Stanford-Baltics Exchange Program
Vabamu serves as an anchor for all visits to Estonia and the Nordic-Baltic region by members of the Stanford community. We create programs for Stanford students holding internships in the Baltics, coordinate fellowship programs that allow Estonian scientists to do research at Stanford as well as support visits by Stanford faculty, staff and alumni to the Baltics.
In collaboration with Stanford University Libraries, Vabamu coordinates the Baltic internship programs for Stanford students. We support students prior to and during their stay in the region as well as put together a program of events and activities that advance their experience in the Baltics.
Since 2016, dozens of students have come to Estonia and Latvia for an 8-week summer internship. As part of their internship, the students get an opportunity to participate in a series of events and activities that are designed to show them our interesting cities and beautiful nature as well as teach them about the history, customs, politics and culture of the Baltic region. For example, in the summer of 2023, the students learned to cook local food at an Estonian cuisine workshop, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia, met with local entrepreneurs and diplomats, enjoyed tours of various museums and so much more. When asked, if students would recommend coming to the Baltics to future interns, all the students answered with an overwhelming “Yes!”