Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The first organization that came to mind when contemplating grander job opportunities was Zero To Three. I first learned about them during this program of study, and I have loved everything they stand for and against. Their passion and dedication for families and children is inspiring.

I couldn't find any listed career opportunities that appealed to me, except for the potential of an internship. For some reason, the idea of dipping into the different levels of this organization is fascinating to me. I would have the opportunity to work with parents, professionals, and policy makers. Qualifications include being currently enrolled in a graduate program. Well that works :)

The second organization I researched was the NAEYC, National Association for the Education of Young Children. I very much look up to them as leaders in this field, and find their resources helpful and plentiful. I couldn't find a job posting that suited me, but I was very interested in their professional development opportunities. They provide extensive classes and trainings to advance one's career, and I think that in itself would be worth joining!

My third musing isn't an actual listed job opening, but it's something I am very interested in since writing the week 3 paper on historical context. I learned that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is aligned with two prominent professionals in the study of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). I am so moved and passionate about this and the practice of trauma-informed care. I would love to work on the studies being conducted around this topic! My qualifications would be that I am a professional with an MS degree and a Capstone project surrounding the topic at hand. :)

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State

The three organizations and communities of practice I chose to explore are IRCO, CASA, and Children First for Oregon.

IRCO, or Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, is especially appealing to me. IRCO is a local organization focused on serving community and mainstream needs, along with incoming immigrants and refugees in Portland, Oregon. They work to sensitively and bravely to empower families, kids, and elders worldwide by offering over 200 services focused on culture and linguistics.

Currently, they are hiring community organizers and child mentors. I would be very interested in becoming a child mentor. I would need to be dependable and have experience working with children and families within the framework of cultural sensitivity.

CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate, is a well-known organization helping children go through the trauma of courts and foster placement. They are a collective of beautiful hearts working tirelessly and voluntarily to advocate for children. The branch in Portland Oregon is currently hiring a supervisor. This sounds like a very intense job. The supervisor oversees the volunteer CASA's. To be considered, I must meet the following requirements:

 degree in social work, psychology, human services, or related field.

  3-5 years experience in a field serving children or families.

  Experience in volunteer management, competence in and commitment to the field of child welfare or child and family services. A solid knowledge base regarding child abuse and neglect, advocacy, family dynamics, cultural issues, family court, and the social service system required. A demonstrated commitment to cultural competence is essential.

Children First for Oregon is exceptional in its vision to fight child abuse and provide foster youth advocacy. They work closely with local and state governance, and collect and provide an abundance of research. They are an amazing resource for research. Currently, they are working on collecting voices for the upcoming governor elections. They are seeking individuals to help with campaigning. People who are passionate, organized, and driven by a deep care for children and families.

• 
  
  

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) works to support immigrants and refugees in Oregon and Washington in joining the community and creating a life here. The have a plethora of programs designed to empower youths, elderly, and families. They have many volunteer and career opportunities that look interesting to me. One in particular is the SUN Community School Site Manager.

According to the site, this position entails:

• Strong core instructional programming before and after school
• Educational support and skill development for youth and adults
• Enrichment and recreation activities
• Social, health, and mental resources
• Family and community events
• Volunteer opportunities
  
  
  QUALIFICATIONS:
  

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent
  • Must pass extensive criminal history background check
  • Experience in program management, budgeting, report writing
  • Experience supervising children and staff
  • Experience working within the public school system
  • Fluency in English and another language may be required
  • Minimum two years’ progressively responsible professional experience in a social service setting
    REQUIRED FUNCTIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • Successful candidates must have the ability to maintain positive working relationships with agency, programs and with all community contacts
  • Strong project and time management skills
  • Flexibility regarding work hours and a variable schedule
  • Must have strong computer skills and ability to use a PC and proficiency in many Microsoft Office
    programs, graphics and related software and have the ability to use other software packages including
    internal and external e-mail/internet
  • Ability to function in a positive manner in a demanding work environment, to demonstrate a high degree
    of flexibility, to respond to priorities and schedules that change frequently, and to meet commitments
  • Capable of meeting multiple, sometimes conflicting deadlines
  • Strong analytical and decision-making abilities
  • Capability to deal with distressed and/or demanding students, parents, teachers, partners, and employees
    in an effective manner
  • Experience working in a fast-paced environment and make good judgments as it pertains to clients
  • Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
  • Strong skills in decision making, interpersonal skills, conducting presentations, teamwork, problem
    
    
    

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

I think I've stated in most of my final blogs for all of these classes that I am forever grateful for the Discussion assignments. Getting the opportunity to actually interact somewhat with other thinkers has helped me grow so much. I am someone who absolutely loves hearing everyone's opinions. I know that not everyone in life loves hearing my opinions :), but when I can hear other voices just processing their thoughts, feelings, musings, what have you, oh I find it so enlightening. Especially when people actually take the time to share their authentic feelings and experiences, take the time to question and ponder instead of just agreeing with every piece of assigned material, and responds to others' posts with genuine interest... which everyone in this class did, so I find each of you exceptional. I am grateful Walden provides a platform for interaction in this way.
Consequences/Outcomes:
-I was able to attain a more developed understanding about all we learned in the class.
-I was able to process my thoughts alongside everyone else.
-I can prosper from everyone sharing their feelings and experiences.

*Goal*
To remember to trust my own voice, to trust my heart, and to hold to my integrity with everything I've got... from there, I will be the strong, compassionate, and effective voice I choose to be for all the little ones in the world and the adults who love them.

EDUC 6766 Profile of a Volunteer

I'd like to take a moment and recount my first, big volunteer venture. I was a 21-year-old college student, and I randomly drove past a YWCA in downtown Grand Rapids, MI. For whatever reason, I pulled over and went inside and picked up a few brochures in the lobby. I had never heard of the YWCA before. One of the brochures was about Sexual Assault Advocacy. I was immediately drawn and signed up for the intensive training. It really was intensive too. I learned so much about trauma and care, and about all the responsibilities of being an overnight on-call crisis counselor. I toured their facility and the local hospital, meeting with police and advocate nurses.

My very first shift arrived and I kept that pager by my head all night. We were on-call for a few days in a row at a time, and I didn't even care if I lost sleep or missed parts of classes the next morning. Looking back, I am so in awe at how committed I was to that job. Over the course of a year of volunteering I answered many suicide calls and drove in to meet survivors/victims with the police and nurse. I learned that I was really good at comforting and connecting. Most survivors/victims felt a kind of kinship with me, especially the teens, and I learned quickly what emotional drain was and how it's essential to not take work home with you. To this day, that is very hard for me to do.

I know my work positively impacted others' lives. I give the most credit to the YWCA over myself, of course, for having such a responsive program. I've heard people debate about the selfishness that comes with selflessness. I felt so involved and productive as a counselor, and I think my main take-away was that I felt like I was finally doing something that mattered. I lived most of my young life doing things because it was what was expected of me, not because my heart was in it. My heart was fully invested when I was caring for those teens, and I got to give a piece of myself to them, and it felt wonderful to share humanity and compassion in that way.


I believe, with all that I am, that we need to support children's passions and interests over our own expectations for them. We don't all need to learn the same things, we don't all need the same work. We need to be shown that we can be trusted with our desires and curiosities, and encouraged to explore. Volunteering was one of the first windows into my soul, where I could put all my energy into what I loved, instead of into what others said I "should" be doing. My takeaway is to help children connect to themselves from the get go, not when they're an adult.