Congratulations!

My hope for everyone is to remember your true passion for the early childhood field. The first essential learning from the program at Walden is that no matter what we are doing it is all about building relationships and collaborating with others. Whether we are teaching children, or working with families, or leading a team it requires trust, commitment, empathy, strong communication, and passion. My second learning lesson is how important an anti-bias approach to teaching young children is for all children and how important it is for us to identify our personal biases and be aware of any hidden messages we may be sending to others. The third lesson that I learned is how critical the first three years of life are in a person’s life, especially in terms of epigenetics and early brain development.

Sometimes I feel that my dreams are so ingrained and subconscious that I do not know what they are until I reach them. I don’t know exactly where I will be in 15 years, but I know what is important to me and what I am working for. I have a passion for children and I want every caregiver to understand the importance of the early years on a child’s life. Through this course I have learned the importance of being a child advocate and getting involved in the community. My current goal is to stay involved with community groups that are passionate about helping children and families and see where it takes me!

Thank you all so much for inspiring and motivating me over the course of this program. If it weren’t for all the blogs and discussion posts I may have missed a few assignments honestly. But knowing that others were counting on me and working just as hard as me kept me motivated. You should all feel incredible right now because you are all inspiring to me. 

Dr. E,

Thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout this course. You made a difficult task seem manageable and worth it! You have been inspiring and motivating. You pushed me to find my way by asking the right questions.

Sincerely, Mary

International Organizations

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF's mission is to help every child in the world have a healthy life with their needs being met. They work to ensure "all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential - to the benefit of a better world" (UNICEF, n.d.). UNICEF works to provide children in need with food, shelter, healthcare, and protect children from war and other harm (UNICEF, n.d.). Currently, UNICEF is looking for "new and emerging talent." They need workers who can speak English and at least one other language, are willing to work in other locations around the world (even in a location of hardship), have at least a graduate level degree, and 2-5 years of experience working in a profession (UNICEF, n.d.). I think working for UNICEF to help children in need around the world would be highly challenging but rewarding as well.

Save the Children 

"Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children" (Save the Children, 2015). They are established in 120 countries, working towards protecting children's rights, promoting healthy development, and saving children's lives (Save the Children, 2015). Save the Children works to help children that have experienced natural disasters and other crisis situations around the world. In 2015, they helped more than 4 million children (Save the Children, 2015). The organization "makes sure that children affected by floods, famines, earthquakes, diseases outbreaks and armed conflict get life-saving medical aid, shelter, food and water – fast. [They] safeguard children and help reunite separated families. And [they] help children recover from crises by providing emotional support and safe places to learn and play" (Save the Children, 2015). Currently, jobs are available in many countries in the Middle East, Africa, and the United Kingdom. Program/Project managers and directors are needed in many areas around the world.

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO believes that "peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity" (UNESCO, n.d.). The main goal benefitting children is that UNESCO works to ensure that every child has access to a free and high quality education. "UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of solidarity, by: Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development" (UNESCO, n.d.).

Some personal qualities that would be necessary to work for one of these organizations are following:

-A strong passion for children,
-Strong leadership and organization skills,
-Strong communication skills,
-Cultural competency and bilingual skills,
-Strong writing skills, and more.


References:

Save the Children. (2015). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from https://www.savethechildren.net/

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://en.unesco.org/

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/about/