Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

The international organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are:

United Nations Children’s Fund- http://www.unicef.org

I chose this organization because of the work it does in all regions of the world concerning the rights of young and adolescent children.  They provide material resources for children in areas stricken with poverty, environmental crisis, violence, or natural disasters.  They work towards creating policies that honor the rights of children.  It is their focus on helping the most disadvantaged children that makes their work so important.  

The job opportunity that interests me here is working with is the division that focuses on culture and language.  Since UNICEF works in over 190 countries the need to employ people who have experience working with diverse children and families is preferred.

I found a media segment from their International Year of Youth campaign 2010 that promoted peace, respect for human rights and solidarity across diverse topics including the culture.  This is the type of area I would be interested in working with UNICEF because it deals with promoting diversity.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization- http://www.unesco.org

I chose this organization because it labels itself as a cultural organization which I had not been able to find until now.  I think so many times we focus on what children need so much because we want to help them acquire that to reach their potential.  We focus on what they lack and forget that they already possess so much in terms of their culture and language.

The job opportunity that interests me here is working with this team that published the UNESCO Conceptual and operational Framework on Intercultural Competences.  One of the parts of the study is titled “Promoting Intercultural Competences”.  Other topics present in the study are language, multilingualism and universality. 

Family Health International- http://www.fhi360.org

Family Health International, formerly known as the Academy for Educational Development, adopts a 360 degree perspective at finding solutions to helping different communities.  I chose this organization because one of their values is mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences.  I also admire their approach to working with different disciplines to address issues of human development.

The job opportunity that interests me is the Grants Manager position.  I enjoy writing with a focus and because I am passionate about supporting children, families, and providing services for those in need I feel that it would be a challenging and rewarding job for me.  Since I would be managing the grants, I would be able to review them and work with the writers to help revise and edit the proposals before they are sent out.