Author: Carolyn Meyer

DPMI alumnus puts training to work in food security efforts in Ethiopia

Carolyn Meyer Alumni Accomplishments, DPMI, MIIS Update, News, Stories From the Field

IMG_1772Sitting down with Care Deputy Chief of Party and January 2015 Monterey DPMI Alumnus, Girma Hailu

During a 3-day trip to Addis Ababa after the DPMI Kenya training, I was able to meet-up with January 2015 DPMI Monterey alumus, Girma Hailu in his hometown of Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia.

Girma has been serving as Deputy Chief of Party, Food Security for Farmers (FSF) for CARE in Ethiopia since last fall.

The CARE Food Sufficiency for Farmers project (FSFP) is a 5 year project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and executed by CARE Canada through CARE Ethiopia. The project aims at ensuring sustainable food security of chronically food insecure women, men, girls and boys in selected districts of the Oromiya and Amhara regions. The project works in collaboration and builds on the Ethiopian government National Food Security Programs and targets over 34,000 households; among which 13 percent are female-headed. The project will be implemented through 3 main components: i) improving the enabling environment for food security; ii) diversifying economic activities for food insecure households and iii) improving resilience to climate risks.

Prior to that his post at CARE, Girma served as an MDG Policy Analyst with UNDP Ethiopia. His work at UNDP included a substantial report to the Government of Ethiopia on on “Trends and Prospects for for Meeting MDGs by 2015“.

Girma has a special relationship to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey— where he completed the Program on Design, Partnering, Management and Innovation (DPMI), as his wife, Konjit Habtemariam, also originally from Addis Ababa, completed her MBA at MIIS from 1999-2001.

Now that Girma has completed the DPMI, there are two alums in the family.

After sitting down with Girma, here’s what he had to say about his experience and where he sees the development sector headed:

Which module of DPMI do you use the most in your current work with CARE Ethiopia?

At the moment, I use many of the project design components Dr. Beryl Levinger covers during the first week, but I plan to use the facilitation and partnering tools in future projects and positions. 

Who would benefit from DPMI?

It’s definitely designed and best-suited for practiticioners like me who are managaging and developing projects on a daily basis, although I can see other benefits for those who study international development theory and want to pick-up practical tools and logical frameworks for sustainable development to widen their skill area. Author’s note: Girma and I also both agreed that a hidden benefit of DPMI is observing the skilled teaching style of the practicioners. The hands-on learning in teams throughout the training is just one of the effective instructional techniques used by DPMI instructors.

What changes do you expect in the international development sector in the next 5 years?

I think many governments will want to change or develop an exit strategy for the cycle of aid that currently exists. One way they might do this is through developing small and medium enterprises with the help of the international community. I see social entrepreneurship (a tenant of Module 3 of DPMI) continuing to grow. Programs focusing on promoting entrepreneurship and business skills should continue to grow with a push from local governments. 

In closing, I have to send a big “Thank You” to Girma and his colleague for showing me around Addis and taking time to meet with a prospective DPMI Monterey applicant working on social affairs and migration issues for the African Union.

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About the author: Carolyn Meyer, MA IPS ’05 is Director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs in the Graduate School of International Policy and Management. She can be reached at cmeyer@miis.edu.

MIIS Center for the Blue Economy fellow gets surprise visit from MIIS staff at Nairobi UNEP Headquarters

Carolyn Meyer Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), IPSS, MAIEP, MIIS Update, Stories From the Field, Student Accomplishments

IMG_1707On the day of my departure from Nairobi, I ventured to the Gigiri neighborhood of Nairobi to visit the 140 acre United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON). The complex houses over 20 UN offices including the headquarters for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Both UNEP and UN-Habitat headquarters were established in Nairobi in the late 1970s.

After you pass through UNON security you are greeted by a beautiful winding walking path lined with international flags ending at life-size bronze elephants and 10 meter high “KaribuUN” letters. The compound offers the chance of observing local wildlife such as red duikers, squirrels, marsh mongoose, vervet monkeys and olive baboons.

As I toured the conference center, I made my way to the new UNEP offices to visit our unsuspecting Center for the Blue Economy Fellow, Emma Tonge, currently serving as an intern on the Marine Litter Project. Emma follows in the footsteps of 2015 CBE fellow, Kelsey Richardson (IEP ’05) whose summer 2014 UNEP Marine Litter Project research is now being used in two published UNEP reports including: “Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry” and a second report on the use of microplastics in personal care and cosmetics products. Kelsey is now serving as a MIIS International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) fellow at the Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Apia, Samoa.

Both fellows are working with Vincent Sweeney, Coordinator of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA).

When I arrived, Emma wasn’t there, but I received a warm welcome from Mr. Sweeney who introduced me to the team and took a panoramic photo that I later sent to Kelsey. Within minutes Emma arrived for my surprise visit. She was a great sport and was more than willing to participate in the obligatory desk shot (see below).

Thanks to Emma and team for making me feel so welcome and sharing what you do!

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About the Author: Carolyn Meyer is Director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs in the Graduate School of International Policy and Management. 

MIIS IPSS alumnus tracks illicit weapons trading around the world

Carolyn Meyer Alumni Accomplishments, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), IPSS, MIIS Update, Stories From the Field, Student Accomplishments

Jonah_Leff_UN_Weapons_Inspector
Information provides governments and policymakers with arms data previously never available.

It was my first year working at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey when I met MIIS IPS ’06 alumnus Jonah Leff. He was studying the effects of conventional and small arms violence under the tutelage of MIIS professor Edward Laurance, a pioneer in the field of small arms and light weapons trade treaties and research. Jonah was also a fellow serving an internship at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Research (UNODA) through the MIIS International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) program. The IPSS program is designed to help students jump-start their careers through junior-level internships in their field during their final semester of graduate schoo.

Jonah currently serves as Director of Operations at Conflict Armament Research and is based out of Nairobi, Kenya (where we recently met). It’s been wonderful reconnecting with Jonah over the years and to see the MIIS and Middlebury College students he has supported in entering the important field of preventing armed violence.

Why is the field of armed violence reduction so important? The use of small arms and conventional light weapons (guns, etc.) is the leading weapon of choice in most of the violent conflicts in the world, and Jonah’s organization provides first-hand research and tracking of illicit arms in a think-tank fashion designed to inform governments and civil society organizations. The information Conflict Armament Research tracks had never been systematically recorded and analyzed leading to policy decisions not informed by concrete data. Their in-depth weapon analysis

It was a pleasure to see Jonah out of a conflict zone and enjoying a Nairobi café last week. He shared his current work and where he sees the field headed. I gave him as many of the exciting updates I could remember from MIIS and the larger Middlebury College community.

Thanks to Jonah for all you do and for being a model alum!

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About the Author: Carolyn Meyer is Director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs within the Graduate School of International Policy and Management

Greater Middlebury alumni community comes together in Nairobi

Carolyn Meyer Alumni Accomplishments, DPMI, FMS, Middlebury, MIIS Update, News, Summer Programs

IMG_1640 IMG_1633 IMG_1636 IMG_1635 IMG_1639A June 9th reception in Nairobi drew over 25 members from the entire Middlebury community including alumni from Middlebury College, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), the MIIS Frontier Market Scouts fellowship, and the MIIS Program on Design, Partnering, Management and Innovation (DPMI).

The event was held at the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communications in the 9 West building in the Westlands neighborhood of Nairobi, the site of the June 2-11 DPMI Kenya training. The group welcomed the wonderfully diverse group of DPMI Kenya trainees to the alumni community. DPMI Kenya participants in the June training hail from over seven different countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Venezuela, the Philippines, South Africa, and the US).

Highlights from the event include how effortlessly the group of alumni from different Middlebury backgrounds connected as well as the short speech made by guest of honor, Dr. Beryl Levinger, a Distinguished Professor and Development Policy and Practice Program Chair at MIIS. During Beryl’s speech, she likened what many alumni are doing in the development and social enterprise space to a quote from Thomas Edison on the process of inventing the light bulb, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. Beryl then told the group, “You fail many times trying to find the right approach. The common thread is that you are all here trying to make a difference.”

Group discussions at the event circled around the social enterprise and NGO sector in Nairobi, language learning and translation, as well as the standard griping (albeit not too bad) about Nairobi traffic. The event ended with everyone receiving a Middlebury Institute long-sleeved t-shirt in the signature Middlebury royal blue. “A color that seems to look good on everyone!” mentioned one alumna.

A bright orange sunset easily viewable from a all class wall on the 7th floor of the 9West building was the breath-taking backdrop for a wonderful event filled with alumni from all backgrounds and nationalities sharing stories/experiences, making new friends, and reconnecting.

Asante Kenya! Here’s to doing it all over again in June 2016!

About the Author: Carolyn Meyer is Director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs Within the MIIS Graduate School of Policy and Management.

DPMI Kenya Course Focuses on Designing Solution Strategies for Local Systems

Carolyn Meyer Events, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), MIIS Update, Stories From the Field

IMG_0017 IMG_0004 IMG_0014  IMG_0015

Group includes 13 wonderfully diverse participants from seven countries

Update from Nairobi, Kenya: We are halfway through our 8-day certificate training jointly offered by the Locus Network and the Program on Design, Partnering, Management and Innovation (DPMI) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS).

Participant Profiles

The group includes 13 participants from seven countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, South Africa, the Philippines, Venezuela, and the United States). Participants include Locus Network members from Pact, MIIS graduate students, and other international development practitioners. One Locus participant commented, “I’ve enjoyed meeting others in the group, and it has been a tremendous opportunity to learn from Dr. Beryl Levinger given her decades of experience in international development and teaching.”

Training Highlights

The goal of the training is for participants to build skills to promote local system approaches to sustainable development. It’s a hands-on approach where participants work in small groups to directly apply the tool or framework presented.

Last week the group delved into discussions on the value of social capital and local solutions and applied concepts and tools including: network analysis, causal loop mapping, results frameworks, problem trees, and intervention design.

This week (our final week) the group will cover logframes, indicators, and design-thinking. On our final day, groups will present their designs for a “local solution” to a development challenge through 15-minute presentations to a panel of local social change practitioners.

Out and About in Nairobi

In the spirit of building social capital, the group spent the weekend visiting the Nairobi National Park, the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, the Bomas of Kenya, a Masai market, and a boat ride on Lake Nivasha.

Thanks to Aga Khan

We want to send a big “Thank You” to the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communications and DPMI co-instructor, Matt Reeves, Aga Khan Senior Global Advisor for Civil Society, for hosting the training in the executive training classrooms at the 9West building in Westlands,Nairobi.

About the DPMI Training

A 2-week certificate program that focuses on designing local solutions to important development challenges. Participants master the essentials of  project design including the construction of problem trees, logical frameworks, results frameworks, systems maps, and the selection of strong indicators for effective monitoring. Participants also develop proficiency with a broad set of tools to engage stakeholders, map networks, promote strategic partnering, and facilitate important conversations linked to development outcomes.

Want to participate?

We’re pleased to announce that we will have DPMI trainings in Monterey, Rwanda, Kenya, and DC in 2016. If you would like to learn more about the DPMI program, please contact Carolyn Meyer at cmeyer@miis.edu. You can follow us on twitter at @MIISDPMI or visit http://go.miis.edu/dpmi.

1500 USD Sarah Meek Africa Travel Awards for MIIS Students

Carolyn Meyer MIIS Update, News

***MIIS students completing research in Africa in 2015 are encouraged to apply!

***Research could be completed as part of an internship or job as well as for-credit or not-for-credit.

 

Announcing the Sarah Meek Travel Grant for Research in Africa

Starting this January, four travel grants of $1500 each will be awarded for MIIS students conducting research on social change in Africa. The research can be either independent or part of established immersive learning programs such as IPSS, DPMI+, or Frontier Market Scouts. The research must be conducted in Africa for a duration of 3 months or more. Research proposals that involve 2 months in Africa and the remainder back in the US or outside Africa will also be considered.

To receive this grant students must submit a research design that focuses on a social condition in Africa of the applicant’s choosing; e.g., poverty, environment, crime, armed violence, gender equality, conflict, disease, education, refugees, etc., with the goal of making policy/program recommendations that can change that condition.

The application must include the following elements:

  1. Dates of research
  2. Location of research, to include a letter of support from an organization which is hosting or assisting you with your project.
  3. A two page statement that includes a complete research design, to include a preliminary literature review that shows a need for this research, the who, what, where, and how of the project, and its potential impact on the social condition.
  4. A description of the deliverable and date of presentation.

Applications must be received between now and 15 January. A committee of faculty judges will evaluate all applications and determine the four recipients of the award by 20 January. Awards will be given as reimbursement for travel to Africa in 2015.  If you have any questions or wish to discuss the eligibility of your planned research for this award, please make an appointment with Professor Ed Laurance at elaurance@miis.edu.  He can also be reached at 831-402-2631.

These awards are made possible by a continuing donation from the family of Sarah Meek, a MIIS alum of 1996 whose life was cut short while working to improve social conditions in Africa.

DPMI to launch training in Kisumu, Kenya June 9-20; Fellowship options post-training

Carolyn Meyer Events, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), MIIS Update

Call for Applications for DPMI Kenya Program*

*Please note that that this program is still pending final approval by MIIS/MIDD Global Operations Committee.

-Learn side-by-side Kenyan development practitioners on a USAID Forward initiative.

-Complete a client project for improving access to quality education.

-Stay in Kisumu and work on client project after the training through a summer internship or DPMI Plus.

What:  DPMI and the Omega Foundation (OF) will partner in the offering of the pilot 12-day intensive DPMI Kenya training focused on strengthening local NGOs’ capacity for improving access to quality education.

Where: The majority of the program (10 days) will be held at a training center in Kisumu, Kenya with 1 day of orientation visits and tours in Kisumu and 1 day spent at a noteworthy tourist/cultural site.

Who: Attendees will include 5 OF staffers, 5 OF affiliates/grantees working in education, 10 Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) graduate students, and up to five additional qualified applicants interested in a career in international development or social change.

When: June 9-20, 2014 followed by optional summer or summer-fall fellowship with Omega Foundation or its grantees/affiliates

Cost: $1,400 for MIIS students inclusive of training cost, triple-occupancy lodging, local transportation, and 1 meal per day (Note: participants should budget for international airfare to Kisumu as well as two meals per day, visa fees, and other miscellaneous costs). Regular tuition rates also apply.

Academic Credit: Students can register for 4 or 6 units of credit for the training and 6 units for the DPMI Plus field practicum– if also completing an internship in Kenya or elsewhere.  Total Credits Possible: 12

Apply: Complete this short registration form by Friday, April 25.

Field Component

Omega Foundation  will work with up to five MIIS DPMI Kenya trainees to place them in 2-6 month unpaid or paid internships/fellowship with OF, OF affiliates or partner CSOs—preferably affiliates involved in the training who would be interested in having students help implement the capacity-development concept presented at the end of the training. Affiliates or OF to cover housing costs for fellows. Students to cover food costs.

Background on Training Content

Ten days of instruction and related fieldwork that will prepare participants to design and contribute to projects addressing NGO capacity development and access to quality education issues. Learners will engage in simulations and practica with collaborating organizations that will enable them to apply tools and frameworks that draw on design thinking, facilitation “best practice,” organizational development and partnering. The overall program will be rooted in Kenyan realities and the work of Omega Foundation and its affiliates. The culminating component of the training will be a “real-life” client project for Kenyan-based partners (to be selected by Omega Foundation). Participant teams will be made up of at least one staff member from the affiliate and OF. MIIS students attending the training will remain in Kenya for 2-6 months (varies by student) after the training to work with their Kenyan colleagues to refine and implement the deliverable concept.

 

More about the Omega Foundation:

Omega Foundation is a local non-governmental organization started in 2001 with a national focus on promoting health and building livelihood support systems in Nyanza, Western and parts of Rift Valley provinces.

OF Education objective: Their objective is to empower children and youth through quality education , life-skills development  and training support. Current activities include school feeding programs, provision of scholastic materials, payment of school fees and psychosocial support to HIV/AIDS affected/infection children. All these are geared towards promoting well-being of children  and helping  orphans and vulnerable children  to be resilient to social challenges posed by lack of fulfillment of basic needs and or parental care.

Interested in other DPMI Trainings? Applications are still being accepted for several openings in the DPMI DC and DPMI Monterey trainings this summer. Apply at http://go.miis.edu/dpmi by April 18.

Questions? Contact me at cmeyer@miis.edu or call 831-647-6417831-647-6417.

Carolyn Taylor Meyer

Director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs

Graduate School of International Policy and Management

Monterey Institute of International Studies

A Graduate School of Middlebury College

P: 831-647-6417831-647-6417

F: 831-647-6693

cmeyer@miis.edu

 

DPMI Rwanda and DPMI Plus Winter/Spring Applications Due October 31

Carolyn Meyer Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), January Term Opportunities, MIIS Update, News

Are you interested in a career in international social change and development?

Would you like to gain a new professional skill-set this January?

Consider applying for the Development Project Management Institute (DPMI) professional certificate training January 6-24, 2014 in Monterey or January 14-23 in Rwanda.

Would you like to gain professional experience?

After successfully completing the DPMI Training, Monterey Institute students can complete a 3-9 month credit-bearing internship program in which they apply skills covered in the training to benefit their host organizations.

Applications for DPMI Monterey, DPMI Rwanda, and our corresponding internship program (DPMI Plus) due October 31, 2013.

Learn more and apply at go.miis.edu/dpmi.

 

IPSS January Pre-Departure Workshops Announced

Carolyn Meyer About, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), IPSS, January Term Opportunities, MIIS Update, News

The International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) program at MIIS recently announced it’s January 3-20, 2014 workshop schedule. A summary of workshop offerings is as follows:

“High-Value Organizational Consulting” (IPSS 8530A) Jan. 3, 4, 5; 12-5pm

“Designing and Evaluating Interventions” (IPSS 8531) Jan. 7-8, 9:00am-5:00pm

“Quantitative Data Analysis in a Professional Setting Using Excel” (IPSS 8532) Jan. 11 and 13 9:00am-5:00pm

“Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis” (IPSS 8534) Jan 15-16, 9:00am-5:00pm

“Netwoked International Organizations: Using Networks, Measurement, and Social Media for Learning That Leads to Impact” (IPSS 8534) Jan. 17 and 20, 9:00am-5:00pm

These professional skill workshops will be open to students and professional outside of the IPSS program space-permitting. Please email ipss@miis.edu to express interest or call 831-647-6417. 

Full  Descriptions (All Workshops Are 1 Credit; Pass/Fail)

High-Value Organizational Consulting (IPSS 8530A) Jan 3, 4, 5, 12-5pm

This workshop will be  taught by organizational expert and successful government, nonprofit, and private-sector consultant, Dr. Beryl Levinger ,with help from our alumnus Vladimir Cernavskis (Moscow, McKinsey Associates).  Participants will learn tools for analyzing an organization, its culture, its approach to meeting mission, and ecosystem analysis.  They will also master key skills for effective organizational consulting including client reconnaissance; client relationship management; and the creation of value-added consultant deliverables.  The 15 contact hour workshop in January will be worth 1 credits. Students wishing to earn 2 credits for this workshop will turn addition deliverables in the first month of their internship – these deliverables will help them apply the tools they have learned in this workshop to better understand their host organizations. Instructors: Beryl Levinger and Vladimir Cernavskis

High-Value Organizational Consulting : Field Work (IPSS 8670A), Jan 27 – May 16

Students who take IPSS 8530A workshop may submit deliverables in the first month of their internship for one additional credit. These deliverables will help students apply the tools they have learned in the IPSS 8530 workshop to better understand their host organizations.
Instructor: Maha Baimyrzaeva

Designing and Evaluating Interventions (IPSS 8531) Jan. 7-8, 9:00am-5:00pm

Workshop will cover basic tools and steps involved in designing successful interventions (i.e. projects and programs) and effectively evaluating these interventions.  This workshop will prepare students to assist the growing number of organizations across various specializations that are trying to establish more systematic design and evaluation systems. Instructor: Vladimir Cernavskis, Principal, McKinsey Moscow

Quantitative Data Analysis in a Professional Setting Using Excel (IPSS 8532)

Jan 11 and 13, 9:00am-5:00pm As a massive amount of quantitative data becomes readily  available, organizations and decisions are becoming increasingly data-driven. As is common in the workplace, students will learn how this data can be analyzed in Excel without the need for more sophisticated software.
Instructor: Kevin Morenzi

Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis (IPSS 8533) Jan. 15-16, 9:00am-5:00pm

Students will acquire and practice tools essential for systematically analyzing qualitative data as a professional in the government, nonprofit, or private sectors.  Instructor: Erika Takada, Senior Research Associate at Harder+Company Community Research

Networked International Organizations: Using Networks, Measurement, and Social Media for Learning That Leads To Impact (IPSS 8534) Jan 17 and 20, 9:00am-5:00pm

This two-day workshop will help create an integrated communications strategy that makes effective use of social media and mobile tactics and tools to get results for their host organizations.   Those results may be increased brand awareness, fundraising, inspiring and mobilizing stakeholders to take action, or outreach.  The course will also help students develop a professional learning and networking strategy that will help them deepen the impact of their internship and support their career goals.

Instructor: Beth Kanter, an author who was recently named “One of the Most Influential Women in Technology” by Fast Company.