A new online program in the 电子游戏软件社会工作学院 is designed to prepare students to work in the humanitarian aid and development sectors, 帮助改善世界上最弱势群体的生活.
这个月推出的 人道主义援助跨学科证书 program is located in BCSSW’s 社会创新中心 as part of the 全球 Practice Program’s initiative on Migrations, 难民, 及社会干预. 除了BCSSW学生, 本证书面向本科生开放, 电子游戏正规平台生, 以及BC大学附属领域的专业学生，比如护理, 教育, and global public health—as well as to staff employed at international non-governmental organizations, 或国际非政府组织, 谁需要对核心人道主义援助能力进行基本介绍.
ICHA课程, 与国际非政府组织合作开发，并建立在BC的学术优势, 由八个模块组成，为学生提供核心基础, 全球人道主义援助的跨学科能力. 每个模块, 节目组织者说明, 反映了一个紧迫的社会, 政治, and health challenge: Migrants and 难民 in the 全球 Landscape; Basics of Refugee Determination; Community-Based Psychosocial Support; Introduction to International Child Protection; Climate Change, 位移, and Human Rights; Gender-Based Violence; Public Health in Violence; and Education in Emergencies.
BCSSW院长Gautam Yadama (Chris Soldt)
“人道主义危机日益成为复杂紧急情况的结果,BCSSW院长Gautam Yadama说. “The 人道主义援助跨学科证书 is a coherent and well-researched suite of modules that will increase the knowledge quotient of humanitarian assistance professionals and ensure they are responsive to such complex crises. And these modules are also available to our under电子游戏正规平台生 and 电子游戏正规平台生 students at BC to prepare them to understand global humanitarian assistance.”
While the immediate impetus for the ICHA has been the COVID-related disruption in post-电子游戏正规平台生 教育, and in particular the difficulty in sustaining international collaborations and partnerships, program organizers say there is—and has always been—a long-range vision for the initiative.
“的ICHA is a statement that the social work perspective is valuable for humanitarian work,托马斯·克雷教授说, BCSSW全球实践项目主任, who developed the ICHA with part-time faculty member Maryanne Loughry and Assistant Professor Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J.
通过社会工作, we assess the well-being of individuals in the context of their overall environment. 我们关注的是他们需求的紧迫性, 但也需要更长的时间, wider view: What are the broader issues and problems that not only contribute to a person’s struggles, but also pose an obstacle in ensuring that person has the supports and services he or she needs?”
ICHA并不关注技能的培养, 克雷亚说, 帮助项目参与者意识到他们需要的技能.
托马斯·克雷，玛丽安娜·劳瑞和亚历杭德罗·奥拉约·门德斯，S.J., are the architects of the BC School of 社会工作 人道主义援助跨学科证书. “的ICHA is a statement that the social work perspective is valuable for humanitarian work,Crea说。.
“ICHA的目的是提供基础知识, whether for someone who is working at a refugee camp or as an administrator at an NGO in London—or for a student who is interested in humanitarian work. Those who go through the program learn about international standards for humanitarian assistance, 最佳实践, 常见的反应, 以及这个领域的其他方面. 它提供了一个坚实的基础，这本身是有用的, while also creating a pipeline for potential future areas of academic and professional development.”
“These introductory modules are designed to prepare 电子游戏正规平台生s for an understanding of the basic frameworks that inform practice as well as international standards, 的指导方针, 和政策,劳瑞说.
具有讽刺意味的是, 说Loughry, even as COVID caused numerous complications in 教育 and training across disciplines, 它为ICHA指明了一条创新的道路.
“在最初的人道主义援助计划中, 我们设想了面对面的培训,她解释道, “但COVID帮助我们看到了在线学习, 做得正确, 是可能的和有效的.”
BCSSW Assistant Director for 全球 Field Education Lyndsey McMahan said the online format offers other advantages.
“Course costs can be prohibitive for a lot of the world and we have been very intentional in trying to design a program where the content is relevant and timely, 但低收入和中等收入国家的从业人员也可以获得. 最重要的是, we wanted to make sure the content was from a social work lens which differs a bit from traditional international development and humanitarianism—which I think will help build out the field of global social work, 并提高BCSSW在非政府组织和其他组织中的知名度.”
创建一个对这么多选民有用的程序, 包括本科生和电子游戏正规平台生, 精心策划, 协办方指出——“穿针”,正如Crea所说. 的ICHA, 他说, is of a piece with other areas of interest among this generation of college students, 比如全球公共卫生和气候变化, that are now reflected in the BC under电子游戏正规平台生 curriculum and service opportunities.
添加Loughry, “We recognize that at BC we have both under电子游戏正规平台生 and 电子游戏正规平台生 students engaged in immersion programs as well as internships, and we wanted to ensure that both groups can be equipped with an introductory understanding of some of the core topics on international humanitarian assistance.”
Fr. Olayo-Méndez noted that the earlier initiative from which the ICHA later emerged— in-person teaching complemented by a set of online modules—was funded by a grant and received design support from the University’s Center for Digital Innovation in Learning, 并参与了BC学术单位的讨论. Those efforts coincided with another project to develop a humanitarian training institute, 由BCSSW资助, 但该计划因大流行而泡汤.
“This exemplifies the benefits of collaboration, whether within or outside the University,” 他说. “一个想法可以开始, 成长, 和发展, but there is always the need to keep fostering dialogue and bring together different skills and expertise.”
克雷亚说 the program is an affirmation of the global vision of social work BCSSW has cultivated for years. “作为一所学校，我们最大的优势之一就是我们的国际合作伙伴关系, and the ICHA is an ideal way to leverage these in a way that can benefit professionals in the humanitarian aid and development fields, 以及那些希望走这条路的人.”
肖恩·史密斯|大学传播| 2022年5月