Students sitting at a table and painting
Students attending the School in Spain’s Fall 2024 “Stay Local” weekend in Madrid

Rather than traveling somewhere else for a weekend or break, students can opt to stay local and take advantage of this funding to get to know their host community, further their immersion experience, try something new, and reduce their environmental impact.

Thanks to the Provost’s Academic Council at Middlebury College and their Fund for Strategic Initiatives, any student studying at a Middlebury C.V. Starr School Abroad during the Spring 2025 semester can apply for Go Global, Stay Local funding. Explore this page to learn more about the funding and application process! Take a look at the FAQs below and feel free to email Asa Waterworth (awaterworth@middlebury.edu) any time with further questions.

Apply for funding today!

To apply, submit a 1-2 paragraph proposal of the local activity (or activities) that you would like to participate in, the estimated cost, and how the activities relate to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal(s). You can submit individual or collaborative group proposals for activities you might engage in solo, with classmates, with local friends, with members of your host families, or with any combination thereof. Only one person needs to fill out the form. Proposals must be submitted at least one week in advance of the proposed activity/activities.

Proposals will be reviewed and approved by Middlebury Schools Abroad staff. Students will be notified within a week of submission. After stay local activities have been completed, students must submit the following in order to be reimbursed:

  • A brief reflection on how they spent their time locally thanks to funding
  • Photos from their local activity/activities; videos and more creative content are welcome, too.
  • Itemized receipts and a completed reimbursement form

Photos and excerpts of reflections will be shared out via various Middlebury social media channels and may be used in Middlebury Schools Abroad promotional materials. We will also showcase this project and some of the activities that students participate in on the Sustainability section of Middlebury’s International Programs website.

Frequently Asked Questions

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This funding is available to undergraduate students (from Middlebury and other colleges and universities) and graduate students studying at one of the Middlebury Schools Abroad in Spring 2025.

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Funding is available for the Spring 2025 semester, from January 1st until mid/late June. Proposals can cover local activities on a Friday evening, Saturday, and/or Sunday, as well as activities over school breaks that you choose to spend in your host community rather than traveling elsewhere. 

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Something you can do within your host city that is accessible via public transportation, bike, scooter, or on foot. 

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Host a game night, invite classmates to a picnic, sign up for a Saturday morning fitness class with friends, take your host family to the movies, visit a museum you haven’t been to, host a themed dinner party in your residence hall, organize a beach clean up followed by brunch, etc. We encourage you to combine multiple ideas to create the ultimate weekend itinerary and can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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We expect that proposals will vary greatly based on activities, location, number of participants, and other variables. As a result, there is no maximum amount a student can apply for, but Middlebury Schools Abroad staff reserves the right to ask applicants to amend their proposed budget(s) if deemed necessary.

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Multiple proposals throughout the semester are welcome, but funding is not guaranteed. If funding remains, applications will be accepted through mid-June 2025.

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Of course! Only one person will need to fill out the proposal form, but you can and should include the names of other students in the form when prompted.

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Students will be expected to pay out of pocket for proposed activities and will be reimbursed upon the completion of the reflection and reimbursement forms. If collaborating with others on a proposal, we request that one person cover the costs upfront to simplify the reimbursement process. Reimbursements should take approximately 2 weeks via direct deposit to your US bank accountWe do not recommend requesting reimbursement via check.

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Most likely! Run your idea past program staff and Asa will be sure to loop them in when you submit your proposal.

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In the spirit of staying local and reducing travel-related emissions, we ask that you do not host visitors or friends visiting from other programs or sites while participating in funded stay local activities.

Two students smiling at the padel courts

Student Stories:

Will & Bryce, Madrid

On the second day of classes, Will and I signed up for a padél session at UC3M, and after playing for only thirty minutes, we knew we had to sign up for another. To cap off our first week of classes in Madrid, we joined another session in the southern part of the city that Friday evening. Four other people signed up with us, all of whom were expats, including our coach. It was a unique experience talking and playing with a diverse group in a place new to all of us. Through an hour of play, Will and I sharpened our understanding of the game, particularly the importance of a good lob, which helps slow the pace and can tempt opponents into mistakenly spiking the ball into the net.

After the session, our coach, Danny, treated us all to tapas at a local bar, where we shared stories and learned about one another’s backgrounds: Mike from Indonesia, Anouck from France, and Elena and Janou from Scotland. With both Danny and Elena being English teachers, our conversation naturally drifted toward the challenges of learning Spanish and the grammatical differences between languages. The entire experience was a reminder of how sports can be a catalyst for bringing people together, even when they come from different parts of the world.