Intercultural Dialogue as a Tool for Maintaining Sustainable Partnerships in Tourism

International partnerships have a reinforcing effect and lasting benefits for modern economy and social life. The principles of intercultural partnerships in tourism can be compared to other principles of sustainable development. This chapter recognises the ultimate role of sustainable development in the sphere of tourism, while applying the theory of intercultural dialogue as an approach to the SDG 17 and tracing back partnerships to the bridge where different cultures meet. Such meetings very often need a bridge to cross over cultural gaps. In view of the proposed research, one such bridge is presented by the International Tourism Fair Holiday and SPA EXPO 2020, and it is against the background of this event that the established partnerships mediated by intercultural dialogue are classified.

New Spatial Imaginaries for International Curriculum Projects: Creative Diagrams, Mapping Experiments, and Critical Cartography

This article explores the complex relational landscape of international partnerships where local and transnational education objectives are entangled. We present a methodological practice for experimenting with diagrams and maps. Our emphasis on spatial rendering of local/global relationality is intended to invite discussion about the postcolonial context of international education work and the geopolitics of transnational curriculum. We pursue a diagrammatic and archipelagic form of creative abstraction, which we present as a posthuman cartographic practice. To illustrate this practice, we focus on a specific international curriculum development project funded by the World Universities Network.

Characterization of international partnerships in global retinoblastoma care and research: A network analysis

Global cooperation is an integral component of global health research and practice. One Retinoblastoma World (1RBW) is a cooperative network of global treatment centers that care for children affected by retinoblastoma. The study aimed to determine the number, scope and nature of collaborations within 1RBW, and uncover how they are perceived to contribute towards improving retinoblastoma outcomes. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods egocentric network analysis was conducted. Treatment centers (n = 170) were invited to complete an electronic survey to identify collaborative activities between their institution (ego), and respective partners (alters). Network maps were generated to visualize connectivity. Key informants (n = 18) participated in semi-structured interviews to add details about the reported collaborations. Interviews were analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Surveys were completed by 56/170 (33%) of 1RBW treatment centers. Collectively, they identified 112 unique alters (80 treatment centers; 32 other organizations) for a total network size of 168 nodes. Most collaborations involved patient referrals, consultations and twinning/capacity building. Interviews identified four main themes: conceptualization of partnership; primary motivation for collaborations; common challenges to collaboration; and benefits to partnership. There is extensive global collaboration to reduce global retinoblastoma mortality, but there is room to expand connectivity through active efforts to include actors located at network peripheries.

Editorial

This issue of Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences includes authors from China, Canada, France and the United States. The first two articles analyse processes of developing international partnerships and networks promoting refugee access to higher education. The other three papers concern aspects of teaching and learning: online learning in accountancy; a flipped pedagogy in sociology; and the inclusion of national history in introductory international relations courses.

Non-Response to Population Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of Gerontology Scholars

Life expectancy is increasing globally, with the biggest gains expected in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, most of the population growth globally in the next few decades will occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Using an online survey we investigated the perspectives of gerontology scholars on the challenges of aging in sub-Saharan Africa as well as the assets of elders. Respondents (n=72) from 17 countries, primarily in Africa, and representing 16 disciplines, identified the top issues facing African elders as: poverty, lack of trained professionals, food insecurity, disability/health issues, and long-term care. Older adults’ unique strengths were noted as indigenous knowledge systems, being holders of cultural heritage, and their contributions to development. Respondents’ biggest concerns about older adults in sub-Saharan Africa were the lack of government attention to aging issues (63%) and a lack of social services targeted to elders’ needs (57%). Government funding (77.8%) and international partnerships (38.9%) were noted as resources needed to support aging research in sub-Saharan Africa. The response or non-response of governments in sub-Saharan Africa will determine whether the growing number of older adults will increasingly experience unmet needs and whether their assets will be considered in development efforts. Establishing professional networks of gerontology scholars in the region will help to document the challenges faced by elders, to plan for the coming demographic shift, and to empower elders to thrive as valued community members.

The role of grassroots administrators in building international partnerships

This article explores how grassroots administrators interact with various other actors in the process of forming international partnerships. A top-down and a bottom-up case of building international partnerships for masters and PhD programmes were selected from my fieldwork in a Danish university. The cases were elaborated and analysed using Tatiana Fumasoli’s organisational approach to multi-level governance in higher education. This article concludes that with their personal networks and knowledge about the normative frameworks of certain powerful actors, grassroots administrators could help academic staff who might not know the regulations involved in the internationalisation process, to balance their own interests with their intention of complying with the normative frameworks, and thus enhance their capacities of forming and participating in a successful international partnership.

Global Health Training Collaborations: Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Interest in global health training experiences among trainees from higher income countries has grown. The Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training (WEIGHT) clarified best practices in 2010 based on expert consensus. These guidelines address both balancing priorities in international partnerships and local sustainability concerns related to short-term experiences. However, the guidelines can be difficult to implement in actual practice. Because our organization predated the availability of these consensus guidelines, we reviewed our current set of practices for hosting service–learning programs at our rural Ugandan clinic for adherence to the WEIGHT guidelines. The discrete activities and standardized processes developed over 10 years of hosting experiences were grouped into broader hosting categories, with consensus among the hosting and sending volunteer coordinators of our non-governmental organization partnership. These practices were then mapped to the WEIGHT guidelines. We found our implementation strategies map these guidelines into a clear checklist of actions that can be used by coordinators involved in global health training programs. We include some of the historical reasons that led to our current processes, which may help other partnerships identify similar practice gaps. We anticipate that this action-oriented checklist with historical context will help accomplish the difficult implementation of best practices in global health training collaborations.

Developing Partnerships: How Local Development Organisations can Empower Themselves through the Integration and Management of International Volunteers; A Case Study with Aspire, South Africa

<p>International partnerships between developed and developing country agencies are typically presented as a way of working toward specific development goals that will benefit the local, developing country partner. Sending international development volunteers from developed country agencies to assist, or build the capacity of local partners is an increasingly common practice within these international partnerships. Yet research about international partnerships and international volunteer sending is typically focussed on the perspective of developed country agencies or the returned (developed country national) volunteers. There is a silence in the literature where the perspective of the local 'undeveloped' country partners' voice should be heard. By overlooking the voice and perspective of local partners, who host international volunteers, the success and worth of international partnerships cannot be ascertained. This research addresses the topic; 'Developing Partnerships: How local development organisations can empower themselves through the integration and management of international volunteers, a case study with Aspire, South Africa'. In addressing this topic the research aims to build a better understanding of how host organisations experience international partnerships. Field research was carried out over a three month period and centred on an in depth organisational case study with Aspire; Amathole. Aspire is a rural development agency in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa which has a cosmopolitan and diverse staff team of local and national employees, and international volunteers. This research topic was developed in collaboration with Aspire to build a better understanding of the Aspire experience of international volunteer hosting within its international partnerships. By better understanding local partners' perspectives, wider lessons can be drawn relating to the principles of ownership, partnership and local empowerment which may influence future development practice. The research was underpinned by a participatory ethos, and utilised a mixed methodology with a qualitative emphasis including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analyses. The research found that the 'Aspire approach' of fully integrating and managing international volunteers into a single, unified, staff team, and managing international volunteers within Aspires own employee systems is a strengths-based and assertive approach. This study of the 'Aspire approach' identifies tangible day-to-day measures that local partners in development can take to empower themselves and to promote and assert their ownership of international volunteer hosting partnerships. The 'Aspire approach' ultimately provides a positive model for future development practice and partnership relations.</p>

Developing Partnerships: How Local Development Organisations can Empower Themselves through the Integration and Management of International Volunteers; A Case Study with Aspire, South Africa

<p>International partnerships between developed and developing country agencies are typically presented as a way of working toward specific development goals that will benefit the local, developing country partner. Sending international development volunteers from developed country agencies to assist, or build the capacity of local partners is an increasingly common practice within these international partnerships. Yet research about international partnerships and international volunteer sending is typically focussed on the perspective of developed country agencies or the returned (developed country national) volunteers. There is a silence in the literature where the perspective of the local 'undeveloped' country partners' voice should be heard. By overlooking the voice and perspective of local partners, who host international volunteers, the success and worth of international partnerships cannot be ascertained. This research addresses the topic; 'Developing Partnerships: How local development organisations can empower themselves through the integration and management of international volunteers, a case study with Aspire, South Africa'. In addressing this topic the research aims to build a better understanding of how host organisations experience international partnerships. Field research was carried out over a three month period and centred on an in depth organisational case study with Aspire; Amathole. Aspire is a rural development agency in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa which has a cosmopolitan and diverse staff team of local and national employees, and international volunteers. This research topic was developed in collaboration with Aspire to build a better understanding of the Aspire experience of international volunteer hosting within its international partnerships. By better understanding local partners' perspectives, wider lessons can be drawn relating to the principles of ownership, partnership and local empowerment which may influence future development practice. The research was underpinned by a participatory ethos, and utilised a mixed methodology with a qualitative emphasis including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analyses. The research found that the 'Aspire approach' of fully integrating and managing international volunteers into a single, unified, staff team, and managing international volunteers within Aspires own employee systems is a strengths-based and assertive approach. This study of the 'Aspire approach' identifies tangible day-to-day measures that local partners in development can take to empower themselves and to promote and assert their ownership of international volunteer hosting partnerships. The 'Aspire approach' ultimately provides a positive model for future development practice and partnership relations.</p>