On November 18, Durham College (DC) President Don Lovisa signed an agreement with Uniterra, Canada’s largest international volunteer cooperation program, to introduce an exciting professional development opportunity called Leave for Change.

The agreement will enable interested DC employees to transform their vacations into short-term professional and personal development experiences of three to four weeks in a developing country. During their assignments employees would contribute their skills and expertise to an established development project. Employees would be paired with a professional from a non-governmental organization and receive support from other professionals in a host country, including Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Malawi, Vietnam, Nepal, Mongolia and several others.

The Durham College Leave for Change program is currently in the initial stages of implementation with the college planning to host information sessions starting in January for interested employees. This program is open to all employees.

“This is a fabulous opportunity for all DC employees to learn from international experiences, while contributing to the social and economic stability of developing foreign communities. Those experiences will assist in advancing the internationalization of our college, a key pillar of our strategic vision,” Lovisa said. “In supporting this program, DC is fostering a more inclusive learning environment while enabling employees to develop a wider global perspective,” he added.

Celebrating the official signing, in the back row from left, were DC staffers: Larissa Strong, manager, international student support, Durham College International (DCI); Katie Boone, manager, international partnerships and contract training, DCI; Mark Herringer, dean, international education, DCI; Sandra Bennett, associate vice-president, Human Resources; and Elaine Popp, vice-president, Academic. Signing the agreement in the front row, from left, were: Don Lovisa, president, DC; and for Uniterra, Tom Tunney, senior manager, University and College Programming. Uniterra is a joint initiative of the World University Service of Canada and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation.