Friday, June 13, 2014

International Opportunities

The international organizations that appealed to me were Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Step By Step Association (ISSA), and the Academy for Educational Development. I chose the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) because their vision is to improve the well-being of people through policies (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d.). I found their website to be informative and well-organized. It provided a lot of information on social and economic research and policies. I found one quote that particularly spoke to me, "Drawing on facts and real-life experience, we recommend policies designed to improve the quality of people's lives" (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, n.d., para 3). I appreciate the mention of basing their policies on real-life experience and research. I chose ISSA because of their pillars and beliefs. They directly correlate with my own values and beliefs. Their pillars are, "Pillar 1 - Access and equity of care and education for each young child, Pillar 2 - Promote high quality and professionalism in providing care and education for young children, and Pillar 3 - Empower parents and communities to participate in and support children's well-being, development and learning" (ISSA, n.d., para 3).  I chose the Academy for Educational Development because of their 360 perspective.  “Improving lives in sustainable, measurable ways is possible only when we connect ideas, resources and people who have a stake in the issues affecting their communities. Through customized responses that address multiple aspects of people's lives, we can exponentially increase the impact of our work” (Academy for Educational Development, n.d., para 1).  This perspective encompasses my philosophy.  I believe that we need to approach change as a whole child, family, community way.  There are so many needs that must be met in order for progress to be made.  All three of these organizations offer exciting possibilities for employment.

One position that I believe would be interesting would be a trainer at the ISSA campus.  To be in an environment with so many like-minded people that are passionate and affecting change would be an incredible opportunities.  Another position at OECD that would be interesting is the Young Professionals Program.  This position, “under the supervision of experienced professionals, carries out research and analysis of issues of current policy relevance” (OECD, n.d., para 6).  This would offer a lot of experience in the field of research and public policy.  In looking at the position requirements I will meet them at the completion of this degree.  It also asks that candidates be willing to learn French as part of their job requirements.  These two positions are vastly different, but are positions that I could take on with a bit of learning and experience. 

References

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2014, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

4 comments:

  1. I think the trainer position would be interesting. What a great learning experience to work with others in their country. Research is not a passion of mine, I appreciate that you would like to do research, we need researchers.

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  2. The job opportunity seems to be a great way to learn and grow with people who have the same passion you have. Research is a great way to fulfill the mission of my future center. The research will help serve children and their families.

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  3. Amber,

    I also chose to explore the ISSA and the Academy of Educational Development. Like you, I found that their vision and missions closely align with my own values and beliefs. I especially liked the ISSA focus on the role of the family. There were also some great resources on the ISSA website that I plan to use like the Guidebook that can be used to evaluate program quality. I also signed up to receive their newsletter. While many of the jobs I found on the websites sounded very interesting, most required previous international experience and knowing a foreign language.

    Geralyn

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  4. Amber,
    Just like you, I chose ISSA and found it interesting because, as we desire to advocate and try to influence policies to improve high quality care, I see ISSA as an organization to work with. Their mission statement included developing strong civil society that will assist decision makers to provide high quality care for all children. The work of advocacy and influencing decisions or policies will require great collaborations and recognizing those that share your vision and partner with them is vitally important for positive outcome.

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