Sunday, February 13, 2011

Destination: Vietnam!

I have a new placement! The joy! The anticipation! The anxiety!

I will be going to Vietnam for a 6-month volunteer placement with Uniterra. I will be working as an Internship Coordinator for the International Seminar, which has a long and well-established history dating back to 1948. The seminar takes 20 university students from across Canada and joins them with 20 students from the global South for a six-week educational experience. The seminar uses a grassroots approach to learning and offers students real-world understanding of development issues, the chance to work in a cross-cultural context in a developing country, and the opportunity to collaborate in a group project that supports a local development organization.

In my role, I will be working alongside another Canadian volunteer, as well as two Vietnamese coordinators. Together, we will coordinate and support all aspects of student fieldwork, guide the students, and facilitate the learning process and group dynamics. This year, the seminar will focus on the theme ‘Youth in the Workforce and the Socioeconomic Development of Vietnam.’ The field project is a collaborative venture with Uniterra’s partners in Vietnam and local stakeholders. All of the topics, methodology, and approaches are determined collaboratively in order to support the work and develop practical and useful materials and information for the partner organizations. Seminar participants will share their learning and experiences when they return to campus, as well as in their communities through public engagement activities.

Here is a look at the focus countries for the International Seminar over the years:

1948 - Germany
1949 - Holland
1950 - France
1951 - Canada
1952 - Europe
1953 - India
1954 - Europe and West Africa
1955 - Japan
1956 - Germany
1957 - Ghana
1958 - Yugoslavia
1959 - West Indies
1960 - Israel
1961 - Sweden
1962 - Poland
1963 - Pakistan
1964 - Algeria
1965 - Chile
1966 - Turkey
1967 - Canada
1968 - West Africa
1969 - Canada
1970 - Mexico
1971 - Colombia
1972 - Peru
1973 - India
1974 - Caribbean and Central America
1975 - Egypt
1976 - Guyana
1977 - China and Acadie
1978 - Senegal and Western Canada
1979 - Sri Lanka and Ontario

1980 - Tunisia
1981 - Ecuador
1982 - Costa Rica
1983 - Egypt
1984 - Haiti
1985 - Thailand
1986 - Mauritius
1987 - Zimbabwe
1988 - Mali
1989 - Leeward and Windward Island
1990 - Morocco
1991 - Botswana
1992 - Brazil
1993 - Indonesia
1994 - Benin
1995 - Vietnam
1996 - Peru
1997 - Peru
1998 - Vietnam and Botswana
1999 - Benin and Zimbabwe
2000 - Benin and Malawi
2001 - Vietnam
2002 - Vietnam
2003 - Benin
2004 - Malawi
2005 - Burkina Faso
2006 - Botswana
2007 - Ghana and Burkina Faso
2008 - Ghana
2009 - Peru
2010 - Nepal


1 comment:

  1. It is a great to have the opportunity to travel while doing volunteer work. Looks like Uniterra have a lot of countries in their list. Good luck to all your projects!

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