#44 Trent Lawson - Mzungu!

The People We Meet

While in his early 20s Trent Lawson opted, through a university program, to spend a year living with a Maasai tribe in Tanzania.The Hawke Ambassador Volunteer Experience Program is an 18 unit course which includes an overseas volunteer component, as well as academic and skill-based learning outcomes. In conjunction with a specialised volunteer company, the student is required to design a volunteer experience, implement it, and then reflect on the outcomes upon their return. Leading up to their departure the student has a number of educational and practical interactions with the course coordinator. These interactions take the form of an orientation program, where the student studies the social, cultural, political and economic aspects associated with the country of their placement. In addition to this, the student is taught how to develop a robust risk management strategy. While on placement, the student has an in-country mentor provided to them by the specialised volunteer organisation. In addition to this, the student is required to liaise weekly with the course coordinator to ensure not only that the education objectives are met, but also to manage the student's progress while in-country. Upon their return, each student undertakes a debriefing session with the course coordinator. Moreover, the student is set a number of assessable pieces of work. This includes an achievement report which provides the course coordinator with a detailed summary of how the student added value to the community in which they volunteered. The second piece of work involves a reflective assignment in order to consolidate their experience and aid their career development, with reference to UniSA’s Graduate Qualities. The final piece of work is an academic essay on a development themed topic. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anthony-byrnes/message