As I explored the international early childhood community, I
found the work of the International Step By Step Association (n.d.) intriguing.
“ISSA promotes equal access to quality education and care for all children,
especially in the early years of their lives” (International Step By Step
Association, n.d.). The primary focus is on birth through primary school. They
website provides access to many resources for ECE professional and focus on the
creation on high quality environments.
Although
the association is global, there is a heavy concentration in Central and
Eastern Europe. Recently, I found that my biological family traces back to that
area, and I have been doing research on several countries there. Lithuania and
Poland in particular!
I would enjoy a position for the
ISSA that would allow me to work as an international advocate for children’s
rights or in the area of professional development. I believe I have the
qualifications needed to work in the area of professional development. In order
to work as an international advocate, I would need to research the region or
country I would be working in to gain an understanding of the needs. Studying
the culture, funding sources and governmental regulations would also be
necessary. My knowledge of the ECE field would serve me well.
The
second organization that I would be honored to work for is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (2012). UNESCO (2012) works on behalf of human
rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty. I would love to work in either the education
or gender equality areas. I see these areas interrelated in many countries as
it is often the girls that are denied access to education. In order to work for
UNESCO as a professional, I would need to be able to take the expertise I have
in the field of ECE and apply it to global issues. This would take more
experience than I currently have now. There is the possibility that I would be
able to fill a temporary consultant position which would provide the experience
I am in need of. Additionally, my
limitation of speaking one language would once again work against me.
The third
organization that interests me is the World Forum
Foundation (2011). The World Forum Foundation sponsors gathering
around the world for early childhood professionals. There are currently 4000
members from 95 countries. The forums have different topics as their focus.
They have ranged from Men in Early Childhood education to Managing Multi-Site Programs. The World Forum has national representatives from each country. The
training and previous job descriptions for each of these representatives varies
greatly. The role of these National Representative is to share suggested topics
of concern and potential presenters with the World Forum program planners. Additionally,
spreading the word about the World Forum is part of their role. This sounds
like an interesting role in the field. I learned a great deal from my contact
in Kenya earlier in my studies and to have the opportunity to network with ECE
professional around the world would be exciting.
References
International
Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
United Nations
Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2012). Retrieved April
11, 2013 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/
World Forum Foundation. (2011). Retrieved April 12, 2013
from http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/
No comments:
Post a Comment