I believe that this quote perfectly sums up the past 18 months I have spent in graduate classes. There were times I wanted to cry and give up, but I believed in myself and my abilities. Now I am walking away with a great accomplishment, my Master’s degree. I was the first person in my family to get a bachelor’s degree, and now I am the first to get a Master’s. That is such an amazing feeling, and I am so proud of the hard work I have put in to my schooling, in hopes to be a positive role model for not only my family, but my students as well. The most important things I have learned throughout this experience are; never give up, always believe in yourself, and to take criticism and allow it to make you stronger.

In moving forward, I hope to continue to inspire the children I work with. I want them to know that they can do anything they put their mind to with a little hard work and dedication, I am an example of that. Being a positive role model is very important to me, and I hope to continue to cultivate meaningful and lasting relationships with each child I work with.

                          

I want to thank everyone that has been part of my educational journey. The classmates and instructors I have had were continually there for me, and pushed me to be my best. I could not have accomplished this amazing goal without you! I wish you all continued success in your life’s journeys, and don’t ever lose your passion!

<3 Melanie

International Organizations

1) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): www.unicef.org

UNICEF is an organization dedicated to improving the life of every child. This organization is active in more than 190 countries and territories. UNICEF was created in 1946 by the United Nations; to provide food, clothing, and health care to European children facing famine and disease after WWII.

I chose to research UNICEF because they are an organization that I have heard about since I was young. They do great things for children across the world, and help to educate about many different topics including; HIV/AIDS, poverty, violence, education, etc.

An employment opportunity with UNICEF that I would be interested in is: Education Specialist (Early Childhood Education) in Sierra Leone. I spent some time in Ghana teaching, and always said I would like to go back. This job opportunity would bring me back to Africa. Qualifications needed are:

-Advanced university degree in one or more of the disciplines relevant to the following areas:
Education; Primary Education, or a Social Sciences fields relevant to international development assistance.
- Five years of progressively relevant work experience at national and international levels in field programmes relevant to Education programmes.

-Experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
-Experience in national level development assistance is an asset.
-Experience with addressing gender disparities and asset.
-Background/familiarity with Emergency.
- Fluency in English and another UN language. Knowledge of the local working language of the duty station would be an asset.

2) Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org

                                     

Save the Children gives children around the world a healthy start, opportunity to learn, and protection from harm- what every child deserves. The organization is active in 120 countries around the world. Save the Children got its start in Kentucky in 1932. Initial programs provided clothing, school supplies, and hot lunches to school children.

I chose to research this organization because I always hear their campaigns, and wanted to look closer at what they do.

An employment opportunity with Save the Children I would be interested in is: Psychosocial Support Specialist in Central African Republic. Qualifications for this position are:

A child protection professional with a Master’s degree in child protection, psychology, social work

• Significant experience in working in child protection in emergencies, particularly on Child Friendly Spaces and psychosocial programmes
• Significant experience in capacity building and in strengthening various duty bearers understanding of and response to Child Protection and Psychosocial Support.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of psychosocial programmes, and feeding learning into programme design
• Experience working on the inclusion of hard to reach groups of children
• Experience of working in camp contexts
• Demonstrates a high level of communication skills and fluency in written and spoken in French and English
• Ability to communicate and maintain appropriate and productive relations with a range of actors, including children, parents, local and national authorities
• Good knowledge of and experience in using established inter-agency standards and guidelines in MHPSS and child protection (IAC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Inter-agency Guidelines on Separated and Unaccompanied Children, the Paris Principles, MRM, SC Child Friendly Spaces Handbook and IASC Guidelines in Emergencies).
• At least 5 years experience working in a humanitarian setting

3) International Step by Step Association (ISSA): www.issa.nl

ISSA is an organization that aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for children ages 0 to 10. It was founded in 1999 in the Netherlands, and today stretches across the globe with more than 50 members located mainly in Europe and Central Asia.

I chose to research ISSA because I had never heard of it until this class. In looking through their website, I agree with their mission and goals. They are also supported by UNICEF, another organization I looked at.

In looking through their website, I found an area to become a member, but did not find an area that listed employment opportunities.