There are hundreds of examples of how the Denver International Program has helped its international interns enrich their home communities when they return. Here are just a few …

• A black prosecuting attorney in South Africa who once had to attend a segregated college under armed guard, received a promotion after his internship with the Denver District Attorney’s office. He hopes to be a political leader in his country someday.
• Several Mexican community foundation executives who have taken advantage of the Mexican Foundation Leaders Program have used their new knowledge and contacts to better serve the needs of their local communities in Mexico. A community foundation in Puebla, for example, increased its resources for funding community services by more than 500 percent.
• A Romanian policy maker -- who remembers standing in long lines to get small rations of bread and milk for her baby daughter under the Ceausescu regime -- recently received her masters degree in community justice administration and was admitted to a Ph.D. program in criminology, due in part to her experience working with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office.
• A social worker and teacher from Ghana went home with new skills for obtaining funding for the pre-school he and his wife founded for local children who could not otherwise afford to attend. Since returning, he has able to grown his school from supporting 50 low-income preschoolers to supporting more than 150!
• A computer technician from Kenya increased his information technology skills while working in Denver, and he now plans to start his own computer training school to help more Africans gain the technological skills needed to succeed in today’s world.
• Two university professors from China enhanced their ability to teach China’s future leaders in government and social work by increasing their knowledge of English and American perspectives.
• A journalist from Norway learned new marketing and English writing skills to apply to the social work journal she edits and writes.
• A human rights activist from Guinea learned new community organization skills to apply to her quest for social justice.
• Numerous German social workers have helped rebuild their country after World War II with the new social services skills they learned in the U.S.

Our Community is Enriched too...

• A Ghanaian rural bank executive has helped Denver-based MicroBusiness Development Corporation create a course in micro-finance for the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies.
• A teacher from Tanzania walked the streets of Denver offering help to homeless teenagers, while working with Denver’s Urban Peak.
• An advertising executive from Ghana provided new ideas to help the Conflict Center spread its message of nonviolent solutions.
• An English professor from China helped the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning train refugees and immigrants on becoming productive U.S. citizens.
• Social workers from Germany have provided much-needed assistance to families and communities at Denver Human Services, Lutheran Family Services, Denver Urban Gardens, The Bridge Project, and much more.

...The stories go on and on.

Praise from program participants

“I want to tell you that the Program for me was great, and that it gave me the big possibility to learn more about you, as country, organizations, foundations, and human kindness. That´s real!

“And also wanted to tell you that I felt real good with all of you, and with all the people we met there. They were all great.”
— Olga, Foundation Executive, Mexico

“Thank you again for everything you did for me and our group, it was a great program and I would participate again. I sometimes miss Denver and our Friday meetings.”
— Elke, Germany

“I take this opportunity to express my heart felt appreciation and gratitude to you and everybody in DIP who in diverse ways made my stay in Denver, Colorado a happy and enjoyable one.

“It is my wish to have further training in future with DIP. May the good Lord keep and richly bless you all.

“Thanks a thousand times (ME DA MO ASE PAA).”
— Johnny, Bank Manager, Ghana

“I would say that the first thing that I learned in Denver, is how a Community Foundation works. Because this is a new concept in Mexico, there are several types of foundations, very few work as well as the Community Foundations do it in Denver. … I also learned a lot about human relations and how important is each person for the foundation, practically many of them have the capacity to help the foundation. Also the relations and the friendship I had with so many people of Denver will be of a great help to us.”
— Pedro, Executive Director of a Community Foundation, Mexico

“Estimada Lyn, te agradezco todas las atenciones que tuviste para con
nosotros, en verdad fue un viaje en el que aprendimos mucho y pudimos tener lazos entre otras organizaciones además de conocer personas tan valiosas.

“Te felicito por lo bien organizado que estuvo todo y te mando mi admiración hacia el trabajo que realizas, en verdad muy profesional.”
—Roberto, Board member of a Community Foundation Mexico