This week’s assignment opened my eye to how blessed we are to live in a global world where we can be connected from a small rural community in Idaho to international countries. I am in awe of how much I still have to learn about the planet I live on.
UNICEF
The first international organization that I would like to talk about is UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund. I have always been in awe of this organization for advocating in almost every part of the world with focus for the betterment of children. Their areas of expertise include child survival and development, basic education, children HIV/AIDS, child protection, and policy advocacy and partnerships. They serve 191 countries ranging alphabetically from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Their employment board lists forty-three job opportunities. Of those forty-three openings, three were in the field of education. They require advanced degrees in education or related degrees and ask that you speak English along with another UNICEF language related to the country the position is dedicated to.
ISSA
ISSA (International Step by Step Association) was founded in 1999 in the Netherlands. They provide networking which links professionals and groups who are associated with early childhood development and education. They are affiliated with countries from Central and Eastern Europe to Asia, Asia, and Americas. They help programs who advocate for policy reform that affects children and families. ISSA offers resources and support to professionals in the early childhood field. Such organizations are import for spreading the word that children are important. There are currently four new employment postings. None of which I was interested in, and none of which I qualified for. They ask for extensive knowledge of the culture you would be working with along with knowledge of education practice at an international level. None of my searches led me to other positions within the organization.
UNESCO
I loved reading UNESCO’s mission. “UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.” They are specialized as a part of the United Nations. Although they do not advertise for employment opportunities at this time, they hire individuals based on their background knowledge of global trends. Professional ranking for employment with UNESCO includes junior, middle, and management. Junior professionals implement programs and projects, middle ranking employees oversee small teams, and management professionals direct particular divisions. It all sounds complicated, but exciting. This is probably one organization that I will keep my eye on.
ACEI
Association for Childhood Education International’s “mission is to promote and support the optimal education, development, and well-being of children worldwide, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society” (ACEI, n.d.). I found this organization by chance as I was working on the blog project this week. I felt appreciative of their support for educators as well as children and families. Educators of young children have a grave responsibility to advocate for children and they need encouragement and inspiration. It is important that there are organizations who advocate for their professional growth. In searching for available employment, I ran across their advertisement for internships. This would be such a great opportunity for a young student who is serious about the field of early childhood education and who is enrolled in a graduate program. This is something I wish I could have done when I was younger.
There are so many organizations locally, nationally, and internationally that influence the lives of children and families. We live in such a wonderful time that offers so many opportunities. As I think about this, I am concerned as to why we cannot seem to have bright futures for all children and their families. Alas, we must never give up trying to create the best environments for children right where we are.
References:
Association for Childhood Education International. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.acei.org/
International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html
United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/
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