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An Exciting Season for Our Association:
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 Many exciting events have taken place across our network of 24 MDP programs this fall. Many students have returned from the field, new students have begun their first year, and two new schools joined the Association--Universiti Sains Malaysia and Lund University in Sweden.
Our network is expanding. Since launching the first MDP program in 2008 over 1100 students have enrolled in the program, and over 350 have completed the program and become alumni. This newsletter is a quick snapshot of what has been happening across our network, and shows what an exciting time it is to be part of the Global MDP!
Cheers-
The Global MDP Secretariat
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 Susmita De, Columbia University, is helping to start up a new social enterprise called Nonprofit-Share, a place to connect the social-good sector for greater impact. Nonprofit-Share is building an online platform to make it possible for nonprofits and social enterprises to find each other and join forces -- think LinkedIn meets OkCupid for the social-good sector. Much of the inspiration for this stems from the lack of coordination in development; Nonprofit-Share aims to serve as a vehicle to encourage cross-sector conversations.
 Daniel McQuillan, University of Florida,was recently hired as a Fellow with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Guatemala.The Fellowship is a 6-12 month training period for staff on the managerial career track at CRS. Daniel will spend the next six months developing a proposal with beneficiary communities and securing approval from the carbon credit-certifying agency, Plan Vivo.
 Katie Morris, Columbia University, is Chief of Staff at the African Leadership Foundation, which is a US-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to transform the African continent through developing and connecting Africa's future leaders in partnership with African Leadership Academy, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her role is to provide support on human capital management, organizational system and structure development, and donor cultivation and maintenance.
 Erica Odera, University of Florida, is now a Research Assistant at the Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida. Erica recently attended two community forums in Apalachicola to raise awareness of the collapse of the oyster industry and to develop strategies for the recovery of the industry and mitigation of future environmental disasters.
 Jessemin Sheyda-Losick, Columbia University, is applying his MDP degree to his work at Rustic Pathways, an international adventure travel company for students that focuses on cultural exchange and community service. Jessemin is currently leading a team to audit Rustic Pathways' global operations, evaluating quality across areas such as community impact, student learning, environmental sustainability, safety, and profitability.
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Employers Speak about MDP Grads
Courtesy of Field Studio
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Pablo Andr�s Roure, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, is currently attending the Masters in Development Practice through Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. He studied International Relations for five years in Argentina. His background and focus on development have led him to work as Business Development Coordinator for an international NGO in Mozambique, and to volunteer in Southern India for a local organization.
Julia Daly, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, grew up in the state of Washington, USA, but spent her time between there and Oregon where she attended the University of Oregon majoring in International Law and Diplomacy and Spanish Language. She most recently secured an internship in Bogot�, Colombia, working on documenting land struggles and internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in urban slums near the capital. She is now continuing her academic career, pursuing an MSc in Development Practice at TCD/UCD in Dublin.
Poroma Kanya, BRAC University, Bangladesh, is a Program Officer for the youth wing at The Hunger Project-Bangladesh, called Youth Ending Hunger-Bangladesh. YEH is the largest volunteer-based youth organization in the country. Poroma is also the coordinator for Bangladesh Youth Parliament, a program directed toward promoting youth voices and giving young people a platform for policy dialogue.
Malhotra Kriti, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, has worked with various organizations concerned with issues of development. She has engaged in several capacities with organizations such as Greenpeace International; Human Rights Watch (Asia Division); and a joint project funded by United Nations Women. She was also awarded a Grassroots Fellowship 2010 and worked on a field-based project in rural India for a month. Her interests include examining public policies and private initiatives and exploring several sectors in the development field like Education, Livelihoods, Gender, and Health and their impact on the target group.
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All MDP students must complete a 2-3 month field placement. Below are some examples:
University of Florida, USA- Ten Master's of Development Practice (MDP) students carried out field practicums in Botswana, Namibia, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Sudan and India. These practicum projects addressed several development objectives, including land management, community-based conservation, governance, evaluation of sustainable livelihood groups, needs assessment, environmental education, leadership training, value chain analysis, resilience, and more.
 | | University of Florida Student in the Field |
Sciences Po, France- Ana Maria Martinez, an MDP student in Paris's Sciences-Po, spent five months in Nepal with Empowered Generation (EG), an NGO that helps to overcome electricity deficiencies in the country. While doing the Monitoring and Evaluation report for EG's pilot project, Ana Maria observed directly the impact on customers' lives, quantifiable in terms of money savings, productivity and longer hours of study. You can learn more about Ana Maria and her work on her blog.
 | | Ana Maria Martinez with Local Nepalese Women |
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka- Natasha Yatawara is University of Peradeniya's first MDP student to undertake field training. "I am currently completing my three-month internship for the MDP in a poverty-stricken yet smile-prevailing rural community in West Africa. Madina Salaam is a small village situated South of Banjul, the Capital of the smallest country in the African continent--The Gambia. My time here will be divided between the Primary School run by WYCE and the sustainability and improved quality of overall activities of WYCE."
 | | Natasha Yatawara Holds a Little Friend |
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UFRRJ, Brazil- In partnership with the University of L�rio (Unilurio) in Mozambique, 17 Brazilian students
in the MDP program at UFRRJ worked on projects that had already begun in the province of Niassa. These projects range from an analysis of the subsistence agriculture systems in these communities to the development of tourism in the region. After two weeks, the students returned to Brazil where they concluded their analyses and sent their reports to be used by the communities in which they worked.
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OUR PARTNERS
(CATIE) (Costa Rica)
(Sweden)
(USA)
(Malaysia)
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OUR ASSOCIATES
(Kazakhstan)
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Our Sponsors 
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2012 Conferences
Global MDP Student Conference 2012
The Twin Cities
The first MDP Global Student Conference occurred in April 2012 at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. The conference was a success with students attending from several MDP programs:
Columbia University,
USA
James Cook University, Australia
Universit� Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal
University of Botswana, Botswana
University of Denver,
USA
University of Minnesota,
USA
University of Peradeniya,
Sri Lanka
To see more about the conference click here.
The 2013 MDP Student Conference is tentatively scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka. More information will be available soon.
State of the Planet Conference
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Columbia MPA-DP Students Greg Levin, Aries Setiadi and Chris Planicka at the State of the Planet Conference
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The Earth Institute's 2012 State of the Planet Conference was held at Columbia University in NYC on October 11. Speakers discussed "building a strong environment and economy for future generations." MDP students from around the globe took part via online technology.
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Upcoming Conferences Sciences Po, France Food Security in the Horn of Africa Upcoming Events University of Waterloo , Canada Indigenous People and the Search for Human Security
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ACADEMIC STEERING COMMITTEE VISITS NYC
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Five members of the recently constituted Academic Steering Committee (ASC) of the Global Association of Master's in Development Practice (representing MDP Programs in the regions of Europe, USA, Asia, Africa and Latin America) visited New York City December 3-6 for meetings with the MDP Secretariat. They attended the final session of this semester's Global Classroom: Foundations in Sustainable Development Practice (FSDP)--the signature online course of the MDP program--at which Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and founding co-chair of the MDP program, wrapped up the 16-session course and pointed the way toward the post-2015 agenda in setting and achieving worldwide Sustainable Development Goals. Meetings were held with MDP students and faculty; Earth Institute administrators and researchers; and other members of the Columbia community doing innovative work that might contribute to the field work and academic resources for the Global Association of MDP Programs.
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ARUTHRA RAJASINGHAM ADDRESSES THE UNITED NATIONS
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University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka- Aruthra Rajasingham, a student from the pioneering cohort of MDP students at the University of Peradeniya, was honored to be selected as one of the first ever official youth delegates to represent Sri Lanka at the United Nations General Assembly. In the picture below she is seen with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the 67th UN General Assembly.
Addressing the UN committee of the General Assembly, Aruthra highlighted the importance of encouraging youth participation in the development agenda. "Youth issues have been discussed at different levels, with both the state and civil society offering varied initiatives that are yet to gain momentum among young people. What is essential is that we mobilize the participation of young people like us, in innovating solutions and implementing positive social change," she stated.
To read more about Aruthra's address to the UN visit the links here at world youth conferences webpage, dailynews, and facebook.
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UPDATE ON THE GLOBAL CLASSROOM |
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 | | Mary Robinson Addressing the Global Classroom |
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson visits the MDP Program at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, Ireland, to give a Global Classroom lecture online to the entire network of MDP programs on "Ethics and Human Rights."
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Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan, participants in the Global Classroom for the past 3 years, won an award from the Almaty City Mayor's Office for the III Almaty International Innovation Forum. They were recognized for their project 'Biking Habitat,' an innovative research and project proposal promoting biking culture and infrastructure in Almaty City. The cash prize was 1,000,000 tenge. Biking Habitat was completed as a group project for the MDP course. Read more about the innovative project here and visit facebook.
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Dean Lan Xue Presents Opening Remarks
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Tsinghua University, China, held the Masters Students Opening Ceremony on August 23rd. On behalf of the School, Dean Lan Xue gave welcoming remarks. Professor Xue analyzed the market and materialism in today's society, addressed outstanding graduates of the School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM) and Sudan Embassy officials working in grassroots activities in Wenchuan. He encouraged SPPM freshmen to be independent thinkers. To visit SPPM's website click here.
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MDP Students from UniAndes
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Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, welcomed its first cohort of 35 MDP students in August 2012.
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Photo Collage from Berkeley's Launch
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UC Berkeley, USA, celebrated the launch of their Berkeley MDP YouTubeChannel, as well as their inaugural reception. To Visit the YouTube channel click here. For more information on the launch click here and here.
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 John McArthur Answers Questions |
The University of Waterloo, Canada, officially launched their Master of Development Practice on the 18th of October with a Q&A session with UN Development specialist, John McArthur. Click here and here to see more about the event.
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Students from the University of Florida, USA, at the Field Work Poster Session Held on November 27th at the University of Florida. To See More About the Program See the Fall 2012 Newsletter here |
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"The Future is Only What Can Be Imagined..."
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Global Masters in Development Practice Secretariat
The Earth Institute | Columbia University
New York NY
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