My references for my blog
Kieff, J. (2009). Informed advocacy in early childhood care and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Laureate, Education, Inc. (2009). Merging Vision, Passion, and Practice. Retrieved from http://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_8615137_1&content_id=_25824387_1
Disclaimer: I realize that this was supposed to be done last night, but it took me some time to get just the right words to say.
As I look back over the last eight weeks and over the course of this Master’s program all I can say is weeeee…what a ride. Looking back there are certain words that come to mind. These words are grateful, hope, thankful and privileged. All these words have shown themselves to be very important words to me throughout the Master’s program.
I am grateful that I have learned about the importance of passion. Passion is what drives me forward in order to make a difference in the Early Childhood field. It is this passion that I have that has since developed far deeper than it was when I started the program (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). It is this deep passion that I hope continues to grow as I progress in my professional life.
I am also deeply grateful for learning about what it means to be an effective advocate and policymaker. I also have learned how to be proactive in terms of being an advocate. Kieff (2009) explained that being proactive was to “recognize a problem or issue to study the issue from many different perspectives” (p.7). It is by being proactive I am able and was ale to look at the issue that I did my capstone project on from different contexts.
I am grateful that I also learned on a much deeper level about how to communicate. This knowledge will not only help me to be a better communicator but also taught me the skills necessary on how to be a good collaborator. In order to be effective in the EC field, it is deeply important to be effective as a communicator. This particular learning is important to me now, has been important in the past, but its importance has shown itself to be of vast importance to me in the future.
My greatest hope and my long-term goal is to continue to work for the best of the Early Childhood field, children and families all the while working to continue to learn as much as I can. By working on issues that are important I will be able to make my mark on the Early Childhood field. Another of my greatest hopes is to continue to be a life-long learner. This particular long-term goal ties into my previously mentioned long-term goal.
This is where I am thankful. I am thankful for the opportunity to have learned much from Dr. Johnna Darragh-Ernst. It is through her instruction and direction that I have learned much the last eight weeks. It is also through the other instructors that I have had that I have gained much of the deep knowledge I have acquired. Through their patience and direction, my thoughts have developed and as a result I have learned more about how to think more critically and also take the time to look at more parts of different issues and challenges than just the sides that I am used to looking at these from.
I am very privileged to have worked with the classmates that I have throughout this program. While my classmates have changed depending on the class, I am very privileged to have worked with the groups that I have. I have learned so much from each of you especially through this class. You have been a great source of help for me as we all struggled and worked tirelessly on our Capstone projects. I feel that we have grown into an effective Community of Practice and I would like very much to stay in contact with all of you as we work in the Early Childhood field as professionals. You have given me much encouragement even when I felt like what I was trying to say for certain assignments really didn’t make much sense to me.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” Prov. 22:6.
My contact information is:
Christina Feigner
email: silver.feigner@gmail.com
Phone: 509-386-8842
On Facebook look me me up by my name: Christina Silver Feigner
One of the organizations that I wrote about that really stood out for me on the national/federal level is the same one that has international roots too. This is Save the Children. Their mission and purpose is to help protect children and help them when they are in the midst of disaster. When I looked at the jobs listing for the International postings for Save the Children, I found plenty of opportunities. There was one that stood out to me the most and that was a Child Protection Adviser. The posting for this particular job is in Bangui, Central African Republic. The requirements for this particular position is as follows:
Qualifications and experience
Essential
Education to MSc/MA/MEng level in Social Work, Human Rights Law, International Relations, Development Studies, or equivalent field experience.
Significant management experience working in an emergency response or fragile states settings, with specific experience working on DDR (demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration)and GBV (gender-based violence) being an asset
Previous first phase and chronic emergency experience is essential
Ability to identify the main child protection needs affecting children and to inform an holistic response for children
Good knowledge of and experience in using inter-agency child protection standards and guidelines, such as the Inter-agency Guidelines on the Paris Principles, SC Child Friendly Spaces Handbook, Separated and Unaccompanied Children, Alternative care, and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings.
Excellent familiarity with and experience of DDR processes and the MRM system
Experience of and commitment to building and strengthening the participation of and accountability to communities and children in
Strong experience understanding and experience of M&E (monitoring and evaluation) processes and methodologies applied to child protection programmes in emergency, transition and development contexts
Training and capacity building experience – demonstrates to be able to strengthen the capacity of various actors in child protection
Extensive representational experience: can demonstrate the ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
Experience of preparing successful funding proposals for donors
Excellent communication skills
Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
A high level of written and spoken English and French (mandatory)
The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of SC and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct.
A high level of written and spoken French
Desirable
Good working knowledge of the Inter-Agency Child Protection Information Management System
Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts (Save the Children, 2011).
The second international organization that struck my attention was that of UNESCO. This organization works to create dialogue between nations so that there can be mutual respect about the different rights primarily in the areas of Africa and that of gender equality. There are 66 field offices and they are headquartered in Paris, France (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2011). As far as career opportunities for this particular organization, it gives options for internships and external applicants with an application guide. There really were no specific job postings but because of how many countries that they cover, one of the important requirements and skills that will be necessary is the ability to speak French, Spanish and other languages besides English very fluently and also be able to write in these languages as well.
The third international organization that stood out to me was that of FHI360. The mission of this particular organization is to be able to improve lives of people all over the world by integrating locally driven solutions for human development (FHI360, 2015). When it comes to job opportunities for this organization there are plenty of opportunities but nothing specifically focused that I could see about the EC field. This was one that I stumbled upon by accident.
I looked up a fourth organization that was actually one that I was trying to find and this one was just as interesting. The purpose of this organization is to face social as well as economic challenges. There are 5 major areas that surrounds AED. These areas are: Nutrition, Population, and Global Health Institutional Development and Leadership
Global Learning Workforce and US Education Development Social Change (Academy for Educational Development, 2015). I did not notice any job opportunities that were listed on this site.
References
Academy for Educational Development. (2015). Retrieved from http://academyforeducationaldevelopment.orghub.net/
FHI360. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.fhi360.org/
Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
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/
The first website that I looked at the interested me was the NEA. The reason that I selected this particular organization is the fact that they are the voice of American educators. Their mission is to be the voice for educators while working together to make sure that children are getting the education that they need. They also feel that working together with parents, families and the community as well as working with other stakeholders is what is going to help with making sure that all children get the quality public education that they need in order to succeed in life. While there were no jobs posted on this site, I think the skills that are needed to work for this organization is the ability to be professional and have great collaboration and communication skills (National Education Association, 2015).
The second website that I found to be very interesting was one that I am not as familiar with. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) is a grassroots organization that has educators, parents, advocates, service providers, etc. help make sure that children and youth that are not in stable living conditions still receive the education that they need. There are no job opportunities listed, but as far as skills needed it seems the ability to collaborate and communicate with all of the other groups is very important. The ways that people can get involved with this organization is by signing petitions or making a donation (National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), n.d.).
The third organization that I selected is Save the Children. This organization has an office in the United States and worldwide. They help children that have been victims of natural disasters in order to make sure that they get the support necessary. I did notice that there were job postings listed for either the headquarters, local US field offices and International field offices. The skills that they value in people that work for them is accountability, ambitious, respectful in their collaboration with others, creative and they have integrity (Save the Children, 2015). These values are listed under the section of the website that has common career questions.
References
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY). (n.d.). Mission. Retrieved from http://www.naehcy.org/about-naehcy/mission
National Education Association (NEA). (2015). Vision, Mission, and Values. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/19583.htm
Save the Children. (2015). Our values. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8631395/k.671F/Common_Career_Questions.htm
One of the places that I was looking at is Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP. This place appealed to me because of the fact that it works to help teach children and it also a place for children that are in low-income households. This would be a place that I would want to work for because it would give me a chance to work with children preparing them for school all the while also being able to collaborate with the families to help meet their needs as well. I chose this particular place because it is available in the school district in the town that I live in.
WAEYC: This is the state affiliate in Washington State for NAEYC. I chose this place because of what they do. The fact that they provide a lot of information and are very dedicated to helping the early childhood field. On the website there are two job openings that are currently posted. This is one organization that I would also be willing to work in.
The third is the Gates Foundation. Bill Gates and his wife have a foundation and have a desire in their hearts to help make sure that young children have opportunities to learn. This program appealed to me because of the fact that even though this couple has plenty of money at their disposal, they are using it for the good of helping people and this includes providing opportunities for education trying to help with breaking the cycle of poverty. This would be a good foundation to try and get a job in because it would be a great way to help with public policy and advocacy. The skills that I would need would be a passion to help children.
I would like to say that I am both excited about this class and a little scared. I am excited that this is the last class and that I have made it this far. The part that is a little bit scary is having to figure out when this class is done, what’s next. I am not sure what I will be doing after this class is done but one thing is for sure, it will be time to start my career. I look forward to working with all of my classmates on this step in the Master’s program and I look forward to getting to meet up with my classmates at graduation in the future.
Working on an issue that I get to choose where the sky is the limit is both going to be really awesome because it does not limit us but at the same time, it will be a really big challenge. The challenge will come with finding an issue to address in the early childhood field that is both narrow enough in scope but yet broad enough that it will provide enough resources and information in order to do the weekly assignments. I wish all of my classmates luck with working on their individual Capstone projects. I know that everyone will make a huge difference in the field more than they are right now.
I have volunteered a couple of times but really it has been a very long time since I have really volunteered in a classroom with young children. When I have done some volunteer work, I have volunteered to help watch children many years ago. When I volunteered at the time it was a one time thing and it was for parenting classes. I have also volunteered with child care when a friend of mine was doing his Senior voice recital back when I was in college. It was so that the mother of the young child was able to attend the event.
The work that I have done has impacted others in a positive way because it made sure that the children had someone to look after them when there was no one else around that was willing to do it. It can also be a very selfless act because it means that you have to be willing to give up something that I wanted to do to do something that would make the mother’s life a little easier. I have also helped with grading papers for a third-fifth grade teacher and provided a little extra assistance to her for which she was very grateful.
The take-away that I view from volunteering is that as an advocate, sometimes the job really doesn’t seem all that glamorous and thankless. At the same time, when we as advocates feel like we are not making that big of a difference, we really don’t know the kind of impact that we are making in the lives of young children and their families until who knows when. The passion and the perseverance has to be there when you feel like no real difference is being made. The fact is that you may not be always thanked for your efforts, but they are appreciated by people even if it is not always apparent.
My past and present experience with using social media is that of having had a MySpace page, which I don’t think is active anymore. I currently have a Facebook page, Twitter, I have a YouTube channel. With using Facebook, if I happen to be on my cell phone and I see an article that I find particularly interesting, I will post it to my personal Facebook page and then when I get onto the computer I will post it to the WUECO group that I am a member of so that I can share it with other people. I have not really posted anything to my Twitter account or posted any videos other than what I have filmed to my YouTube channel. I also use Google+ as well.
As far as what social sites lend themselves well to effective advocacy is Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. While all of these social sites can work really well, it doesn’t work if you really do not have that big of a following. The same holds true for having a personal blog. In order to make sure that you have more people that can actually access a blog, it is important to post the blog link to any other social media accounts. However having different accounts can actually lend themselves very well to advocacy issues.
I have signed up for one newsletter for one website and have posted a couple of links to articles to my blog. By finding different videos and posting them to my YouTube channel and then posting that link to both my Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as my Google+ account is a good way to advocate for different issues. By sharing some information about the particular issue in blog form, this can give me more of a chance to expand on how important I think that the issue is to the early childhood field. If any of my classmates can offer suggestions as well as other pointers on how to utilize social media as a way to inspire others about early childhood issues, please feel free to share.
FATHERHOOD INVOLVEMENT
86 percent of dads spend more time with their children today than their own fathers did with them. However, a majority of dads (7 out of 10) also reported that they could use tips on how to be a better parent.
These PSAs are reaching out to all fathers to inspire and support men in their commitment to responsible fatherhood. The PSAs communicate to fathers that their presence is essential to their children’s well-being. The tagline “Take time to be a dad today” is part of an ongoing effort to encourage dads to play an active role in their children’s lives. The campaign also serves as a resource for fathers by providing the information they need to become more involved with their kids.
Audiences are directed to visit http://www.fatherhood.gov or call 1-877-4DAD411 for parenting tips, fatherhood programs, and other resources.
– See more at: http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/Family-Community/Fatherhood-Involvement#sthash.opx2nhty.dpuf
HUNGER PREVENTION
Hunger is a concern for millions of Americans, but many people don’t realize its disproportionate effect on children. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that nearly 16 million children, or one in five children in America, face hunger.
The new Child Hunger PSAs highlight how food banks work collaboratively with their communities to bring surplus food to children and families in need, including working with farmers, grocery workers, food bank employees and volunteers. The new campaign, which includes television, radio, print, outdoor and digital PSAs, is an extension of the Hunger Prevention campaign, first launched in 2008.
Additionally, a supportive PSA effort promotes the Summer Food Service Program, a service administered by many Feeding America food banks across the country, which provides children who rely on subsidized meals during the school year with free and nutritious meals over the summer. The campaign draws attention to the fact that, “summer isn’t fun when you’re hungry” and encourages parents to visit feedingamerica.org/summermeals to find free meals for their children through their local Feeding America food bank.
The Hunger campaign has also teamed up with Sony Pictures Animation to create PSAs featuring characters from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, inviting families to help solve hunger in their community.
– See more at: http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/Family-Community/Hunger-Prevention#sthash.Mc7Lbunm.dpuf
LEARNING AND ATTENTION ISSUES
“Understanding is everything”
In the U.S., one in five children struggles with a learning and/or attention issue. That’s 15 million kids ages three to 20, and many of their issues go undiagnosed. The adults in their lives often have a hard time understanding their issues due to misconceptions and a lack of information and resources. As a result, these children often face both academic and social challenges. However, with the right strategies and support, they can succeed in the classroom—and outside of it, too.
This campaign stems from the idea that parents can sense when their children are struggling but may not know why. Or what to do. By demonstrating the realities that children with learning and attention issues face daily, the campaign aims to increase the number of parents who are actively helping and seeking help for their kids. Parents are encouraged to visit Understood.org, a comprehensive, free online resource that empowers parents through personalized support, daily access to experts and specially designed tools to help the millions of children with learning and attention issues go from simply coping to truly thriving.
– See more at: http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/Education/Learning-Attention-Issues#sthash.FmVw1Wtl.dpuf
I think that these three different issues inspired me so much is that these issues are ones that face children a lot. I think that these issues are so important for creating action because in some form or another, all three of these issues affect or could affect all children in some form or another. By bringing awareness to people about these three issues, the public can have conversations with their own children and try to find ways to help out the children that may be in large part impacted by any one of these three issues.
When it comes to my work as an advocate, the special skills that I have would be the ability to persevere toward my end goal. I am also organized and am very good when it comes to writing out what I want to say. There are times when I am writing that I may say something that is going to ruffle feathers, but I am not afraid to speak my mind and be honest. I think the ability to be honest is also a valuable skill to have because people often want to be told in an honest caring manner that something will get done but not lie and say that it will take a shorter amount of time than it really will. I will incorporate all of these skills into my advocacy work because I want to be seen as a caring individual who works hard to see the final result.
I think the knowledge that I have is what I have learned in this class. I also think that it is important for me to never stop learning particularly so that it will help be a better advocate for young children. I think the desire to learn what needs to be done and the ability to do something is really important. I think the fact that I am also a caring individual will go a long way because as someone who advocates for other people and children, it shows that someone who is compassionate is someone that ultimately cares for those that they are striving to help. I think the fact that I have a capacity to be compassionate will go a long way especially when it is backed up by perseverance and tenacity.
I hope that I can grow with the ability to look at the larger picture and not just at the short term. I want to know that I can look at the long term effects that advocacy will work with. I also hope that I can grow and have the ability to be willing to not back down from a fight if I believe strongly enough in something and not want to give up when the fight for change gets too tough. Being able to grow as a person without trying to change the beliefs and values that I hold dear to me is also very important. Basically continue to grow into the type of person that God wants me to be and the advocate that I know that I can be.
fallongirl 