social work with abandoned, neglected and abused Latvian and Russian children
Location: Riga, Latvia
Supervisor: Agnese Sladzevska
- grant writing
- some program analysis and description development
- staff training.
Experience within the "Policy" side of Social Work with the newly formed MCFA who currently serves as the overarching child and family welfare Ministerial head of the country. Prior to the establishment of the MCFA, child and family welfare issues were conducted primarily by the Ministry of Welfare as well as various NGOs such as the National Center for the Protection of Childrenš Rights.
Currently, the MCFA is in charge of implementing the Law on the Proection of the Rights of the Child of 1998 (see website for full length copy) through collaboration with local social services agencies run by each individual local government, the Inspectorate and the Orphan's Court. Responsibilities as authore in the Law for children and families are also shared by the Ministry of Education.
Location: Riga centre
Supervisor: Liga Abolina
- Policy Issues regarding children's rights
- Policy Issues regarding youth affairs
- International Policy research
- International Policy collaboration
Spring 2008: Latvia and MCFA: Initial things to know...
Having safely arrived in Latvia on a friday evening, I began to unpack my bags in my assigned dorm room having NO idea where within the city I was, what street I lived on, how to buy food, where to shower or how to get downtown to the MCFA..
"things I wish I had known" are as follows!:
1. Culture: Many bathrooms in Latvia (particulairy in a dorm or hostel setting) are co-ed! While they lock individually, dont be alarmed if a member of the opposite sex walks in the bathroom while your washing your hands! Chances are they have not stumbled into the wrong bathroom..but rather you just need to share!
note: these bathrooms also are probably not equipped with soap or toilet paper. It's a good idea to purchase your own before attempting to utilize these facilities!
2. Travel: All buses on the outskirts of town go to "Riga Center." Don't waste your time waiting for one specific bus. Just make sure your on the correct side of the road and hop on the first one coming! (i have wasted far too much time waiting for "21" before I made this realization:)) BUY A BUSS PASS! you will save half of your money:) Public transportation runs until approx. midnite. Taxis are available after that, but you will spend more money flagging one down on the street. It is better to call ahead.
3. Location: Get to know your barrings by having someone from "Attistiba," your accomodations or internship to write important information down for you. This may include what street you live on, how to get to the Freedom Momument, how to buy a phone care..and so on. Ask them to pronounce these things and then record them phonetically so you can remember. This helps you to get acquainted with the area and the language at once. Keep a map of Riga, a list of bus times and the address of your accomodations in your purse or backpack just in case.
4. Culture: While it's rare to find a person in America that says "excuse me" while bumping into people in crowded locations...expect this to be rather intensifyed in Latvia. On any given day you can have 20 or so people of all ages push past you like a small child after a free box of candy bars! This was hard for me to get adjusted to because you can easily feel disrespected...dont! Its just the norm.
5. Language: Be patient with the language barrier. Remember YOUR the outsider that doesnt speak their language (unless perhaps you are fluent in Latvian?:)) there are enough people around to help you out with English when you need it..other than that make sure you learn at least a few key phrases..breath and take each step one day at a time!
6. Daily life: Their is rare access to a microwave. Put your cookin' mits on! There is accessibility to many supermarkets within Riga, including Rimi (Latvia's equivilant to Walmart) and Maximum. While all of the food labels are in Latvian or Russian- many are conveniently labeled with pictures so its quite easy to shop for your familiar foods, even without being able to read the labels. note: milk here goes bad after 3 days:)
7. Friendships: Get to know various Latvian friends from all walks of your experience...the Ministry, Attistiba. You'll find that everyone wants to assist the "guest." There are many attractions to visit with friends, including Latvian resturants, small and historical tourist towns, palaces, pro-basketball games and the National Opera to name a few!
3/1/2008 ''''MCFA Spring 2008 Internship: Half way there!
It's hard to believe that I've been in the country for one month at this point! Let's start with details on the internship: This was the first intern that the MCFA has ever taken from America and, as a result, there was (is) a bit of "what to do?" My supervisor, Liga Abolina, who is head of the policy department has been amazing in all aspects of my experience here. She has assisted me in terms of making sure I am entertained and taken care of and available for any of the questions i may have. I wanted to make it clear to the Ministry early on that, while I was appreciative of the fact that they spoke English for me..I didnt want them to think that I thought myseld entitled in this are. This was their country and I was the guest. I have come to realize that little things, such as, learning a new Latvian word, or a piece of their history means alot to them.
The work I have been doing at the Ministry is primarily research at this point. The Ministry is still budding and while the country has done ALOT in the area of child welfare since their independence in 1991, social work is still a relatively new profession. However, since the country has a completely different background than that of the States, it is difficult to compare our system and just say one is better than the other. Take advantage of opportunities to talk with professionals both in the Ministry and out (I have had the chance so far to visit the Ministry of Welfare, the Inspectorate, the Parliament, Orphan's Court and even an orphanage)to just LEARN about their culture, about their present strengths and challenges and soak it all in.
Agency: Department of Welfare - Newly formed Bureau for Social Exclusion
- Project: Developing National Social Policy regarding disabled and human rights issues within the European Union.
Libraries:
Information Resources in the Baltic States
University of Latvia
Rigas Stradina Universitate
Use the Articles link to access over 100 electronic databases from anywhere you have internet access.
You will need to login using your Dominican Network ID and password - this is the first part of your Dominican email account and the password for your email. If you have forgotten your password, you can have the password reset by the IT department - check this before you leave for your placement.
Some recommended resources for your research and coursework:
ABI Inform Global (About)
Academic Search Premier (About)
Business Source Elite (About)
Childhood Development & Adolescent Studies (About)
Criminal Justice Periodicals (About)
ERIC (Ebsco Host) (About)
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (About)
Health Source Academic/Nursing ( About)
Lexisnexis About
Medline with Fulltext
Omni Fulltext Mega
PAIS International
PsycARTICLES
PsycINFO
Social Services Abstracts
Social Work Abstracts
Sociological Abstracts
Government Information:
Google directory of government information
U of C-Boulder - Latvia Gov. Publications (Note - some resouces are available to U. of C-Boulder students only)
Some of these databases are ABSTRACT ONLY while others contain abstracts and fulltext articles. Some index books as well as articles. You will need to read the citations carefully. The databases are linked to each other so you may be able to access the fulltext of an article in another database -- use the "find full text article linker" or "WilsonLink" buttons when available.
Feel free to email (reference@dom.edu) or IM the reference desk if you have questions. The reference desk is staffed Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (C.S.T) ; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m.
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