Candice Kotzen

I am completing my Masters of Arts at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University, specializing in Trauma and Crisis. I am very much oriented toward academia - I have collaborated actively as a research assistant in the discipline of communications (political, marketing, and interactive), and I am a teaching assistant for popular undergraduate topics. Before completing my undergraduate studies, I started searching for my “next direction.” It was essential for me to broaden my knowledge in a field that I had little knowledge about and great attraction to.

For me, Crisis and Trauma as an academic discipline is one that encompasses many elements of daily life and functioning. It concerns itself with the individual, families, groups, and communities. It surrounds not only efforts to improve overall well-being but it greatly emphasizes philanthropy and grassroots organizations. All these elements are part of my innate being, and steered me in the direction of the Crisis and Trauma MA degree.

For me, a highlight of the Crisis and Trauma program is the Field Experience, part of the course, “Theory and Practice of Social Planning and Social Management,”supervised by Dr. Shilo and Ayelet Oreg. We have the opportunity to choose a field placement, from an array of worthy organizations, during our academic year. My own field experience placement came as a wonderful surprise: After conversations with the supervisors, we settled on TOPAZ, an option that was not available initially. TOPAZ is as a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, voluntary association that aims to be a social entrepreneur platform which ultimately contributes to the growth and sustainability of Israeli society, by addressing social problems in Israel and abroad.

Within TOPAZ, my field experience is with the Inspiration Interdisciplinary Center for Art & Social Change at Makerere University, Uganda. Within the organization, I focus on the written elements pertaining to the establishment of various academic programs by focusing on interdisciplinary topics including cultural diplomacy and the arts, art and human rights, art in conflict resolution, intercultural relations, inter-religious dialog, and artistic excellence.

The field placement has an additional practicum element to it. Theoretical grounding, in the format of a lecture, provides principles that underpin the practice and help me expand on the knowledge that I learn through my field placement. This theoretical class also helps me understand my purpose and role in the NGO setting. My idiosyncratic combination of academic knowledge, world view, and work ethic, combined with the information I have obtained so far through this degree program, has allowed me to flourish in an NGO, a setting that was new to me.

I believe the field experience has helped me grow and develop my skills in the discipline; this will set me in good stead for my future career, most likely working in an organization of similar nature to that of TOPAZ.  My placement has helped me realize my interested in the world of organizational behavior with regards to the helping field.