Stories From the Field

MIIS Students in London for UN’s International Maritime Organization Meeting

Jordan Bowlby Events, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), MIIS Update, Stories From the Field

imoLast week a group of 7 students, led by Professor Patrick Cotter, went to London to attend the London Convention and London Protocol on ocean dumping of wastes and other matter at the UN’s International Maritime Organization(IMO) in London. Before leaving for the London Meeting students were asked prepare a position paper on the topics that were going to be discussed by the delegates. The topics for the papers were front-line environmental issues being considered at the meeting, including, marine geoengineering, carbon dioxide capture and storage, compliance with the treaties, technical cooperation and assistance, ship recycling, disposal of mine tailings, marine litter, environmental effects of chemical munitions disposal, and 25-year review of radioactive waste disposal in the ocean. The students were able to then listen to the discussions and debate on issues during the meeting.

During breaks for tea or lunch, they had the opportunity to interact with delegates who expressed their positions during the plenary session, including delegates from the Canada, Panama, Turkey, the US, GreenPeace and the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat. In total there were 49 Contracting Parties (nations) at the meeting, 2 associate members, 11 observer nations, 5 NGO observers, 3 UN agencies, and MIIS student observers at the meeting.  The meeting was chaired by Nigeria with support from the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat.

The MIIS Digital Learning Center setup a chat for the group using “SlackBot”.  During the meeting, Professor Cotter was able to comment instantly on points that were being made to allow the students to understand the importance or implications of an intervention by a national representative.

Immersive Learning in Mindanao

Sonia Esquibel Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), MIIS Update, Stories From the Field
Theiline Cramer in the field in Mindanao. Photographed by Maritza Munzon

Theiline McMahon Cramer in the field in Mindanao (Photographed by Maritza Munzón)

Theiline McMahon Cramer (Talie), duel degree candidate in TESOL and IEM, participated in last January’s Center for Conflict Studies field course entitled, Challenges to Peacebuliding in Mindanao led by Dr. Puspha Iyer.

Talie’s blogs speak to the immersive learning experience at MIIS, “I’m basking in the opportunity to reflect on my own experience as I learn a mile-a-minute.  It’s day one and my mind is full of preconceptions and is ready to be filled and sculpted and filled with the knowledge of the people that live in this very foreign world. ”  Her stories from Mindanao are very introspective and humble, “the longer we are here, the more I learn – and more and more I realize I know nothing at all.”

Tylie’s blog posts also highlight profound learning moments, “Going from meeting to meeting, community to community, I’ve begun to zoom in on the details of an individual’s experience, what the meaning behind a certain man or woman’s answer to a question about their experience with peace education may mean on a broader scale.  This trip is so rich with knowledge and experience that, honestly, I had started to focus in on the details – the details that lead you to the broader picture that these international organizations maintain.”

Read more about Tylie’s and her cohorts experiences in Mindanao on the field course blog Challenges to Peacebuilding in Mindanao>>>.

Immersive learning in Japan and China

Sonia Esquibel Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), MIIS Update, Stories From the Field

Merideth Bush touring the Japanese Diet in Tokyo.

The Dean of the Graduate School of International Policy and Management, Dr. Kent Glenzer, describes immersive learning as, “flying in a plane while you build it.”  Merideth Bush, duel degree candidate in IPD and MBA, participated in last Spring Break’s East Asia Practicum course, on foreign policy, trade, and security led by Dr. Tsuneo Akaha and Dr. Wei Liang.  During the seminar, Merideth “flew her plane” with a great deal of openness, awareness, and humor.

Thinking back on her experience, Merideth wrote, “I think of a region where I was impacted by the blend of the ancient with the modern, something that for me, as an American and and therefore a citizen of a very young country, was new and fascinating.  –I remember standing in the middle of Tiananmen square trying to imagine the immense plaza 26 years earlier, packed with passionate university students like myself, many of whom would meet tragic deaths in the very place where I stood.”

She also remembers, “a hilarious tutorial on how to eat noodles with chopsticks and a memorable first-experience with a high tech toilet fully equipped with a heat seat, sound effects, and frankly a rather over zealous bidet.”

Merideth concluded, “the political education I received in Tokyo and Beijing was invaluable, but it is the cultural experiences that will stay with me for years to come.”  Read more about Immersive Learning experiences available this January-term 2016 and Spring Break 2016>>>.

IEM Practicum-DPMI Plus fellow collaborates with progressive language school in Mexico

Sonia Esquibel DPMI, MIIS Update, Practica, Stories From the Field
Luz Vasquez

Prior to studying at the Institute, Luz served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador in the Community Organization and Economic Development Program.

Luz Vazquez-Ramos, candidate for a dual graduate degree in Public Administration and International Education Management, is currently working as a Special Projects Manager for the CETLALIC Institute in Cuernavaca, Mexico for her IEM Practicum and DPMI Plus fellowship.  CETLALIC, self-described as the most politically and socially progressive Spanish language school in Mexico, was founded in 1987 by Salvadorian and Nicaraguan refugees.  Every language course is taught following Paulo Friere methodology, an approach designed to teach Spanish, Mexican culture, and generate a sense of solidarity with Latin America.  The program also offers students an opportunity to participate in a variety of social justice programs.   In a recent exchange with the GSIPM office, Luz wrote, “As a former student of CETLALIC, I have learned about current and past social justice movements through CETLALIC, however I never understood the intentional and direct connection to El Salvador and to Nicaragua.  I am beyond touched and humbled by the work CETLALIC has done.”  This summer and into the fall semester, Luz will be developing a new study abroad program specifically created for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students.

Through her background and work at CETLALIC, Luz has become inspired to develop greater solidarity among undocumented immigrant youth in the United States and the academic community in Mexico.

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

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.

Directed by MIIS Professor and Alumna, Report on World’s Mothers Makes Headlines

Clinton Bullock Children, MIIS Update, Poverty, Stories From the Field, Urban, Women

Urban Disadvantage

Headed by Professor Beryl Levinger and MIIS alumna Nikki Gillete, along with Professor Fernando De Paolis and Sophie Dresser, MPA ’16, the 2015 Save the Children State of the World’s Mothers Report was recently released, concentrating on urban poverty and those affected by it in their everyday lives. Some of the statistics found in the research are unnerving. At the same time, the report also provides possible solutions for creating a better future for some of the world’s most impoverished, disadvantaged peoples.

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The 2015 Save the Children State of the World’s Mothers Report focuses on the “hidden and often neglected plight of the urban poor.” Its many findings have been featured by media around the world, reminding all of us of the true importance of Mother’s Day.

The report shows progress in reducing child death rates in many countries, but also growing disparities. Topping the list of best countries for mothers are Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden, with the United States in 33rd place. The ranking of countries, along with alarming statistics about cities in the United States that have some of the highest urban infant mortality rates among high-income countries, made for numerous media headlines in recent days. Washington D.C has by far the highest infant mortality rate among the 25 capital cities of wealthy OECD countries.

“The report, with its wide international audience, pinpoints where mothers and their children are especially at risk and what can be done to create a better future for the world’s most vulnerable populations,” says Professor Beryl Levinger, chair of the Institute’s Development, Practice and Policy program, who co-directed the research for the Report along with alumna Nikki Gillette BAIS ’06 MPA ’07 MBA ’08.

“I have worked closely with Beryl on the State of the World’s Mothers report for nine years now, first as a research assistant and then as research co-director,” shares Gillette. “I have Beryl to thank for the opportunity to do this good and meaningful work. She is brilliant and I have learned so much from her over the years, both personally and professionally.”

“There is nothing more exciting for me than bridging the worlds of academia, policy research and advocacy,” shares Professor Levinger, adding that for each of the last 15 State of the World’s Mothers reports, MIIS students, alumni, and occasionally faculty have contributed to this research. Working with Gillette and Levinger for the 2015 Report were Professor Fernando De Paolis and student Sophie Dresser MPA ’16.

Dresser says she had a great experience working with Gillette, that she found to be the perfect complement to the immersive learning opportunity she took advantage of with MIIS this January. “During DPMI Rwanda I was able to work with a public health-focused NGO and gain knowledge and insight into maternal child health issues globally, and in Rwanda specifically—skills that I built upon working on the State of the World’s Mothers report.”

Mark Your Calendars: East Asia Presentations this Thursday!

Katya Gamolsky About, Courses, Events, Immersive Learning (MIIS & External Ops), Middlebury, MIIS Update, News, Practica, Stories From the Field, Student Accomplishments

Presentations at Irvine Auditorium this Thursday, May 7th, 6:30-8:30pm, Reception 8:30-9:30pm!

east asia

The students that went on the first ever two-country program through MIIS Immersive Learning Programs, the East Asia: China and Japan trip, will be presenting this Thursday at Irvine, with a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception to follow. The presentations will be very interesting as this program included a semester long seminar which concluded in robust papers, and the feedback from the journey has been very interesting!

The East Asia Practicum was an investigative tour of Tokyo, Japan and Beijing, China, where participants met with and interviewed policymakers, former politicians, and renowned scholars. With unique research topics looking into the the international relations of the region, students were able to seek first-hand information on the dynamics of the two major players: Japan and China. The rise in status of either nation will set the political and economic tone for the region. By experiencing and researching within each nation, students will be able to provide original ideas on the current state of Sino-Japanese relations and the future of region.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/466841256799447/