One stereotypical view of the college system understands the colleges as dedicated to the promotion of purely technical skills. One goes to college to become a dental hygenist, a personal support worker, a plumber, a carpenter, a mechanic, a water technician, a photographer, a computer technician and to prepare for a whole host of other emerging specialties.
The questions concerning the International Support Worker program that I would ask are -- Why do university graduates and their equivalent think that they can benefit from a college program? Why are they attracted to the International Support Worker program? Why was I attracted to the ISW?
I recognize another aspect of the role of the colleges. The ISW is one of those college programs that attracts people who have a university degree (or equivalent) and now want to focus on developing capacities for a particular role. Having read philosophy, psychology, political science, international studies, even religious studies and theology, the student develops a broad interest in the world of international cooperation and outreach. The student and the potential employer recognize that there is a gap between notional knowledge and experiential knowledge. There is a gap between being informed on international organizations and cross-cultural situations and being trained to enter a role in an NGO or government organization.
How has the Loyalist College ISW graduate certificate facilitated transition to employment in international support occupations? The ISW:
... has exposed me to a range of positions on the strengths and weaknesses of development practices and encouraged the formulation of personal positions on what might work and what does not work
... has given me a taste for fund-raising, for the preparation of grant applications and for the importance of networking to promote support of development projects
... has given me further practical experience with the challenge of language learning and underlined the value of language facility for effective work in other cultures
... has alerted me to physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of inter-cultural adaptation and helped me become aware of personal limits, preferences and capabilities
... has familiarized me with resources for trip preparation and de-briefing and has guided me through this experience [though I think that the Loyalist program would have benefited from giving each student responsibility for leading a day in the Mexico immersion experience]
What do I most appreciate about my experience with the program?
Besides the contact with a Mexican family, I appreciate the encouragement to engage current social media practices. I took advantage of the Mexico trip to journal and to post reflections on the ideals.nu site. I felt encouraged to be public about my thoughts on Free Trade, Canadian mining, militarization, sustainable agricultural practices, appropriate technology, religious and cultural differences and so on. The result is that I have set up a personal blog at dugganvoice.blogspot.com. I'm now on Facebook and will soon set up a web-site to further identify what I bring as an International Support Worker.
In an era when Canada's role and reputation on the international stage has declined, the ISW graduate certificate at Loyalist College moves against the current to promote more informed and effective involvement internationally. Well done Loyalist!
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