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Contributor Guidelines
Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Many of our members, as well as countless other groups, are providing crucial aid to survivors of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devasted Haiti this week. We’ve compiled a great list of relief efforts and resources and hope you will find it helpful as you seek out effective and meaningful ways to contribute. Be sure to check back often as we are continually updating, and email any additions and suggestions to us at admin@globalwa.org
by Global Washington Education Coordinator Mariah Ortiz and GW intern, Pat Orozco
Recently, a team of global education volunteers has been convened to support the international education work of Global Washington members. Washington State has a dynamic global education community! Many organizations work together to shape culturally competent citizens, who will take full advantage of our interconnected world and form a strong foundation for the state’s dynamic global development field. Global education is the tide that lifts the international development industry’s many boats.
This is the first of many upcoming blogs, which will highlight global education organizations, schools, business, nonprofits and other public agencies throughout the state. You will be hearing from many of our wonderful global ed volunteers: Michelle, Kelly C., Kelly T., Lindsay, Luke, Pat and Sheel. We also welcome any story ideas or news submissions for inclusion in the blog! Email Mariah Ortiz with your ideas!
What kind of international education project has Global Washington been working on?
· Global Learning Goals
The Washington State Global Learning Goals are the result of collaboration between Global Washington and faculty from seven Washington State institutions of higher education. The goals express Washington State’s support for global education. They serve three major objectives: (1) bring statewide attention to the importance of producing globally-competent graduates; (2) provide a platform of common goals for Washington colleges and universities that can be adapted to fit individual institutional missions; and (3) position Washington State as a leader in global learning.
28 colleges and universities in the state have endorsed the Global Learning Goals so far. The goal is for all Washington State college and university presidents to endorse the Global Learning Goals. We are reaching out to institutions, advocating for their endorsement of the goals, and inclusion in school policies and curriculum.
· Metrics for Assessing Global Learning Goals Implementation
In collaboration with the Global Washington Educational Advisory Committee, the Global Ed team is researching ways to assess the impact of programs that support the Global Learning Goals. We are researching best practices for measuring global learning programs. Our aim is to identify a clear, easily adoptable and uniform set of metrics and tools that higher education institutions can use to assess the progress of their global efforts.
· Updating the International and Global Learning Inventory
Global Washington published a report in 2007 that provides detailed information about the international global learning opportunities available to students at Washington’s four-year degree granting colleges and universities. The Inventory shows the depth, breadth and innovation of the state’s formal and informal global education programs. We are updating the report to make the content easily and publicly accessible and more comprehensive by including more higher learning institutions.
Here’s a roundup of interesting development policy-related news from the last couple of weeks. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.
Secretary of State Clinton made a speech about the future of development policy last Wednesday, and there is no shortage of commentary- from William Easterly, Nicholas Kristof, Paul O’Brien of Oxfam, Chris Blattman, Devex, and others (Women are the Solution and Men May be the Problem in Developing Countries, IPS news). Click here to see CGD’s compilation of major media coverage of this speech. Global Washington covered this speech as well– I was curious about how much of Clinton’s speech addressed GW’s four principles of aid effectiveness– not very much. Stay tuned for more analysis of this speech, with a particular look at global health.
World Vision speaks out against the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 in Uganda, which threatens to im
pose the death penalty on homosexuals. This bill could undermine World Vision’s work in Uganda by stigmatizing people in the communities it targets, according to the World Vision Uganda national director.
You’ll probably agree that reducing spending on foreign aid to ease the federal fiscal crunch is an idea from the “Hall of Lame.”
Cash on Delivery Aid makes some international development professionals anxious, and Nancy Birdsall responds in the Center for Global Development blog.
Economists warn that Vietnam may get stuck in a middle-income trap, though many Vietnamese people worry about being stuck in a no-income trap.
Pakistani government and NGO’s vying for a piece of the $7.5 billion foreign aid package– education is a key component, but who will control this money is in question. The problems are so large that there still won’t be enough to go around, according to experts.
Traditional knowledge complements modern science: indigenous rainmakers in Kenya work with meteorologists on climate change research.
Senator Cantwell introduced a climate bill that would “cap and dividend” as an alternative to “cap and trade.” Read article here and see Cantwell’s page of links on Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act here.
The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, MFAN, recaps progress on foreign aid reform in 2009 and looks ahead to 2010.