Cross Campus Collaboration: Success Stories

ENRICHING STUDENT LEARNING AND IMPACT DEVELOPMENT: THE CARIBBEAN INTERNSHIP PROJECT (CIP)

The CIP is an example of collaborative arrangements which aid curriculum development at the UWI and the advancement of regional development and integration. The CIP was developed in 2004 as a partnership between the Centre for Population, Community and Social Work (CPCSC), an outreach initiative of the Mona, Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work and the Caribbean Child Support Initiative, (CCSI), a regional integrated programme of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration, (CARICAD), based in Barbados. Funded initially by the Bernard van Leer Foundation, (BvLF), the CIP assists Early Childhood Development (ECD) and the strengthening of the care environment for children in the region through the placement of interns in social service agencies.

1.  Achievements to date:

    a) Partnerships developed to aid sustainability:

  • By 2010 the CIP became known as a project of the UWI involving all three campuses, Mona, St Augustine and Cave Hill demonstrating commitment through contributions to support interns assigned and through collaboration to aid the processes and administration necessary for a successful collaborative effort
  • Three Government Ministries in Belize, Grenada and Dominica and one Non-Government Organization in St. Lucia have been partnering with the UWI to fund interns placed at social service agencies in their country
  • Interns as partners have funded either airfares (partially or fully) and/or the cost of insurance coverage

    b) Administrative structure and liaison staff provided at each campus to aid cross campus collaboration

    c) Documentation as a result of the collaborative effort

  • A Case Study commissioned articulated the CIP model and principles and outlined recommendations for the future
  • A draft procedure and policy manual created benefited an understanding by all of the processes involved

    d)  Internships as a result of the collaborative effort have ensured the following:

  • Placement of 208 interns since 2004
  • Funding of 33 interns by three campuses between 2009 & 2011
  • Inclusion of a wide cross section of Caribbean nationals from 13 countries who have served as interns
    • Opportunities provided for final year students, recent graduates of undergraduate programmes and graduate students who pursue internships for accreditation
    • Opportunities provided for students from 13 disciplines at UWI to serve in social service agencies creating a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural approach to problem-solving
    • Coverage to 13 agencies in diverse settings in 8 countries through implementation of culturally relevant best practices
    • Transfer of skills and the strengthening of agency services through capacity building
    • Experiential learning for interns which included family and community interventions, research and advocacy

2.  Successes cited are due to:

  • BvLF's support of the design and implementation of the CIP and the relevant links forged in the region
  • Coordination of the CIP
  • Interest, motivation and influence of UWI's leadership to ensure relevant funding, structure, administration and liaison
  • Collaboration of three UWI campuses

3.  Challenges and Potential: The initial BvLF funding ended in 2011 and discussions about the CIP's sustainability should
now centre on:

  • Institutionalization of the CIP at the UWI: Attention to key supportive elements
  • Expansion of the CIP: Shaping new parameters post Bernard van Leer and beyond 2011
  • Coordination of the CIP: A dedicated position is recommended