It’s hard to believe that I’ve already worked with UNESCO Beijing for 1 month. Every day was busy but meaningful because I am learning and improving. And it’s always exciting when you got the chance to use what you have been learning. At the beginning of the third week, I finally met our program specialist of education sector–Mr. Robert Parua. He is a very kind person which made our first meeting relaxing. He made two presentations for us about the general information of UN as well as UNESCO, such as its history and functions. He also spent a lot of time explaining the ongoing projects in our office, and the expectations for each of the interns. For me, the main focus is on the next ASPnet National Consultation in Japan. I am responsible for writing the report of the last conference in March in South Korea, which will be distributed in the next one. In addition, a new international center was built in Sanya, Hainan as part of the ASPnet project in China. Thus it will also be something that I will need to collect information and follow up.
Let me first introduce what ASPnet is: ASPnet – a driver for innovation and quality in education – is recognized as an effective tool for reaching target 4.7 on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) of Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Education 2030. UNESCO Associated Project was initiated in 1953 to translate UNESCO and UN ideals into action at the school level. There are over 10,000 schools, colleges, and universities now. The cluster countries have implemented programs and national ASPnet coordinators for each country. The first meeting was jointly organized between UNESCO Beijing Office and Korea National Commission for UNESCO. The major outcome of the consultation was the sharing of best practices and success stories between the ASPnet National Coordinators from Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea.
I also helped my supervisor prepare the opening remarks for a training workshop on the “rural aging” problem in China. The workshop was taken place in Jiangsu province, and was organized as a part of UNESCO’s on-going effort to ensure the achievement of SDG 4 targets, through the support to its Member States to achieve quality education for all at all levels, with a specific focus on the thematic point of quality lifelong learning for all. UNESCO introduces the idea of Community Learning Centers (CLCs) to build the capacity of the growing rural population so as to give them the skills and tools for self-benefit.
Apart from work, five of us (interns from all sectors) went to the Great Wall during the National Day holiday break. Although I have been to the most famous part of the Great Wall when I was little, it is a totally different experience this time. The place we selected is not so famous and Intact, instead, it is older and more damaged. Nevertheless, the view is so much better and we became closer since we helped each other to climb all the way up and down.
Next month, there will be turnovers among the interns, so I am expecting to become the “senior” intern and taking the challenge of more tasks as well as responsibilities. Let’s see what will happen in my next blog post!
The International Educational Development Program 