International development program proposal for social awareness and global engagement

IDSA Grant Proposal

International Development for Social Awareness (IDSA), in San Juan, Texas has the ultimate goal of developing a program that will allow a limited number of participants each year to travel to a sponsor nation to help the nation/region and the individual to gain knowledge and experience regarding social issues and to help advocate for social change in an international setting.

The program is affiliated with the University of Texas-Pan American, supporting overall Values and Vision, with adjunct participation from several key departments at UTPA interested in increasing global awareness, including currently members of staff faculty and students in the International Studies Department, the Social Work, Nursing and Business Departments, as well as several collaborative community groups, business sponsors, interested community members and local political leaders. The U.S. Department of Education (UDE) is also in support of the program though the IDSA is a separate entity, from UTPA and the UDE that will focus on not only students (at all levels) but can include faculty, staff and at large community members seeking to develop greater international awareness, improve personal growth and help promote change.

The problem at hand is the lack of identifiable and accessible programs that foster international awareness and stewardship in an increasingly global environment, for all members of society, as apposed to only student (usually graduate level) institution sponsored programs and faculty directed sabbatical/visiting scholar programs. Creating a program, to mirror the goals of those associated with institution sponsored programs that will focus on any individual seeking such an experience will help foster growth of global awareness secondary to educational attainment.

Proposed participants (10 per year) will gain greater knowledge of cultural and social diversity, simultaneously conducting filed research to promote awareness and elicit collaborative solutions for identified changes concurrently building individual maxims, such as leadership skills, awareness and management skills.

Methods for the attainment of participants as well as identification of locations will focus on financial and social need as well as desire to elicit change in an international arena. Students will be required to have and prove a GPA of 3.5 (for grad students) and 3.2 (for undergraduate students) faculty, staff and at large community members will apply utilizing different criteria. The IDSA will also collaborate and compile and hold an International Social Awareness Seminar, supported heavily by UTPA and other interested groups and individuals noted above, to which all interested individuals and groups will be invited, from the greater Rio Grand Valley, to foster greater awareness of current international social awareness issues and promote application of individuals and ideas for international community locations and projects and to promote the inclusion of these current international issues in classroom curriculum.

IDSA is requesting funding from both private and federal sources in the amount of 500,000 to implement the program for 2 years, applying only limited funds to administration and development and most funding to provide travel, equipment and living expenses for participants of the program and the identified social and physical support changes for needy international locals.

Introduction

The executive officers of IDSA recognized the need for the development of an organization that would assist not just post graduate students and faculty of educational institutions to expand global awareness. In many cases the development of such awareness comes at a heavy economic and social price that is outside the reach of many individuals in the community, yet with a growing global society the need has never been greater. After recognizing an extreme social need the organization began to develop networking first within University of Texas Pan-America to help facilitate and administer potential programming by attempting to alleviate redundancy, with a greater awareness of the existing programs and what is missing from them. The UTPA is in full support of the organization offering both time and individual expertise from many departments and through existing credentials and contacts additional expert or novice support from the community. Within this context the organization developed a core group of essential experts and interested community members and member organizations that include university educators, interested qualified students, interested community members, community groups, business and sponsor groups and local political leaders from the Greater Rio Grande Valley, all supported and/or members of UTPA departments of International Studies, Social Work, Nursing and Business and other interested department members. With this collaborative affiliation with UTPA the program Committee of IDSA was introduced to interested parties at the U.S. Department of Education who are now willing to demonstrate support for the program and possibly help seek granting to begin this two-year pilot project. With these collaborative organizations and the development of a plan for a yearly social awareness conference detailing topics such as; researching international issues with a focus on improving people's quality of life and addressing injustices, non-governmental organizations participation opportunity, international social awareness, international travel guideline information and student participation experience. With yearly social awareness conferences it is realistic to assume that greater networking and larger scale lists of sponsors and interested individual experts and participants will further the organization and provide it greater focus and vision. The increased involvement of individuals at UTPA, the USDE, interested faculty and experts from the community at large the qualifications and credentials of this already impressive social awareness organization will improve as will additional match funding for follow up years of development, beyond the two-year pilot project.

Objectives

Stepping away from the idealized idea of the program the objectives of this organization, in measurable terms are specific to the development of global international awareness through a small group of people expanding and broadening their social and cultural exposures and awareness. Supporting individual missions of change is a relatively simple and economical resolution to the problem of the growing divide between the moderate to minimal income individuals in the U.S., who are either unaffiliated to higher education, seeking greater experiences prior to achieving educational goals or for those who seek to make international change through global stewardship. The average mission would likely cost only a nominal localized expense and would open previously unattainable achievements to the participants involved, to the community in which they serve and to every future business, personal and social encounter they have. Gaining leadership, management skills, and cultural awareness of diverse international communities and peoples is a necessary goal of most individuals, and yet it is often a someday sort of dream. This programs' most urgent goal is to develop a set of structures that will result in individuals who wish to do so to immediately be able to realize their goals and visions. To realize these objectives the IDSA will continue to foster ideas and develop goals that focus the program to a set of ten or less locals that will be appropriate for international participant involvement. This goal will be achieved by two months after the close of the social awareness seminal, three months prior to the first participation departure. To better understand the development of this objective please see the later section on location/site participation identification. The work will also seek to identify and verify qualifications for 10 eligible participants, and an additional 5 alternative candidates, who will again be considered at a later date if still available and will take the place of any participant who for any reason cannot fulfill the term obligation. Additionally, identified participants will be briefed of assignments and have the opportunity to discuss and valuate expectations for the term ahead of them. Support for travel accommodations as well as, local individual financial support will be in place one month prior to departure as well as all participants will be required to have medical clearance and receive appropriate travel immunizations and preventative treatment depending on assignment location, within two weeks of departure.