International Contacts

The World Forum Foundation Podcast Radio

                The World Forum Foundation connects with early childhood professionals all across the globe. As advocates for this field, they utilize this medium as means to communicate information, ideas, policies that best meet the needs and interests of children, families, and communities. I have taken the opportunities to listen to the podcast presented through this site and I have been greatly enlightened. There are a total of 10 episodes so far. I have enjoyed listening to them all.

Episode 1: Guest speaker Barnabas Ocala discusses the health epidemic HIV among children in the villages in Africa and the crucial partnerships/relationships between parents, doctors, and educators. He speaks about how these individuals influence the health and well-being of children through conversations and advice to the parents from which they are more likely to adhere to.

Episode 2: Guest speaker Professor Dee via Hana canvasses childhood sexuality. In her upcoming book, calls attention to gender issues on the early childhood level as a means of aiding early childhood educators with techniques and strategies on how to talk with young children about sex and HIV/AIDs.

Episode 3: Guest speaker Deafen Mitchell confers the unfortunate issue of child abuse, either physically or sexually among children. She talks about the devastating effects of abuse to young boy that stopped speaking for over a year resulting from his traumatic experiences.

Episode 4: Guest Speaker Mason Chenab, Early Childhood Program Coordinator, raises the awareness of early childhood care and development, child rights, training caregivers on best practices, and providing resources to parents and educators regarding issues in the early childhood field. Her organization established a psychosocial support project for children and families after the war offering emotional, social, and post conflict support.

Episode 5: Guest speaker Irma Allen explains the challenges of teaching individuals how to be early childhood educators with the available resources in their immediate environment.

Episode 6: Guest speaker Meridas Eka Yora utilized his organization to open up early childhood facilities after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in his country and the roles and responsibilities that children took on for siblings as a means of survival.

Episode 7: Guest speaker TJ Skalski, Principal of the Mother Earth Charter School in Canada, which has an indigenous focus. She reflected on her professional journey in becoming an educator and principal. She believes in revitalizing the essential prominence of cultural and linguistic importance and becoming a positive force in the lives of children facing adversities.

Episode 8: Guest speaker George Foreman, Professor at the University of Massechuettes, contends the work of Piagets’ Learning Theory. He discusses the realization of learning through play his pedagogy of assisting children in ‘making thinking visible’. He also talks about Reggio’s ‘power of discourse’ and reflective thinking.

Episode 9: Guest speaker Barbara Jones tells about her journey in the early childhood field and her interest in the practices of Montessori.

Episode 10: Guest speaker Susan Lyon talks about her passion for children and her ambition in understanding how children think and see the world.

                In summary, the podcasts has given me the opportunity to take and in depth look at other early childhood professionals who share the same passion that I have for children. Their stories and experiences were inspiring and relative to this field. I have a deeper insight to my own personal and professional endeavors in this field as well. My mission is now to touch the lives of children in an unforgettable way like all of the guest speakers in these podcasts. I look forward to hearing and learning more from The World Foundation Forum Radio Podcast.

Reference:

http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/current-work/world-forum-radio/