applying and Good Luck!
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP 2013 IDENTIFICATION PAGE Last 4 digits of Social Security number _____________ *please include this on all application documents Name: _____________________________________ Graduation Year: ______________ E-‐mail Address: _______________________________ Phone No.: ___________________________________ Address:________________________________________________
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP 2013 COMMITMENT PAGE I, ____________________________________________ promise to abide by the following: print name 1) I will travel with the University of Virginia School of Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) to Free-‐ town, Sierra Leone, from March 11 to March 18, 2013 and do any work that TiMap for Justice or the trip leaders require of me. 2) I will meet all deadlines for assignments, meetings or fundraising. 3) I will conduct research as needed before departure, not less than 10 hours and not more than 20 hours. I will also do whatever follow-‐up work is necessary after the trip. These hours can be counted as pro bono hours (make sure to log these hours with the law school’s pro bono office so they can count toward the 75-‐hour pro bono challenge). 4) I will attend a mandatory informational meeting at a date and time yet to be determined. 5)
I will participate in the April Luncheon.
6)
I will uphold the same standard of behavior throughout the duration of the trip as is required by the Uni-‐ versity of Virginia School of Law.
________________________________________________ Signature
__________________________ Date
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP 2013 ESSAY REQUIREMENTS PAGE “No other continent has endured such an unspeakably bizarre combination of foreign thievery and foreign goodwill [as Africa has].” -‐Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
In no more than one page, write an essay addressing the above quote. The essay must be single spaced, 1” margins and in times new roman font. These are the only requirements of the essay portion. Indeed, a candidate can write a paragraph, a poem, an op-‐ed, or a narrative and still succeed in successfully completing this application. Unique-‐ ness will be rewarded heavily.
PLEASE NOTE: Your essay will not be graded based on your knowledge of the book, the author or any extra research you do. You will be graded on how well written your final product is. Nonetheless, you are free to do any research you want.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP 2013 INTERVIEW SIGN UPS Each Service Trip candidate must sign up for an interview slot by:
Noon on January 29, 2013. The signup sheet will be located on the door of the BLSA office. All interviews will take place in the BLSA office. There is no need for any candidate to dress in formal or business casual attire. If you are late to your assigned slot, two points will be subtracted from your total score. If you fail to sign up for an interview your score will be tallied without it.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE TRIP 2013 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS [ ] Identification Page [ ] Commitment Page [ ] Resume (use blind number) [ ] Essay (use blind number) [ ] Interview Sign Up (not due until 1/29/13)