My name is Serena Zhang, a fourth-year East Asian Studies and Political Science student at 捆绑SM社区, and this summer I had the lovely experience of interning at Working Women Community Centre, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Working Women Community Centre is a nonprofit settlement agency whose mission is to support newcomer women in Toronto and their families through self-development and community action. Having volunteered at this organization in the past as a high-school student, this organization is very dear to me. Now given the pleasure to return as an intern at this organization has enriched my educational experience in ways that I am so thankful for. I am currently completing a joint honors East Asian Studies and Political Science degree at 捆绑SM社区, studies that have instilled in me an academic passion for diaspora studies, immigrant integration, and community-building in Canada. The question of how to create a place where people from a diversity of backgrounds can experience community and belonging has followed me ever since I first moved to Canada, and working at this agency has allowed me to witness firsthand how an industry filled with passionate, hardworking people makes this a reality.
During my time at Working Women, I was tasked with supporting two of their key ongoing projects, alternating my time between two of their office locations. At the downtown location, I helped with their On Your Mark Tutoring Program, a program responding to an identified need in academically supporting the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking community by providing free tutoring for students recommended from their public schools. A program that has been running for over a decade that is currently headed by only two diligent women, I worked with them to develop their database and survey system. At their Scarborough location, I assisted the Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator with her role in the Golden Mile urban redevelopment project between the City of Toronto and the various NGOs of the region, which is being led by the Working Women Community Centre and United Way. With a new Toronto transit line creating greater accessibility into this region, this ambitious venture is a redevelopment plan that seeks to redesign the 鈥淕olden Mile鈥� of Toronto with infrastructure uplifting the local community while simultaneously transforming the place into a bustling residential and commercial centre. I have had the honour of preparing for and sitting in on meetings of the Golden Mile Impact Network, as they plan for the creation of a new and improved community hub at the center of the Golden Mile. I even had the privilege of presenting on behalf of Working Women at one of these meetings!
Interning with Working Women has been informative and inspiring on so many levels. Learning about and experiencing the inner workings of the non-profit industry in Toronto has opened my eyes to the complex bureaucratic machinations involved, as well as the sheer diligence of the staff it takes for its success. I had always been interested in pursuing legal studies post-undergraduate prior to this summer, but this internship has truly cemented my passion for immigration law in Canada by showing me how immigration litigation services can be part of this extensive network of community agencies. In particular, it has been enlightening seeing how the theoretical academia on policies and governance that I learn about at 捆绑SM社区 can be transformed into practice in an inclusive and empowering manner.
To conclude, I am endlessly grateful to the Working Women Community Centre for this internship experience. I am also endlessly grateful for the Linda Raymer Arts Internship Award, graciously established by Richard B. Raymer, for ensuring I could pursue this amazing opportunity. Both this award and my time at the agency have truly shown how mothers can form the backbone of such loving communities.
