May 10 - Douglas sends students to Zambia to bolster international experience

Douglas College is sending eight interns to Zambia today to work with non-governmental organizations as part of the College's strategic plan to give students more international experience.

As participants in the Global Leadership Program, a new initiative set up by Douglas College's Centre for Campus Life, the students will spend three months volunteering in community development, health care, social enterprises, and other areas that mesh with their chosen fields of study.

"One of the main focuses of the College's strategic plan is internationalization," says Scott Fraser-Dauphinee, Campus Life Coordinator. "So we're starting to provide opportunities for students to get work-related experience through community service."

Jen Kildare, a Psychiatric Nursing student, will be working with Third World Images, an organization that provides a broad spectrum of social services in communities with little infrastructure. Jillian Griffin, a Sport Science student, will be working with Score, an organization that fosters community development through sport. Other students will be working in reproductive health, education and community outreach, training for entrepreneurs and more.

Fraser-Dauphinee says the goal of the Global Leadership Program is to provide opportunities for students to develop work skills necessary to their careers that are not taught in the classroom. That, and for students to make significant contributions to the organizations they work in.

"We've tried to pair them up with the right situation. They're not just going to be taking up space and time; they're going to do something meaningful."

Fraser-Dauphinee says the hope is that the program will give participants a "well-rounded, global-citizenship experience" that will foster personal and professional development.

"They're going to be challenged more than they've ever been challenged before. Working in a place like Zambia, where things work so differently, they're going to need to build their adaptation skills, their communication skills and their understanding of how to work with different people. I think that's where we're going to see the growth."

Douglas College has a strong foundation of experience in Africa. Since 2006, close to two dozen students have travelled to Uganda for 10-week field learning practicum placements with various agencies as part of their education.

The College also has other long-term commitments to Uganda. In 2006 it established the Uganda Endowment Fund to provide funding for social service agencies in Uganda with a focus on inspiring children, strengthening families and building community resources.

Follow the participants' experiences through the Zambia Blog.