My name is Naomi (she/her). I鈥檓 a student of Political Science and International Development at 捆绑SM社区 heading into the final year of undergraduate studies. Beyond my studies I also attempt to be an active member in my community, particularly in the field of social justice. I participate in numerous clubs and programs that are aimed at various underserved communities within my home of Montr茅al. Most notably, my extracurriculars have led me to working with refugee scholars at 捆绑SM社区, financially disadvantaged 捆绑SM社区 students, individuals in precarious living situations experiencing period poverty, and adults with limited literacy of Montr茅al鈥檚 Black community.
Given my academic and extracurricular interests, a paid summer internship at Equitas was an amazing opportunity. Equitas is a global non-profit that focuses on human rights education. The branch that I was interning in was the 鈥楥anadian Program鈥�, which focused on human rights education in Canada for children and youth. Most of what we did in the Canadian Program was running educational information sessions for children, youth, and partner organizations working with these groups from a variety of backgrounds, as well as running programs that aimed to actively engage children and youth in running their own projects to fulfil their rights. The program truly focused on equipping their partners, and children and youth with the necessary tools to protect and fulfil their rights. This work also only became more relevant during COVID-19, given the unequal social impacts that the pandemic had in Canada.
My role as a work-from-home intern varied 鈥� I would like to think that I was mainly a support for the projects that the team was undertaking. During the summer, Equitas focuses significantly on trainings for summer camps and other institutions on the rights of children and youth, and best practices to fulfil these rights. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team also held many workshops for interested youth to learn more about their rights and how they could express them in the midst of the pandemic. I helped plan and execute these projects. On top of this, I had a chance to create content for the Equitas social media platforms, which I found very exciting given the amount I got to communicate with Equitas鈥� social community! Lastly, I also had the privilege to undertake my own projects. This included being tasked with creating a virtual celebration for the community projects led by youth and coached by Equitas staff during 2019 and 2020, as well as creating various articles aimed at sparking youth critical thinking and social engagement. These tasks were particular internship highlights for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed taking on a more leading role, and had excellent mentoring from all my coworkers at one time or another to complete them.
This internship experience has confirmed what I already was rather sure of before beginning it 鈥� that this is the type of work that I wish to do in the future. My aim for this internship then was to confirm this belief, to learn from the experiences and expertise of the coworkers and community leaders that I would work with, and to support the organization and my coworkers as much as I could. I am happy to report that I believe I achieved all my goals, and I hope my coworkers agree!
This was an eye-opening and thrilling experience not just for how it has served me during my three months there, but also for the future. I now am more decisive than ever on the educational and career path I will take. I want my educational path to continue making me a better asset to the non-profit sector, particularly the non-profit sector that works with disadvantaged individuals of my very own community. I am also sure that I would like a job in this sector, and if it is an option, I would love a job at Equitas specifically. Thanks to the Equitas team, I now have the job experience I need to help me enter this world and provide valuable skills to it!
This experience was only possible due to the generous financial support offered to me by The Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund. As a non-profit organisation, funding can be very tight, particularly during a pandemic. As such, the position would likely not have been open without this extra financial support. Thank you to The Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund!
