Buenos Aires IFP 2008

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Poverty, Youth and the City

2008 will be the seventh year of the Buenos Aires IFP, where up to 10 students will learn firsthand about Buenos Aires’ social, economic and cultural development. Students will work with the University of Buenos Aires or Fundación SES, an NGO dedicated to development issues and with close links to the local NGO network.

The Faculty of Architecture and Urban Development of University of Buenos Aires will lead internships related to development projects in deprived areas of metropolitan Buenos Aires.

Fundación SES will lead internships related to developing research and active, practical field experience in youth education and work, local development and ongoing scale projects.

Argentina represents an interesting case of a middle-income developing country recovering from a recent economic crisis. The 2001 crisis was the culmination of a long period of neo-liberal policies and social impoverishment. During this period, almost all public services were privatized and had weak regulation systems. The voice of civil society was absent in that process and is still out of the picture. Throughout this structural crisis, however, cultural expression remained strong and increased, particularly in the city of Buenos Aires.

The 2008 Buenos Aires IFP will give the students the opportunity to integrate their GPIA classroom education with practical fieldwork and instruction on the ground on Urban Development and Education, Local Development and Youth Participation.

Language requirement: Spanish


Please visit the Buenos Aires 2008 student page.