2008 Summer Internships
Reflections from Participants in the 2008 Student Summer Internship Program
“Working at a collegial and inclusive legal organization, with its focus on human rights and gender equality, I gained a keener sense of the nature and challenges of legal activism and the struggle for social justice in India as well as at the regional and international level. In law school I learned about “rights” and about right-based advocacy; during this internship I traced their legal and normative parameters, with an appreciation of the many challenges of defining and protecting rights. Certainly I feel a great deal more confident and competent when discussing issues of international human rights law.”
Sarah Lemoine, Partners for Law & Development, Delhi, India
“While I feel I’ve left Ghana with a greater sense of understanding of the country’s legal and political arenas, I know that remains the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps above all, I came to realize the complexities of running an NGO in a developing area, and the dizzying amount of time and energy that it takes to write funding proposals, follow up with donors, and report back to donors while trying to implement and execute activities and projects in an efficient and meaningful way. I observed firsthand the politics of the NGO industry and indeed how much one needs to compete and struggle in order to survive and achieve what one set out to do.”
Emma Lambert, Women in Law and Development Africa (WiLDAF), Accra, Ghana
“I improved my legal research and analysis skills, and learnt about how to identify legislative gaps. I became very familiar with the issue of child sexual exploitation itself, and how extensive and widespread a problem it is, even in Canada and the rest of the West. The highlight of my internship was dealing with the actual circumstances of countries’ laws as they stand ow, as opposed to just researching and studying past decisions, like we do in law school. I was given the opportunity to study the present situation in a country and make actual recommendations of how they need to improve their legislation in order the combat the issue in their country.”
Samuel Loeb, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT), Bangkok, Thailand
“There are numerous areas that I was able to take lessons from during my internship. I learned a great deal about life working in development; as well as life in a different culture with different attitudes and understandings. I came to Bangladesh with only a basic understanding of Islam and how it affects everyday life, but had embrace different ideas and learn to work with them. The most significant difference that I had to learn to work within was the role of women. Women in Bangladesh are generally treated quite well, although they do not take part in public life nearly as much as men, particularly in the poorer segments of society. When it comes to elections, this creates a very different system than Canada, including different polling booths for men and women. I learned so much about how religion impacts everyday life and more particularly politics in other countries. This was an experience of a lifetime that I will always have with me. It gave me a chance to see if the development life really is for me, which I think it may be.”
Alison Hopkins, Asia Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
I leave the Yukon with a much greater understanding of the First Nation’s people and their concerns. Prior to this internship, I had had no real experience with First Nations people. Now, having spent three months working closely with them, I understand much better their concerns about traditional territory, about preserving hunting grounds, about documenting traditional knowledge, and about their way of life generally. I was privileged to spend a significant amount of time with people from various First Nations in the Yukon, and most significantly with the Elders from these First Nations, who are the traditional teachers.
Sasha Mandy, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Whitehorse, Yukon
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