Association for Childhood Education International
The first organization that serves the worldwide early childhood community is the Association for Childhood Education International or ACEI (2011). According to their homepage, the ACEI (2011) works 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. They also work within the United Nations.
Something that I found interesting about ACEI is their ability to reach out and provide professional development opportunities for administrators and teachers. This year they are holding the Institute for Global Education from April 17-20 in Washington, DC.
Although ACEI didn't seem to have job opportunities posted on their webpage, I would be interested in sitting on one of their Committees for Special Education as that relates to my challenge of early childhood special education funding. It might be interesting to have a global perspective on the issue and gain more insight on how to fight the issue here.
Child Rights International Network
The second resource that I came about relating to international early childhood organizations was the Child Rights International Network or CRIN, (2013). The organization is passionate about social and legal change, and CRIN is building a global network for children's rights. The network strives to bring children's rights to the top of the international agenda by launching advocacy campaigns, leading international children's rights coalitions, and striving to make existing human rights enforcement mechanisms accessible for all.
By signing up for the monthly newsletter from CRIN, you can be e-mailed about job vacancies and volunteer opportunities. Much of the work is done in London, England and they ask for a commitment of one to two days a week for a minimum of three months (CRIN, 2013). Since I haven't received one of their newsletters, I don't know exactly what their jobs or volunteer work might require of me. Therefore, it is difficult to know what skills or experience I might need to work with their organization.
Free the Children
A third resource that I found to work internationally in the field of education is Free the Children headquartered Canada. As an international charity and educational partner, Free The Children (2013) believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. This organization works in many countries and that is something I feel strongly about, being a part of a wider network of individuals all working toward educating youth.
There are many job opportunities posted on the webpage for Free the Children. Since I am not familiar with the organization other than what I've read, I would apply to be an intern for a few months to get my feet wet and learn more about them. This would be an important step in my career (right out of college) as I look for support and resources in becoming a strong leader. Looking back on my early childhood career, It would have been helpful to have this type of experience under my belt before taking on a teaching and eventually, a higher leadership role.
This internship would have the following responsibilities:
- Engage new schools and youth in the Minnesota portfolio through phone calls and email
- Book outreach for the Youth Programming Coordinators and Outreach Speakers in this portfolio to support growth and engagement, and the use of Free The Children programming
- Initiate contact with new schools to sign-up and attend We Day
I have learned how to go about completing some of these tasks by getting my Masters in Administration Leadership and Management from the Walden University program.
References:
Association for Childhood Education International. (2011). ACEI. Retrieved April 13, 2013 from http://www.acei.org/
Child Rights International Network. (2013). Retrieved April 13, 2013 from http://www.crin.org/
Free the Children. (2013). Our mission and our model. Retrieved April 13, 2013 from
http://www.freethechildren.com/about-us/our-model/
Clara,
ReplyDeleteFree the Children is amazing! After reading your post I ventured over to check it out for myself and there are several opportunities for involvement and initiatives are a constant on their site. Thank you for sharing it, I had never heard of it before.