Global Learning Experiences: India Study Abroad Orientation in Chicago
By Crown Family School
In July 2025, six students from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice began preparing for their India Study Abroad program with a four-day orientation held from July 14th to 17th in Chicago. The program provided the group with a glimpse into some of the socio-economic disparities in the city of Chicago, incorporating historical and cultural references to the origins of inequity. This preparation laid the foundation for their three-week immersion in Mumbai, India, which began on July 23, 2025 through August 15, 2025.
The Preparation for Global Learning
The orientation was designed to help students critically examine disparities and consider approaches to social justice-based solutions, both in Chicago and abroad in Mumbai.
As part of the program, Manish Jha, PhD, professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, visited the Crown Family School to provide cultural context about India and introduce the students to the complexities of social work in Mumbai. He addressed local community dynamics that shape the practice of social work, including living conditions, employment, family structures, religion, and the caste system.
“When you come to India, we will have a different session to familiarize you with about the complexity of the country, diversity, experiences of inclusion and exclusion,” Professor Jha said.
“You will get to know about the democracy in India, but the basic idea is that when we look at social work, there is a huge diversity even within social work as the practice. So, what kind of practice of social work is there in India? How is it different from what you are exposed to? Why does not come into public discourse?" Jha said.
The Crown School Family students originate from various countries around the world, including Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United States, and Uzbekistan. They were challenged to experience the program not only from an academic perspective, as in not only in the classroom, but were expected to engage and experience navigating life in Mumbai, through their own cultural experiential lens.
Making Connections between Chicago and Mumbai
The orientation began with a tour of Chicago’s South Side. Students observed neighborhoods reflecting both historical and ongoing challenges related to racial and economic inequities. Franklin Cosey-Gay, director of the Violence Recovery Program at UChicago Medicine, guided a discussion on the 1919 Chicago race riots and the Red Summer. Students also visited the Union Stockyard Gate to learn about racially divided access to employment in the early 1900s.
“When our economy in Chicago invested in low-skill labor, people like my grandfather could work in a steel mill with no college degree, yet still own a home and cars,” Cosey-Gay explained. “When that work left Chicago, we started to see an economic deficit between those with college degrees and those without.”
Students also visited Bronzeville and the Chicago Lakefront, where they explored the Eugene Williams Memorial and learned about cultural preservation efforts through public art and historic building advocacy.
Hands-On Community Engagement
Students engaged directly with Chicago’s diverse communities before departing for India. On the North Side, in Devon Avenue’s “Little India” neighborhood, they volunteered at a food pantry serving primarily immigrant families. Students gained first-hand experience with operational challenges, resource management, and client interactions—while some were able to use their multilingual skills to assist patrons from across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
They also participated in sessions on childhood trauma awareness, seeing how local organizations provide therapeutic support and safe spaces for vulnerable populations.
Laying the Groundwork for Mumbai
Through this preparation, Crown Family School students learned to compare Chicago’s social work landscape with Mumbai’s, while considering how interventions could be adapted across global contexts. The orientation emphasized critical thinking, social justice frameworks, and culturally responsive approaches, all of which prepared students for the three-week immersion that followed in Mumbai.
Voices from the India Study Abroad Cohort
