This past December, four Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs teams embarked on field work for their Global Policy Projects (GP2) after three months of research and preparations. Three teams traveled to India: One team worked with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), another with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), and one with Basix SubK iTransactions (SubK) Limited, a subsidiary company under BASIX Social Enterprise Group. The remaining team travelled to Timor-Leste to work with Kaebauk Investimentu no Finansas (KIF). All four teams focused on addressing policy issues identified by their clients.
Through their fieldwork, the MPPGA students gained valuable knowledge regarding how to navigate different cultural contexts and research environments and the importance of good communication. Their Global Policy Project was an opportunity for them to build teamwork skills and put their policy knowledge into practice. They were also able to work through challenges and demonstrate their ability to adapt to new and unexpected situations, such as an erupting volcano disrupting their travel plans, a local election being announced, and shifting client needs. They enjoyed immersing themselves in another culture and were thankful for the wonderful hospitality shown to them in their host country and by their clients. They are now turning their attention to putting their findings together for a final report for their clients due in March, 2018.
This January, three new MPPGA teams started working on their Global Policy Projects that will run until April. Clients include the City of Vancouver with a focus on resilient neighbourhoods, the Global Reporting Centre with a focus on water policy, and Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament programme of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, with a focus on nuclear disarmament.
We look forward to sharing more stories from our student teams soon. For questions about the Global Policy Project, please contact MPPGA Graduate Director Shashi Enarth at shashi.enarth@ubc.ca.
