Rebecca Dixon, Dehradun, India
I worked with a local non-profit organisation called Partners in Prosperity on its "Ultra Poor Project" in Dehradun (north west), India. This project targets the most disadvantaged members of slum communities and in its year-long trial phase will implement programmes related to health, education, vocational and financial training and social protection. The goal is to improve both their daily lives and their opportunities, especially through linkages to government-sponsored programmes and micro finance institutions. The project is being sponsored by Unitus.
During my four and a half weeks in Dehradun I took part in preparing health
awareness materials to be used in regular health workshops conducted in
the slums. I also helped with analysing survey data to create the criteria
for selecting the families who were to be involved i
n
the project. I had the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and conditions
of the local slums, to learn in great detail about the lives of the people
living there, to work with an international group of interns, and to learn
about Indian office politics. Furthermore, I was able to see my work published
online and most importantly - being distributed and used in the slum.
I discovered and planned out this experience through some of my personal
contacts, and my best advice for anyone interested in organising their own
internship is to go ahead and ask for ideas, connections, need and possibilities,
even when there isn't an existing program. It takes persistence and flexibility,
but the extra effort can lead to unanticipated learning and growing.
Rebecca with the rest of the intern team.
These are two YouTube videos that I helped create about our work and the communities involved in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk93LW5fUy4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQTWzz3XkDg&feature=channel
Karla Pooley, Timisoara, Romania
I graduated in 2004 from International Relations and focused on technology
and society. I interned at the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara through
Acadia University's Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) programme. Eleven other
interns were part of the programme, working in places such as Sarajevo,
Sofia and Bucharest.
The Intercultural Institute works with local NGOs for intercultural education, Roma rights and peace-building measures in South-East Europe. We support youth councils, the local cultural scene and various Roma organisations.
As a volunteer, I was responsible for most of the technological activities, including keeping the website up to date, photography and online-research. I edited publications for different European youth organisations. I translated texts in English and French, including Council of Europe documents, academic papers and a chapter about philosophy, to be published in an upcoming book.
I was the project leader for Newtech, an online tool bridging intercultural education and technology. I worked with local school children and was involved with all stages of planning, training and documentation.
I fell in
love with Timisoara. The city is the site of the start of the 1989 Revolution
and bullet holes are still visible on the buildings. There is absolutely
no expat scene here, which forced me to make Romanian friends. I now speak
conversational Romanian and am comfortable doing my daily business in
the language.
After my term expired, I was hired by a close friend to be the head of marketing for his new company. I earned Romanian wages and rented a cozy apartment downtown, complete with broken windows and a strange 1960's era Eastern German washing machine in the bathroom. Unfortunately, Austrian Air only gives one-year tickets, otherwise I would still be in Romania!
I did a lot of travelling while abroad. I visited Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Moldova and the non-existant country/break-away region of Transdniestr, a “living museum” dedicated to reliving the glory days of the USSR.
At a traditional wedding celebration in Bucovina, the "heart and soul of Romania". We ate and danced all night while listening to traditional folk music.
If you're interested in reading more about my experience, feel free to check out my blog, Ro-mania! at http://karro.blogspot.com.
Johanna, Nicaragua
My IR degree has had a very profound effect on my life. During my four years at Mt.A the IR program brought international issues to my attention that I could not ignore or leave behind. As a result, the program has played a major role in shaping my plans for future studies and career goals.
Post convocation I decided to take a year away from academia in the hopes of getting an overseas internship and having time at my disposal to put together grad school applications. Well, both of those plans have been very successful. I am currently in Nicaragua working as an intern with a small NGO, in addition, about a month ago I was informed that I had been accepted to the University of Waterloo to complete a Masters in Political Science with a specialization in Conflict and Conflict Resolution in September. I have defered this acceptance however, for one year during which I will be working again here in Nicaragua.
My work with this NGO has been an incredible experience. It has been very rewarding and the skills I am learning (in combination with a M.A.) will no doubt be very valuable when it comes time to find work in the highly competitive field of international development. I really have the IR department at Mt.A to thank for opening my eyes to this type of work and the need for it. I will always be greatful for what the program instilled in me and for the dedicated faculty who have been so supportive of all of my endeavours.
-Johanna