Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results BRITISH COLUMBIA
University College of the Fraser Valley (BC) Costa Rica
El Instituto Latinoamericano de las Naciones Unidas para la Prevención del Delito y el Tratamiento del Delincuente (ILANUD)
This research will be used by the team members of the Regional Program on Prison Conditions for Women to inform their recommendations for improvements to the existing system of women’s prisons in the region by adapting, where appropriate, Canadian policies, programs and principles. This research will also be stored in the ILANUD database, which is available for public access.
This internship really helped to advance the work of our Regional Program on Prison Conditions for Women in Central American and Andean Countries. Ashley’s contribution took our project in a direction that we would not easily have been able to pursue without an opportunity such as this. We also learned much from having a foreign student intern working in our office. Having to explain things to someone with different cultural assumptions often helped us to question our own assumptions and seek new directions.
University College of the Fraser Valley (BC) Costa Rica
CIDH – Centro internacional para el desarollo humano
Tomas was a welcome addition to our team. At first we had no particular reason to believe in his capacity to make a real contribution, but time and again, we were impressed by his enthusiasm to learn and participate. In the end, the internship was a true exchange. We benefited from Tomas’ well-developed analytical skills and hard work; he learned the practical side of development work.
University of British Columbia (BC) Brazil
Prefeitura de Santo André (Municipality of Santo André)
While UBC is committed to the development of global citizens and seeks to provide a range of opportunities for students to go beyond their own borders into communities, the associated costs to international projects mean the opportunities are limited. The Canada Corps Program literally makes the world the classroom for future leaders. The Canada Corps Program has been a strong catalyst for student action; if not for direct funding then in the recognition that developing and carrying out international projects is an attainable student goal.
Royal Roads University (BC) Uganda
Makerere University, Department of Religious Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies.
Some estimate of the worth of the intern’s activities can be drawn from the attendance at the course offerings. The Alternate Dispute Resolution class was scheduled from 8 am to 11 am on Saturday mornings and many students had to travel 2-3 hours to attend there. The numbers of students attending class continued to increase over the term from twenty-five to thirty-two even though the additional students would not be eligible to write the exam and to get credit for the course.
I was in Uganda when Terry was doing his internship and I saw the degree of interest his interventions elicited, and the way he contributed to transform the methodology being used to teach these courses. He was a star recognized by all. And, his own learning was enormous as he had never operated outside of the country in his professional
Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results and Peace building Program)
Royal Roads University (BC) Various
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The learner was mentored through and contributed to the completion of an IFRC study on how to reduce the potential risk of power abuse in the form of sexual exploitation and abuse within the IFRC and its 183 National Society
members, which constitute over 100,000 million people around the world. Completion of the study included sexual exploitation and abuse prevention assessments in five distinct locations which involved physical assessments of refugee and IDP displacement settings and interviews with multiple stakeholders from within the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, external humanitarian agencies and people affected by disaster and conflict living in
displacement settings such as refugee and IDP camps. The report will make a valuable contribution to the
understanding within the Red Cross and Red Crescent and among the humanitarian organizations with which it works regarding risk management needs, gaps, and what actions need to be taken to create safe environments for all the persons they serve.
The study sets a comprehensive roadmap for the IFRC governance structure to ensure concrete, tangible steps are implemented to prevent abuse of power and to enhance the human security, health and dignity of people served. The learner from Royal Roads University was a significant factor in the success of this project; his depth of
understanding of the issues, ability to ground theoretical, academic ideas into the field, and commitment to a quality study helped produce a innovative roadmap to help keep vulnerable people safe in the communities where the Red Cross and Red Crescent work.
Violence prevention issues are a significant issue in displacement camps but do not receive adequate attention. The assessments were often the first time that humanitarian personnel and people affected by disaster or conflict were provided an opportunity to speak about issues of violence and abuse in their lives and the strategies they recommend to prevent them and enhance safe environments.
Emily Carr Institute (BC) China
Humanistic Olympic Studies Center, Renmin University
The final presentation of the exhibition was achieved by gaining the approved participation of many different parties, including the Humanistic Olympic Studies Center, the Beijing Millennium Monument Museum, several scholars, and a number of other companies. Being able to generate this network in such a short time in the Chinese context is notable. The resulting reaction from BOCOG and the Municipal government representatives was even more positive than we had hoped, and comments were made about the unconventional and innovative manner in which the exhibition was designed and presented.
PRAIRIES
University of Alberta (AB) Sierra Leone
Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s
Both the one-to-one and focused group discussion approaches adopted by all the interns in their research, helped MSWGCA a lot in our efforts to coordinate and strengthen the net-work of partners that are concerned with improving the protection and rehabilitation of children, women and girls.
The intern was able to set the groundwork and provide the preliminary information for a proposal to develop a
National Gender Committee. This initiative was followed through by the intern participating in the Fall Internship. The result was a decision by the Ministry to form a committee of gender stakeholders that would meet at a regional level 4
Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results
Affairs times a year and once a year at the national level. The setting up of a data-base on activities of our key partners is a major success story. Dana and Aaron pioneered the work and it was continued by Marjorie. Also through Dana and Aaron, MSWGCA got a copy of a donor directory with is now being effectively used to advise their partners seeking funding for their various projects.
Overall, the internship was significantly rewarding. In the past, MSWGCA paid very little attention in the area of carrying out research and conducting surveys concerning issues within its remit. But recent work with the interns from U of A (a renowned university in North America) has presented a wake-up call for stepping up efforts in this regard. In fact, during our recent budgetary review we shifted substantial funding to research including consultancy fees for experts to undertake surveys and generate relevant information for effective advocacy and policy formulation and analysis.
King’s University College (AB)
Honduras
Christian Peacemakers International
The goal of Christian Peacemakers International (CPI) was to have the intern make connections with the projects supported by the CRWRC and the King’s University College. The visit that took place to the project from people supported by the Deaconia National was exactly what CPI wanted to have happen, and this is what happened. This will permit continued dialogue and opens the possibility that the people who visited the project in Santa Cruz may at some future point become eligible for loans from CPI to help them buy their own land on which to raise their children and make a living.
Brandon University,
partnering with The Marquis Project (MB)
Tanzania
Tanzanian Society for Agricultural Education and Extension (TSAEE)
Beny Mwenda, Vice President of TSAEE and one of the Main Intern Supervisors:
“Having attended seminars organized by the intern on democracy, good governance and voter education, and discussion with seminar participants who were youth and women, I can say boldly that the training on those topics and issues have enlightened the participants and its effect spread to their community to the extent that many people, particularly youth and women, are now aware and more knowledgeable on issues related to democracy, governance and elections. They are now confident and understand their position and contribution to the government. They are now more ready than before in taking an effective part in the election processes.”
SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS: ADOLPH AMANI,
“This has been great, voting was considered as an activity of which young people could not really value. But now after the training by Zoë, we convince ourselves to make sure that we go to vote now and all our future in any election.”
HAPPINESS MALOMO:
“I did not know about my position as a young woman. I have recognized that I have the right to decide about my government.”
University of Regina (SK) El Salvador
The valuable support and knowledge provided by Mrs. Flor de María Alfaro to the current work of the Supreme Court of El Salvador enabled us to establish a more formal and permanent liaison with different agencies and people interested in developing joint projects so as to strengthen the relationships between different institutions and
Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results
Salvador communities committed to continuing their collaboration and full participation in projects that will contribute to their well-being. Finally, the project clearly showed that it is possible for our work and contributions to be broadened beyond our formal mandate.
The participation of an academic actor was critical in recognizing the contribution of sustainability and governance in advancing local development and democratization processes. Furthermore, it stressed the importance of
establishing a relationship of permanent dialogue and collaboration between academia, state institutions and communities.
ONTARIO
Queen’s University (ON) Ukraine
Centre for Political Analysis and Policy Initiatives, Chernivtsi State University
We at the CPAPI/BCPS and I as Uliana’s mentor feel that both her project and her delivery of it have shown themselves highly worthwhile. Her extensive work with our students has succeeded in not simply better assessing their needs but has, from what I have seen, made their own thinking of student government more rich, in a theoretical and practical way. Getting a fresh outside perspective into our review, added to Uliana’s balanced approach to the interest of all sides, has brought us much closer to building the reformed scheme of governance on which our Center has been working.
We have still much work to do at the administrative level to bring the process to completion, and we are glad to make reference to the work conducted this summer under the CPAPI/BCPS-CCUPP partnership in our approach to a more democratic university environment . . .
As the Intern was concluding her seminar series on Canadian practices in student and university governance, a series of calls began coming in with requests from outside student groups and civil society organizations who had heard of the Intern’s project from fellow groups with which the Intern was already working. Each expressed an interest in having the Intern either speak at one of their functions [i.e. Ukrainian House], hold a seminar or roundtable with their members [i.e. Medical Academy student council], or participate in projects aimed at strengthening citizen participation [i.e. Student Republic] – in short, to share her experience and to collaborate in identifying solutions. A compelling signal of the project’s impact and reach as early as half-way through the internship
We at the Dean’s office have been putting great energy into evaluating students’ concerns relative to [their] role in the university. Seeing different versions of students’ self-government in other countries has [a] very strong and important influence. A great delight is to state that Uliana’s presence on our review team at the university has had a very constructive character. (Pavlo Katerynchuk, Associate Dean, Student Affairs)
Royal Military College of Canada (ON)
Mali
Centre de Documentation
Instructors from Peacekeeping and Security Capacity Building Program (PDCMPS) found Daniel Arsenault’s work very useful in consolidating and improving presentations. These presentations have been delivered to offices from at least nine countries in the region. RMC is following up with further democratic governance initiatives. . .
Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results pour les Opérations de
Maintien de la Paix Redeemer University College (ON)
Sierra Leone
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET)
In Katie’s internship at two local schools the conventional ways were advanced and challenged. She demonstrated that cooperative kinds of strategies can be incorporated in any classroom and any teacher can run them. Even in a crowded classroom this way of learning was orderly and children behaved responsibly. Further, with little effort, what was once inadequacy of materials could fully accommodate a lesson plan. Katie McBride developed new possibilities for the teachers with whom she worked. At the conclusion I confirmed that she had accomplished a set of activities appropriate to the use of children from class 3-6. Most important, these activities are appropriate to our own school conditions. I foresee their long use as generative. (Beresford Davies, Dean of Education, MMCET)
Katie’s interaction on our campus was an unexpected advantage to us. Her interactions with our students will be remembered for a long time. We are used to a system of rote learning and competitive spirits. Katie challenged students to take responsibility for each other’s learning. While constructing and testing the collaborative strategies she was developing.
Experienced lecturers like myself were forced to challenge the ways we teach. We began to think about the
significance of using collaborative learning. I realized that instead of giving up responsibility or losing authority, I was teaching more effectively. (Aske Gbla)
Redeemer University College (ON)
Sierra Leone
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET)
Our children’s ability to read and write will create a new wave in our country in which the public will access and share information for health and survival needs, and create the freedom to communicate ideas here in Sierra Leone as well as globally, and establish government practices of transparency. The project undertaken by the CC intern lays the ground work for this. The primer and the detailed manual are highly valued indispensable new assets. The product of her research is absolutely appropriate to our effort here to raise literacy levels. (Beresford Davies, Dean of Education, MMCET)
The Alphabetic book designed by Loreen Deelstra used familiar materials in our own context. This makes children recognize pictures and able to talk. She also has paced the book in a reasonable way. The manual that
accompanies the book will enable even an untrained, volunteer to teach quite well. (Karanke Marah)
I was profoundly grateful to you for sending Loreen Deelstra to our district in particular, Koinondugu district. I know her work will make an immense contribution to our effort to reduce the high illiteracy rate in our place. We sometimes begin to lose hope. We are so locked off the print media and so many of our people can’t even write a letter. The promising start of the book I saw her working on is precisely what I have been trying to do for several years since the war. In just a few months she has completed it. (Karanke Marah)
A made-for-Sierra Leone Primer and teachers manual has been developed! There is a significant interest in the Redeemer Community to provide the means to distribute these resources as widely as possible. An additional $3000 has already been raised to provide more class sets of the primer.
Location of Internship/ Partner Organization
Comments from Partner Organization on Results Guyana
Guyana Red Cross Society
the programme.
First, the document is a major component for results achieved. This is the first step towards working to have a through evaluation done. We are very happy with this document and look forward to the next stages.
The discussions and the questions that Bethany had formulated helped us to note areas for improvement even before receiving the document… highlighted areas where work needs to be done and the challenges we will have knowing the human and financial resource constraints. . . . We have already begun to address some of the gaps identified. With this document, our work here will definitely be facilitated, however I would take this opportunity to query the possibility of having future possibilities, either by Bethany returning or another person come to work with us, on further developing steps for our National First Aid programme.
Ryerson University (ON)
Costa Rica
University of Costa Rica
The Pilot Leadership Project Ryerson/UCR helped the University of Costa Rica (UCR) discover its students’ profound interest on the topics of good governance and leadership. The institution became aware that offering a leadership program to its students complements the overall level of education that each student receives, since leadership and good governance are topics relevant to all careers.
The intern provided the UCR with the “know how” that allowed the university to construct its own leadership program and tailor it to reflect the local context. For example, The Pilot Leadership Project Ryerson/UCR was promoted via student organizations, e-mail, informational presentations and classroom visits, all of which were carried out by the intern, and helped establish a promotion strategy that could be used by the UCR when developing its own leadership program. In addition, pre-registration forms and information pamphlets were created that could be also be reused by UCR in the future.
The cooperation of all parties involved helped establish positive relations between Ryerson University and the