A Study in Development

How do you convey the complex social, economic and political situation of a developing country in under 1,000 words?

This is a thought that has consumed me of late.  With the end of my final class in international community development only days away, I have completed my last essay… until my next foray into education.  Yet, the assignments make me wonder.

Choose a country, choose an issue and discuss the problems, approaches and possible solutions.

So students diligently do their research and write their groundbreaking ideas on the societal issues that even Canada hasn’t gotten quite right.  All in under 1,000 words.  Yet these ideas aren’t revolutionary at all.  In fact, they are gross generalizations and over simplifications of situations that the writer probably has never encountered. 

Even when the theory is good, implementation is another story.  Is it really possible to outline a process to affect hundreds of years of social development and religious teachings?  How long ago was it that Western countries were burning witches at the stake and condoning slavery?  Reality is not as easy as writing a paragraph.

So why do the research and write the essays?  Even those students with top grades will barely have scratched the surface.  Yet we need to start somewhere.  Student research into remote countries and development issues may not ever impact the tireless work of development organizations, but it will impact those students who may emerge from the assignment with a touch more understanding of what exists in the world.

How do you convey the complex social, economic and political situation of a developing country in under 1,000 words?

You don’t.

9 Tips to Start a Career in International Development

Are you a university student that wants to work for the United Nations?  Or maybe an international NGO like Amnesty International or the World Wildlife Fund?  Or just wants to work overseas in a developing country? 

As a current seeker of a job in international development, I have compiled some tips to assist students looking to pursue this career path.  So many of the skills and experience required for jobs in international development can be gained while you are still in school – it’s never too early to start preparing!  And bonus – these skills are incredibly transferable if you decide that an international career isn’t for you after all.

1)      Choose your study path appropriately – I’m assuming you’re majoring in something like business, political science, public policy, international development or cultural studies.  These courses seem to be most in demand for international jobs, but most of the time, the degree you achieve doesn’t really matter.  Only make sure that you are studying something you enjoy and that is related to your eventual career.  Want to work for Doctors Without Borders?  A degree in medicine, nursing or health sciences.  Want to save the rainforests?  Study environmental sciences or sustainable development.

2)      Plan to get a graduate degree – If you want to work for the UN, or eventually progress to a management position in an organization, plan to pursue your Masters at the very least.  Some organizations even require a Masters for entry-level positions.  Whatever you study, choose courses with an international focus on your area of interest, and remember that graduate degrees are expensive!  Look for scholarships, bursaries and funding that may be available.

3)      Study abroad – For a semester or a year, immerse yourself in another country and culture.  This experience living overseas will prepare you for culture shock and working aboard, as well as develop your intercultural communication skills.

4)      Join clubs or student organizations associated with your desired career – Join the Model UN, or Amnesty International, or the Association of International Studies, or OXFAM.  If your favourite organization isn’t represented, start your own club.  Get a leadership position and organize events, fundraisers and awareness campaigns, coordinate with other clubs and the school administration, and build your resume!

5)      Volunteer – Show a passion for your field by volunteering with the local branch of an international organization.  If you live in a town where international opportunities are not readily available, volunteer locally in your field.  Want a job with UNICEF?  Volunteer at the children’s hospital/museum/library, or at a home for parentless children.  Want to work with CARE International?  Volunteer at the women’s shelter, food bank or soup kitchen.  Try to volunteer for the same organization(s) over a period of several years to show consistency and commitment.

6)      Work abroad or in relevant jobs – Apply to get credits through international internships, or spend your summer break building houses in Haiti.  International work experience is key to many jobs in international development.  If that’s not a possibility, find a job with a non-profit that will give you experience writing reports, developing projects, and fundraising – all great skills to get you an entry level job.

7)      Look into scholarships – The Rotary Club, for instance, has a fellowship that will pay for your Masters abroad in international relations or peace studies.  There are many grants out there if you do the research to find them.

8)      Learn another language – This is so important!  Fluency in English is essential, but knowing another language automatically puts you a step above other applicants.  The six official UN languages are probably the place to start – English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese.  Be prepared to be tested on your language ability for some jobs!

9)      Travel and learn – Overall, do as much as you can to learn about other cultures.  If you can’t travel, find other ways to engage the international community.  Participate in local cultural festivals and events, or become a mentor/guide to international students.  Make your entire resume a demonstration of your commitment.

Key Skills to Learn and Demonstrate:

·         Project management

·         Statistics

·         Writing skills

·         Fund development/grant writing

·         Ability to build partnerships

·         Collaboration with national governments and international organizations

·         Ability to organize large events/conferences/projects

·         Administrative skills

·         Computer skills

·         Critical thinking

·         Adaptability

·         Intercultural communication

Of course, the above lists are not exhaustive and every point is not necessary for every position.  However, in my search for entry and mid-level jobs in international development, these seem to be the skills that appear again and again.  Hopefully this post will help students and other job seekers to pursue their career in international development.

War Games

So I saw The Hunger Games the other day.  I hadn’t read the books, but knew the basic plot.  The whole idea of children fighting to the death for the sake of entertainment sickens me, but I went to the movie anyway, sure that if so many people saw value in the books, I would find something to like.

Didn’t happen.  To all those friends and family that told me “it isn’t about the killing,” I’m sorry, but it was.  I was on the verge of tears the entire movie, not only because of the story, but because I couldn’t stop thinking of all those children out there in our own world to whom this isn’t just a story.

Children under 18 are not permitted to be recruited into armed forces or directly participate in hostilities, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet hundreds of thousands of children have been affected by armed conflict, been forced to fight and kill to survive.

Someone said to me: “I didn’t think child soldiers still existed.”

Yes, they do.  Children don’t remain children for long in a war zone, and today’s battlefields look more like The Hunger Games than many of us would be comfortable with.  Don’t picture trench warfare like we learned about in high school history.  Picture snipers and mines and sudden attacks.  Picture being kidnapped from home, from school, or from the field where you play.  Imagine being handed weapons, pointed at an enemy and told to kill.  Now imagine that you’re 10, or 12, or 16 years old.

The Hunger Games is a story of a dystopian world.  I know that from only watching the movie I don’t have the complete picture of the fictional world the author has created, and I don’t denounce anyone who enjoys the books/movie.  However, I’m afraid that I will never be able to see past the concept of children forced to kill one another to provide someone else’s entertainment. 

For more information:
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (2000)

Guide to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (UNICEF, 2003)

Getting Children off the Battlefield (Human Rights Watch, 2012)

Passion

Have you every found something that you were so interested in, so passionate about, that is became your entire life?  Unless that interest is associated with a particular career (health care, law, business, etc.), these pursuits can be labelled as frivolous and dismissed by those around us, whether they be parents, teachers, friends or strangers.

I’ve always known what my passion is.  I have been writing and telling stories since before I could even hold a pencil and my mom had to patiently copy my dictation.  Writing has always been part of my life in one way or another.  In high school I jotted poetry in the margins of my notebooks.  In university I sketched out novels in between lectures.  Even now I think of my projects on the go, which include a young adult novel, a stage play, a television script, an academic article and a short article for my department’s newsletter.

So why did I never follow my passion?  Why do so many of us fail to follow our dreams?  Because they’re impractical?  Unrealistic?  Frivolous?

In a recently posted TED talk at the University of Waterloo, Larry Smith spoke about why we will fail to have a great career.  He spoke of the excuses we make to avoid pursuing our dreams and the perceived obstacles that block our paths.

Perhaps it was this talk that initiated the train of thought that led me to my moment of realization, my epiphany.  I want to write.  I have always wanted to write.  Whether that writing will be on the more creative end, or also involve my passion for human rights and international development, I don’t know yet.  I only know that if I want a great career, a career I am proud of and happy with, I need to follow my passion.

Maybe this is something I should have realized in high school when choosing a university.  Or perhaps in university when choosing my majors.  Or even after my Masters when I was deciding which jobs to apply to.  Too late for second thoughts.  All I can do now is go out into the world and show everyone what my passion truly is.

Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career

Refocusing

It is time for me to refocus.  I am more than ready to begin my career in international development, but I'm afraid that I have gotten wound up in the incredible variety of issues, organizations and approaches that define the field.  It is necessary for me to take a step back and think about what my passion truly is.  

I began my studies in International Relations knowing that the field of human rights was something that interested me.  Over the course of my education and travel around the world, I realized that although the rights of all humans need to be upheld at all times, it is the children of the world who most often are disregarded or taken advantage of.  Whether they are perceived as too young, too uneducated, too unable to be rehabilitated or too weak, every child has a life and voice and deserves equal rights as adults.

By coincidence or design, my studies and career have led me in the direction of labour law.  Although I seldom work directly with children at the moment, I have only recently completed organizing and facilitating a three-day program for youth over the March Break to teach employment skills and job search skills, including their rights when finding a job.  This truly brought home the fact that while I enjoy public speaking and workshop facilitation, my real passion lies in the research and development of policies that will make a difference for more than a few children at a time.  Educating businesses and corporations, advocating government changes, and promoting enforcement of policies already in place; this is where a difference can be made.

So begins my journey.  In  choosing this path I know that it may be longer than I like before I find a job and a career path that truly suits me, but I think I'm willing to take the time to work for it.

While this blog initially began as an assignment for my International Community Development classes, it will now be a record of my journey and of the steps I will take in pursuit of my goals.

Intergovernmental Organizations

I tend towards a variety of non-profit organizations as a rule, but there are certain IGOs of which I am especially fond.

The United Nations (www.un.org) - It has its issues, but the UN revolutionized international relations and the combination of UNICEF, UNDP and UNESCO, among other agencies, have made significant advances in human rights and development issues.

The European Union (europa.eu) - An entire class during my Masters was devoted to this regional IGO.  I loved studying the evolution of the organization.

Interpol (www.interpol.int) - Revolutionized the pursuit of criminals across borders.

Picture

Picture of me on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong this past September.