In July 2007, Douglas Professional Chief of Social Services Joan Simand returned from her third trip to Indonesia, buoyed by the success of recent social work/community development projects. This was especially satisfying since she had contributed towards the success of such projects when she had offered workshops/training sessions during previous visits to Indonesia.

Exciting Developments in 2007

During this third trip, Joan visited juvenile detention centres, psychiatric facilities, an emergency shelter, and a free local health clinic for poor villagers on the islands of Java and Sumatra. She noted that many well-structured projects with clear measurable goals were underway to improve Indonesian’s quality of life. This included the opening of a successful health clinic in a poor village by the Islamic University’s Community Development Department and Jakarta’s new Faculty of Medicine. This winning collaboration will inspire more village clinics of this type to be created throughout the country.

During this period, another exciting trend was also emerging. Universities located off the main island of Java had heard of the success of Joan and her colleagues, and were asking to benefit from their expertise. In response, 40 top administrators from universities across Indonesia were invited to attend a joint session in Jakarta in 2007 to pinpoint ways to optimize community development/social work programs across the country. Last April, all 40 of these administrators also travelled to McGill University for a month, to learn additional strategies from Joan and other experts.

Previous Visits

During Joan’s first trips to Indonesia in 2004 and 2005, she presented university workshops on community development and social work techniques. She also contributed to the development of internships for students studying community development with non-profit, voluntary citizens' groups (NGOs) and advocacy-based organizations. The students helped these organizations to integrate modern approaches into their work, involving street children, prostitution, poverty, and mental distress. Unfortunately, demand for these services increased dramatically with the tsunami disaster of December 2004, and an earthquake, which followed several months later.

How It All Began . . .

Joan’s relationship with Indonesia began in 2002, when five Indonesian social work students spent nine months with Douglas staff, absorbing the latest social work/psychiatric techniques. Several of these students are now in leadership positions in Indonesia, working to improve social conditions.

In 2003, Joan was invited to join a McGill University Social Equity Project/Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) team. Its goal was to share Canadian expertise with Indonesian universities, government, and community groups, while respecting Indonesia’s religious and cultural traditions. Joan made her trips to Indonesia as part of this team.

Joan’s Latest Training: Trauma and Recovery

Always eager to increase her expertise, Joan travelled to Italy in November 2007 to participate in Harvard Medical School’s Trauma and Recovery Program. She was part of a 40-person class, comprised of mental health experts throughout the world. The Trauma and Recovery Program has prepared Joan to coordinate and provide trauma-related expertise on a local, national, and global scale for a variety of situations, including pandemics, earthquakes, war, ethnic conflict, torture, and terrorism. Joan looks forward to sharing this knowledge with the Douglas community in the near future.