BCST Field School to Ireland and Scotland

Description

Spend three transformative weeks exploring Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland through an immersive international field school focused on child and youth care, social care systems, community wellbeing, and relational practice. Based in Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, students will engage with community organizations, universities, practitioners, and cultural sites while learning about trauma-informed practice, youth justice, peacebuilding, social policy, and community development in international contexts.

This experiential learning opportunity combines travel, cultural immersion, reflective practice, and community-engaged learning. Students will visit local programs and agencies, participate in workshops and guided discussions, explore historical and cultural landmarks, and collaborate on community-focused projects connected to child and youth wellbeing.

Designed for students interested in social justice, global perspectives, relational practice, and intercultural learning, this field school offers a unique opportunity to develop professional skills, build meaningful connections, and deepen understanding of how communities support children, youth, and families across diverse social and cultural contexts.

Courses

Interested students should confirm their ability to use both courses for credits with their academic advisor prior to joining the field school.

Participants in the field school will be enrolled in the following course:

CHST 3401: Community Collaboration with Children, Youth and Families

Calendar Description (6 credits)

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the development of community-based projects in a diverse socio-cultural setting where students will learn alongside children, youth, and families. Students will develop skills related to needs assessment, planning and enacting projects, and program evaluation. Students will explore theories and practices of leadership, team building, managing change and collaboration with others. Intercultural and interpersonal communication will be nurtured. 

The course will be delivered using experiential learning principles, acknowledged as critical for excellence in undergraduate education. Experiential learning means learning from experience or learning by doing. This approach involves immersing learners in an experience and reflecting about the experience in order to develop new skills and new ways of thinking. Experiential learning endeavours to make connections between learning and the real world and for learners may demand self-discovery, purposeful endeavour, reflection, meaningful relationships, and venturing beyond ones’ established comfort zone.

Additional Requirements: Students wishing to use it as a GNED must meet the following prerequisite(s): ELCC 1104 or CYCC 1132 or one of GNED 1301, GNED 1303, GNED 1304 or approval of the department. GNED Cluster 3 - Tier 3 (6 cr)

Additional Requirements: Students who are planning to use this Field School as their CHST Capstone course (CHST 5101/CHST 5202) must have successfully completed CHST 3202, and achieved a minimum grade of C in CHST 3206.

Information Sessions

For more information, attend a scheduled information session:

Monday, October 5	12 - 1 pm	T107
Thursday, October 8	12 - 1 pm	T107
Wednesday, October 14	10 - 11 am	Virtual

 

If you are unable to attend a scheduled information session please contact the field school instructors for more information.

Application Deadline

November 13, 2026 at 4 pm

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants will be notified of their application status by November 27, 2026.

Application Process

To apply for this field school, submit the following by the application deadline:

• Field School Application Form (with all requested supporting documents attached in PDF format)
• Statement of Intent (Maximum 500 Words)
  
  • Your Statement of Intent should clearly and concisely address the following:
    • Why you are interested in participating in the Ireland & Scotland Field School;
    • What you hope to gain academically and personally from this experience;
    • How this field school aligns with your program of study and/or future professional goals;
    • How you will use this field school for graduation purposes (CHST 5101/5202 Capstone or two Tier 3 GNEDs);
    • Relevant coursework, experiences, or skills that demonstrate your readiness for international group travel;
    • Past travel experiences and how they have prepared you to manage the responsibilities of international travel;
    • Your plan for funding this field school experience.
• Unofficial MRU Transcript
  • Available through MyMRU. Please ensure the transcript reflects your most current academic work.
• Academic Reference
  • Please provide the full name and email of one academic reference that may be contacted.

Note: The supporting documents outlined above as well as those outlined in the Field School Application Form itself must be attached to the application form as PDFs at the time of submission in order for your application to be considered complete.

Before applying for a field school, students should ensure they have familiarized themselves with the general field school requirements and policies.

Program Costs

BCST Ireland & Scotland Field School Program Fees - $4,843.00

These program fees include the following:

• Accommodation;
• Local ground transportation during the field school;
• Airport transfers abroad;
• All course-related excursions, visits, activities;
• Faculty expenses and MRU administration fees.

Program fees are payable online or in person at the Office of the Registrar (A101), according to the payment deadlines outlined in the following table. Instructions on making the deposits will be provided to successful applicants.

1st deposit*	December 2, 2026	$1000
2nd deposit	January 20, 2027	$1922
3rd deposit	March 10, 2027	$1921

*Initial program fee is non-refundable and secures the participant's place in the program. Possibility of subsequent deposits due to withdrawal from the program will be assessed and determined at the time of withdrawal according to the field school refund policy. 

Program fees do not include tuition or additional expenses. See below.

 

MRU Tuition & General Fees

MRU tuition and fees for CHST 3401 are in addition to the program fees and will be assessed to each student's account in April, 2027. They are payable to MRU by the spring 2027 fee payment deadline. The MRU Tuition & Fee Schedules can be viewed here.

 

Additional Student Expenses

Students are responsible for all additional expenses not included in the program fees, such as: return airfare, trip cancellation & interruption insurance, meals & incidentals, Out of Country Travel Health and Medical Insurance, passport & travel documents, travel essentials, personal spending and emergency funds.

Estimates of additional student costs are available at the Information Sessions and from the instructors or International Education.

Financial Assistance

BCST Ireland & Scotland field school participants will receive a $1500 grant from the MRU International Mobility Award to use towards the costs associated with the field school. Further information about this grant, other grants and student loan funding for field schools can be found here.

Contact Information

Michelle Briegel - mbreigel@mtroyal.ca

Monica Pauls - mpauls@mtroyal.ca

Angie Smith - asmith@mtroyal.ca

Trinda Guillet (International Education) - tguillet@mtroyal.ca