CHARLTON BROWN PILOT TEAM IN SEENIGAMA

All the way from AUSTRALIA - We train… We place… We care…

Australia’s most respected care and training provider Charlton Brown (www.charltonbrown.com.au) students and graduates work with a culturally diverse client base within Australia and are increasingly seeking opportunities to gain International exposure and experience. The college is also committed to provide students with the opportunities to engage with the International community through outward mobility.

The Global Linkages Program provides students with the opportunity to adapt practical skills developed through their studies to a different cultural setting, and gain an understanding and appreciation of working in an International environment.  Through this program, in 2010, Charlton Brown offered students the opportunity to participate in a Global Linkages Program based in Sri Lanka. The students were meant to undertake a 10-14 day placement and were supported by Charlton Brown staff prior to departure on placement overseas.

In Sri Lanka this program was offered in partnership with the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) located in Seenigama, Sri Lanka. The pilot team consisted of 4 students and a Training Officer (Carmel Harrison).

Carmel who previously has travelled extensively (globally) had this message to add:

“In November 2010 four graduates of Charlton Brown College in Brisbane and myself spent two weeks working at the Foundation of Goodness in Seenigama.  Three of us have an Early Childhood background while the other two have trained and worked in Aged care and Welfare.  This opportunity was provided by the Global Linkages Program which gave us the opportunity to adapt our practical skills in a different cultural setting.  The program also provided us with a greater understanding and appreciation of working in an international environment.

While working and living in the village each one of us had personal experiences which have had lasting impressions. For me, new friendships emerged with people I would never have met if I hadn't had this experience.  We were made feel welcome by the staff of the Foundation of Goodness and also by the villagers we met as we participated in daily life in Seeingama.

I came away with a greater awareness of the Sri Lankan culture and the role Buddhism plays in their daily lives.  It became apparent to me that their devotion to the Buddhist way of life has helped them cope with the devastation both physically and emotionally of the 2004 tsunami.  I have a greater understanding of the impact of the tsunami on the life of the village people.  Each person I spoke to has had a story of what happened to them and their family during that tragic occurrence but their resilience shone through.  With the support of the Foundation of Goodness they are working at rebuilding their lives and planning a future.  Their recovery on a personal level is inspirational.

To be able to share our skills with the staff of FOG and share in the daily life of Seeingama was a truly special experience, right down to playing cricket in the street with the children - a highlight of my afternoons in Seeingama! We are underway promoting the Foundation of Goodness in Sri lanka for our Global Linkages Program for September 2011 and expecting to bring a bigger team of students to offer them a cultural awareness experience that will last in their memories forever!”

2011.03.29