Reflective Practice Phase and recent positions

When we decided to start this blog, the PIM Admissions team sat together and thought over what were our most common requests from prospective students.  Among the many frequently asked questions was a keen interest in the practicums undertaken by SIT students, as well as positions held by recent SIT graduates.

The Admissions team wanted to present some of these positions to you, as outlined below.  Many of the positions held during the RPP have developed into full time employment for SIT students upon their graduation.

Please note that this is just a brief sampling of the many positions taken by SIT students during their practicums; as the graduate school has been operating for more than 40 years, our students and graduates have worked in almost every large international NGO, as well as many small community organizations, for-profit businesses, government bodies, and intergovernmental organizations.   

What exactly is the ‘Reflective Practice Phase’?

A degree in the PIM Program at SIT Graduate Institute is composed of two standard phases; the on-campus phase, and the Reflective Practice Phase (RPP).  The on-campus phase of PIM is divided into two semesters.  During this phase, students complete both core coursework which is common to all degrees, as well as degree specific coursework.  For details on courses offered during the current 2007 – 2008 school year, please click here.

The Reflective Practice period is an integral phase during which students are responsible for pursuing their overall learning goals through the practice of their chosen professions.  It is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge, skills and self-awareness they have gained through the on-campus phase, to test out the generalizations and theories embodied in their course work, to develop additional competencies, and to expand the network of professional contacts that will be helpful in their professional development.  The RPP consists of the following components: practice context; learning plan; reports and final portfolio of learning; and presenting your work at a capstone seminar. 

Equally important is the service aspect of the RPP.  PIM views the RPP as a special opportunity to make a contribution to the global community.  In addition to the planned learning and the service aspects, the RPP often results in unplanned benefits.  Students generally learn a great deal about themselves, their ability to function in new roles, and their career direction.

For more information about the Reflective Practice Phase, please click here.

Recent positions held by recent graduates and during practicum periods:

Sustainable Development:
Field Researcher, Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM) Andes Project, Ecuador
Environmental Researcher, BRAC, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Assistant to Senior Gender Policy Advisor, Millennium Project, United Nations
Food Security Program Manager, UMCOR, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
Project Manager, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Fundraiser, Lutheran World Relief, New York, USA
Organizational Development Assistant, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, USA
Maternal and Child Health Consultant, Trace Foundation, Nepal
Microbusiness Specialist, New America Foundation, USA
Burma Volunteer Training Coordinator, Open Society Institute, Thailand
HIV/AIDS Volunteer for NGO Capacity Building, Peace Corps, South Africa
Deputy Minister of Gender, Government of Liberia
Youth and Media Intern, Ibdaa Cultural Center, Palestine

Conflict Transformation:

Youth Work, Deheisha Refugee Camp, Palestine
Communications and Disarmament Intern, International Peace
   Bureau, Geneva
Resident Advisor, Youth Peacebuilding Camps, Vermont
Special Assistant to the Ombudsperson, Ombudsperson
   Institution, Kosovo
Election Observer, Procurador de los Derechos Humanos, Guatemala
Coordinator, Annual Interfaith Service, United Nations
   Interfaith Center of New York
Monitoring and Evaluation Intern, Peacebuilding Department,
   Sanayee Development Foundation, Kabul, Afghanistan
Refugee Settlement Intern, UNHCR Mbarara Field Office, Uganda
Conflict Management Teacher, University of Port Elizabeth,
   South Africa
Organizer/Mediator, Dispute Resolution Foundation, Kingston,
   Jamaica
Teacher, Sharek Youth Center and AMIDEAST Micro Scholarship
   Program, Jenin, West Bank, Palestine
Program Assistant for Peace Education, People for Peace in
   Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), European Union/Security Sector
   Reform and Small Arms Control EUSAC) — Tirana, Albania.
   This is a joint regional action plan in the field of
   conflict prevention, between UNDP, EU and Ministry of Foreign
   Affairs of Croatia,Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo (UNMIK).
Contract Position, National Peace Foundation — Washington
   DC
Junior Associate, Asian Foundation — San Francisco
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom –
   Philadelphia
Mediator and grant writer — Foundation Center/Community
   Boards — San Francisco
Project Manager, Intersos – Kosovo & Kabul, Afghanistan.
   Italian humanitarian aid organization –  working with
   members of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR)
   to establish a unit that documents, tracks and provides
   social services for the “extremely vulnerable individuals” (EVIs)
Fellowship in Transitional Justice, Institute for Justice
   and Reconciliation (South Africa) and the International
   Center for Transitional Justice (New York) — Cape Town,
   South Africa
Coordinator of Community Programs, CommonBond Foundation –
   Sonoma, California. CommonBond is a public interest, non-profit
   organization established to foster cross-cultural appreciation
   and harmony among neighboring Anglo and Latino cultures in the
   Sonoma Valley.
IRC Resettlement Program Manager — San Diego

International Education:
International Student Services Program Assistant, Duke University, USA
Director, Vienna Study Abroad Program, Central College, Austria
Study Abroad Advisor, Virginia Wesleyan College, USA
ESL Program Coordinator, Vermont Adult Learning, USA
Program Manager, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, Sangam World Centre, India
Director of International Student and Scholar Services, University of North Carolina, USA International Education Assistant, Northfield Mount Hermon School, USA
University Relations Manager, SIT Study Abroad, Brattleboro, VT
Co-Director, Center for Global Education, Windhoek, Namibia

Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management:
Cross-cultural market researcher, Groupo Vent-r Global, Costa Rica
Program manager, Eaton Consulting Group, USA
Operations manager, Karmê Chöling Buddhist Meditation Center, USA
School connectivity program director, Project Harmony, Azerbaijan
Cultural awareness program director, CAPACIDAD Arts for Children, USA
Program director, Teach for America, USA
Public relations intern, Childreach, USA
Director of Pre-service Training, Peace Corps, Cape Verde

Social Justice in Intercultural Relations:
Project Assistant, Worldwide Strategies, Inc., Washington, D.C., USA
Human Rights Observer, Global Exchange, Mexico
Graduate Intern, Resource Center of the Americas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Senior Case Manager, EZRA Multi-service Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Intercultural Teacher, Bapagrama Educational Centre, Bangalore, India
Student Intern, Alana Community Organization, Brattleboro, Vermont, USA
Assistant Program Director, Educational Praxis, Putney, Vermont, USA
Institute of Cultural Affairs, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Association Cristiana de Jovenes del Peru, La Libertad, Peru
Peace Corps Volunteer, Ougadougou, Burkina Faso
Peace Corps Volunteer, Amman, Jordan

Management:
Executive Director, Parent Aid, USA
Research Assistant, Japan External Trade Organization, USA
Management Intern, Mahaguthi, Nepal
Planning Officer, Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray, Ethiopia
Committee Coordinator, Vipassana Meditation Center, USA
Corporate Fundraiser, Earthwatch Institute, USA
Director of Information, European Integration Bureau, Latvia
Intern, World Resources Institute, USA
Human Resources Intern, Siemens AG, Germany
Emerging Market Development Advisors Program, USAID, Amman Jordan