Eight students receive $64,000 to pursue internships in development

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada’s Students for Development Program awards $64,000 to eight McGill students  to pursue internships with international partner  organizations: 

The Internship Offices Network is pleased to announce that the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) has awarded $64,000 to eight McGill students to pursue internships in the area of health, the environment and governance. With the financial support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), each student will receive $8,000 for their work with international partner organizations in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Barbados, China and the Philippines.  The award recipients are undertaking internships in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts Internship Program, the Faculty of Law Human Rights Internship Program, and the Faculty of Science Barbados Field Study Semester.

Justin Dubois, Faculty of Law: This summer, Justin will be taking part in the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, Uganda, as part of the Human Rights Internship Program run by the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. He will be providing free legal assistance to the refugee population in Uganda as well as writing policy briefs and conducting research on deportation. Justin completed his Masters in Forced Migration at the University of Oxford and has volunteer experience with the Canadian Council for Refugees as well as the Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network.

Jacob Fox, Faculty of Arts, Major Economics, Minor History: Jacob will intern with the socio-economic evaluation unit for Green Power, an NGO that works to advance community-based rural electrification in the Mt. Kenya region. On campus, Jacob is an executive and founding member of Save a Child’s Heart McGill and volunteers with McGill Students for Literacy. He is also a member of the Dean’s Honour List and a Sustainable McGill Project Curriculum Challenge Award Recipient. He hopes to pursue graduate study in either economic history or environmental and energy policy.

Vladimira Ivanov, Faculty of Arts, Honours International Development Studies, Double Minor International Relations and Middle East Languages: Vladimira will intern at the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), in Cape Town, South Africa, a network of indigenous peoples’ groups that advocate for their rights and representation.  She will also be assisting the IPACC Secretariat at the United Nations in New York.  Vladimira is an active member of the McGill community, serving as president of the International Development Studies Students’ Association. She plans to pursue postgraduate studies in law and international development.

Annelise Miller, Faculty of Arts and Science, Interfaculty Environment and Geography: Annelise will intern at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) in Bridgetown, Barbados, an organization which encourages and supports the development of sustainable agriculture, food security and rural prosperity in the Americas.  Annelise is the recipient of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA) for research on Montreal’s Urban Heat Island Effect.  She is interested in environmental, socio-economic and political forces influencing health, and hopes to pursue a career in public health.

Mae J. Nam, Faculty of Law: Mae will be working in the Ateneo Human Rights Center in the Philippines.  Her projects include developing a judicial reference on gender discrimination for the Philippine judiciary and a report for ASEAN on human rights mechanisms for migrant workers in South-East Asia.  The daughter of a former live-in domestic worker, Mae is a founding member of the Philippine Women’s Centre of Quebec, an advocacy group that provides legal information.  She received the 2008 Forces AVENIR award in recognition of her social contribution in Quebec.

Jeannine Plamondon, Faculty of Law: Jeannine will be working at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The ICTR’s mandate is to contribute to the process of national reconciliation in Rwanda and the maintenance of peace in the region. Prior to this internship, Jeannine worked in Mexico and interned at the European Parliament. She also has experience conducting research related to minority rights and the relationship between human rights discourse and ratification of human rights treaties. Through her internship, Jeannine hopes to gain experience related to international criminal law and humanitarian law.

Denise Van Der Kamp, Faculty of Arts, Masters in Political Science: Denise will intern at FutureGenerations/CHINA, a Beijing-based international NGO that promotes public health and environmental protection through community training. Prior to her Masters, Denise worked with NGOs in China for two years, and assisted in the implementation of projects in the Northwestern and Northeastern regions of China. Her internship will allow her to gain further experience in the field, and undertake a research project on public health NGOs in China.

Sarah Woolf, Faculty of Arts, Double Major Political Science and Women’s Studies, Minor Jewish Studies: Sarah’s internship, a joint venture between End Poverty Now (Montreal) and the Rwanda Village Concept Project, will be to manage a microfinance project in Huye, Rwanda. She will be collaborating with the women of the Rwandan Widow’s Association in a sustainable bee-keeping enterprise, an experience that blends her academic interests in politics, development, gender and economics. Sarah is actively involved in McGill student life, notably as a SSMU Councillor, Arts Senator, and Midnight Kitchen volunteer.

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The Students for Development Program is financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and brings together Canadian university students and partners in developing countries to contribute to governance capacity-building. The program is managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and grants $8,000 awards to Canadian youth who are engaged in credited internships in developing countries to better understand health, environment and governance issues.  

The Internship Offices Network acts as a coordinating point for the University’s internship offices, and aims to promote internships for students by serving as a portal to the appropriate internship office on campus, providing tools and resources to help students find an internship, and organizing and publicizing events that promote internships in general and particular opportunities.