捆绑SM社区

I am entering my final year of my undergraduate degree at 捆绑SM社区, where I am pursuing a Joint Honours Program in History and Art History. This summer, I worked as an intern for the Canadian Federation of Friends of Museums (CFFM). I am not receiving academic credit for this internship. My main interest is in the history of marginalized individuals, with an emphasis on their impact in the world of art. I aim to learn more about museums and volunteering, as I aspire to work with these institutions to advocate for the preservation of art, artefacts, and historical sites. In addition, I hope to pursue a career in academia and to one day teach at the C脡GEP and University level.

I wanted to do this internship with the CFFM as my main objective was to gain experience in the realities of working with and volunteering for museums and the organizations that support them. Due to the pandemic, I had not previously had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience relating to my studies at the university level, so this internship let me explore my curiosities regarding the many ways in which one could be involved in the historical sector. Working for the CFFM has allowed me to gain valuable insight about the field, while also giving me the opportunity to learn more about the histories of the Forget House, which is where the CFFM is located, as well as the Golden Square Mile.

Founded in 1977, the CFFM is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and give support to the many museum volunteers throughout Canada, as well as educate the public about the importance of heritage preservation and the value of museums. They also provide a variety of resources to their members, such as their volunteer bulletin (Volunteer Voices) and electronic newsletter (Au Courant). As an intern, my responsibilities involved assisting the membership drive, aiding their social media campaign, participating in outreach and event coordination, as well as undertaking the research, writing, translating, and editing of Volunteer Voices.

There were many highlights throughout the course of my internship, one of the biggest being the organizing and hosting of an open house at the Forget House for Historic Places Day, held by the National Trust. There was a lot of sending emails back and forth, coordinating times, and making sure everything was prepared properly, but the outcome was more than worth it. Preparing for the tours I was going to give allowed me to learn a lot about the social history, art, and architecture of the house, and those who came for the event all seemed genuinely interested as well. Another highlight was when I participated in an Indigenous Allyship Workshop at the McCord Stewart Museum. At this workshop, we learned about various Indigenous ways of life beyond what has been taught to us in school, as well as many ways in which to be better allies. After the workshop we were also granted a tour of their newest exhibit on Indigenous Voices of Today, which allowed me to see yet another important aspect of museum work.

Meeting the many individuals who also worked at the Forget House from the CFFM, as well as members from various other organizations, was another wonderful part of the internship experience. Here, I learned not only how to network, but also got to know the many passionate people who work tirelessly to allow for the house and the organizations within it to run smoothly.

Some of the challenges that I encountered during my time at the CFFM mostly involved learning how to manage many tasks at once as well as what to prioritize. There were days where I got multiple tasks that required my attention, while also having many emails to answer and the volunteer bulletin to edit, and while I relied on my supervisor quite a bit at first, I learned to trust my judgement and work a little more independently to decide what to prioritize, as that is a key skill for any job. I also learned to better communicate when I felt that I had too many tasks or that a certain given deadline was not achievable. Another challenge was getting used to the way in which the organization worked, such as when I attended and took the minutes at a board meeting. The many steps required during these meetings seemed overwhelming at first, but everyone understood that this was a learning experience for me, which allowed me to take things one step at a time.

I received funding for this internship through The Max Stern Internship in Art History Award, generously donated by the family of Max Stern, to whom I would like to express my gratitude. Thanks to their donation, I was able to achieve my goal of gaining a first-hand experience in my field of study, while also aiding me in paying for my next semester. This internship has had a major impact on my university experience, as I feel even more confident in my decision to continue studying history and art history at the graduate level in the hopes of one day being able to work in these fields.