International Blog

Avery, International Development and Globalization, Alternatives, India, India Civil Watch International

In the last few weeks of my internship with India Civil Watch International (ICWI), I have been able to practice some real tangible skills that really made me feel like a real member of the team and feel that my work has had value for the organization. I have been able to find a new passion for communications and design, something that I have never believed myself to be very capable at, but after creating a few reports for my NGO, I was lucky enough to have received considerable praise and encouragement from my team.

This encouragement from my coworkers and supervisors has been a repeating factor that has allowed me to really want to work better and to really feel like I was actually helping. One of my supervisors also encouraged me to do some social activism of my own, in the form of writing a letter to my MP. This was a sort of final assignment to show to my organization exactly everything I had learned concerning the issues they were focused on, as well as to help promote their organization in Canada.

I really have enjoyed this internship as my experience working with an NGO, after having worked various government jobs I was a little lost and did not know in what direction my career was going. But after this internship, I seem to be a little clearer. It’s so nice to have work experience in a place where I am not only interested in the work they are doing, but also feel like I can actually be an important part of the team someone who is beneficial to the organization. I’m just so happy to have had an experience where going forward, I can see exactly what I want, instead of wondering if I will be able to find a career I enjoy.

Avery, International Development and Globalization, Alternatives, India, India Civil Watch International

My internship with India Civil Watch International, is probably the best work experience I have ever been lucky enough to be a part of. India Civil Watch International or ICWI, is a human rights monitoring and advocacy organization with its headquarters in New York, USA. With deep ties to the most important social movements in India, it both alerts international civil society to urgent and evolving priorities, and advocates for rights and protections of vulnerable populations.

I have been lucky enough throughout this internship to be connected to a team who has taken the time to educate me about various topics concerning the history and current events of India, whether it be the Caste System, political prisoners, or the work of human rights activists all over India. I was even invited to attend the memorial service of an amazing human rights activist, which was not only an incredibly honouring and emotional experience, but so educational. This team has worked hard to make sure not only that I have plenty of work to do, but also ensure that I am fully confident in my knowledge. I can honestly say that while there is so much more to learn, as India has a vast history with millions of different stories to tell, I feel confident in my ability to work and produce well-done content. This is something I have never felt working for any other organization.

Mostly, I just feel grateful to work in a team of men that are as caring, and open minded as this one. Being the only female on a team can be quite daunting, and my past experiences haven’t always been very positive, but this team has allowed me to feel confident to speak up and ask questions. I recommend this organization to any student looking for experience pertaining to development or human rights in South Asia.

Jacob, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, India, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCCO)

Mental health has never been far from my mind during this pandemic. While I, like many others, have been dealing with mental health challenges, I’ve also gotten the chance to research and do a bit of writing on mental health in schools in South Asia as part of my internship with UNESCO New Delhi. Thinking in both of these worlds has given me occasion to ponder the universality of anxiety for humans; but more importantly, it’s also given me a chance to think concretely about cultural appropriation, and honouring the cultures that we learn from.

I’ve got some techniques that help me cope well when my brain gets the best of me. I like to engage in mindfulness practices, through short meditations, controlled breathing, or during a walk in a nearby park. These are all practices that are in vogue in online wellness communities, and are gaining more and more traction in medical study. But while these practices are relatively new to Western/Canadian culture, we rarely discuss in depth the fact that they are originally an intrinsic part of South and East Asian heritage. Obviously, this kind of exchange carries some negative colonial implications. For example, as Twitter user @notallbhas observed: restyling the ancient Indian technique of Pranayama as “cardiac coherence breathing” is part of “an imperialist frenzy to steal ‘mystical’ eastern practices & [sell] it back as western ‘science’”.

Which brings me back to my internship. I got the chance to produce some supporting materials for the release of UNESCO New Delhi’s Minding Our Minds report, a document that provides mental health strategies for students and teachers to cope during this pandemic. Being produced by an Indian office in an Indian context, a lot of its recommendations are homegrown, like some instructional sections on yoga and meditation. For yoga, there is some important context: as a highly globalized hobby, yoga has been a focal point of the cultural appropriation dialogue in recent years, as the uOttawa community is well aware. In fact, the Indian government has mounted a campaign to remind the world’s yoga practitioners of the sport’s cultural and spiritual importance. As part of these efforts, the government has also spoken positively about how the widespread popularity of the sport presents an opportunity for cross-cultural bridge-building.

And so, while the Minding Our Minds report has an everyday importance for me through its stress-reducing tips, it has also given me an example of how international aid can fight against the negative power dynamic of colonialism. Its quiet assertiveness of yoga’s Indian heritage is a reminder for the world of the importance of being explicit about citing our sources, so to speak.

I believe that this approach can bring a character of respectfulness to our extremely globalized world. I’m also learning that, being a Westerner of privilege like I am, to do international work means to think critically about making sure my contributions are honouring the culture and people I serve.

Lauren, Honours in International Studies and Modern Languages, Alternatives, India, Indian Civil Watch International

As my internship with Alternatives Canada and the Indian Civil Watch International comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the past couple of months and about what I have learned as a result of this experience. I have broken it down into three major categories and learning points for myself.

The first has to do with communication by way of knowing how to ask powerful and useful questions. Due to the virtual nature of these internships, it has been imperative that every message have a purpose. It is also important to be comfortable asking a lot of questions in order to make sure that you are receiving the right information when starting a project. In my experience, this ability to ask impactful questions has come with time. I was given the opportunity to interview Satya Sagar, a political columnist from India, which is when question formulation was the most important during my time with the ICWI. I of course had questions prepared beforehand that I had approved by my supervisors, but when it came down to the actual interview, it was also necessary to be able to think of questions then and there based on the path of the conversation. We were discussing his past experience with the Peoples Health Movement in India as well as their political prisoner crisis. The conversation swerved in all different directions which made it necessary to tweak what I intended to ask so that the discussion still felt natural. It was also important that every email that was sent had meaning. I wanted to make sure that I was getting as many questions answered with the least amount of emails having to be sent. Communication is key, but is most reliable when you take the time to as pertinent questions.

My second major learning experience was figuring out how to research and prepare a list of useful annotated bibliographies for the ICWI. This is one category in which my prior university experience did come in handy for the initial stages of my internship. Being a social science major, the majority of my classes over the past couple of years have been heavily graded based off of research papers and examinations. That being said, there was still a bit of a learning curve. At school, most of the time, you just want to get your papers done as fast and efficiently as possible in order to move onto the next thing. However, in the case of my internship, I had more time and more focus on one subject matter. I was taught to write synopsis’s in a specific way and create annotated bibliographies that were actually pertinent to the topic (unlike in university where you have to fill a sort of quota for sources). I read article after article about terror laws in India, specific cases that involved their implementation, watched webinars on the topic, and spoke to some very educated people about the crisis there. Not only has it been extremely interesting, but it has honed my skills and taught me how impactful good research methods can be.

My final major learning point has to do with gaining confidence about my knowledge. I came into this whole experience thinking that I was underqualified, and not smart enough to be working on such a project. I had never worked in the field I was studying, let alone an NGO. Fortunately, I realized very quickly that I actually had learned more than I thought throughout my university experience, not only by way of classes, but also because of my extracurricular activities. I am the president of a club on campus, and was able to use my experience there to help the ICWI clean up their website and find a target audience for their information. I realized that I am more capable than I had previously thought, which has been a massive confidence boost (especially going into my final semester of university!).

Overall, I believe that this has been a wonderful experience for me, and anyone who is on the fence about doing one of these internships should take advantage of the opportunity. I am aware that virtual internships may not sounds overly appealing, however even under such circumstances, there is everything to be gained.

Lauren, Honours in International Studies and Modern Languages, Alternatives, India, Indian Civil Watch International

I am sure that you are all sick and tired of hearing complaints about 2020 and our current pandemic situation. Fortunately, I am not here to complain, but to inform, and explain what I have been doing over the past couple of months regarding my international internship with Alternatives Canada and the Indian Civil Watch International (ICWI).

The world as we know it has changed in the way we learn, the way we work, and the way we socialize. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I filled out my application for an “at a distance” internship, but I am honestly so pleasantly surprised at how it has turned out.

As an International Studies major, the past 3 years I have spent taking numerous political science courses including political violence (which to this day has always been my favorite), but I hadn’t gotten the chance to actually put any of what I had learned into practice. This is why working for the ICWI has been an amazing opportunity to learn more about concepts taught in that course, specifically political prisoners and terror legislation across the world. The ICWI’s goal is to spread awareness about the current issues in India regarding political prisoners, and how unjust their anti-terror laws are.

That is where my internship comes into play. My role with the organization shifts and changes as time goes on. At first it was important for me to get more comfortable with the material, and prove to my superiors that I semi knew what I was talking about. I started out by reading articles and writing short synopses for each one. I continued to do this for the first month or so, as well as created an annotated bibliography that will be used in the future to more easily find sources.

Next, I started to analyze and critique the ICWI’s current website. This has probably been my biggest accomplishment thus far as I believe it will prove to be the most useful written piece I have come up with. The website is quite outdated, so I recommended how they could better market themselves in order to obtain more visibility, and in turn have a better chance at spreading awareness. I got to present my ideas to my supervisors and explain why these changes would ultimately be beneficial.

My next tasks will be to start comparing terror laws in India with other countries terror laws, as well as come up with a series of questions that I will be asking prominent political and human rights activists in a series of interviews next month.

It is obviously a very different experience, working at home online instead of being on the ground in India, but I believe that it is still teaching me so much, teaching me skills that I perhaps wouldn’t have if I was actually there.  I am not an extremely “techy” person, so I have had to adapt and try to improve on that. I also feel that I have more freedom to express my opinions on the subject matter, without fear of judgment were I to really be on the ground in India.

Again, I know that what is going on today is far from ideal, but my goal moving forward is to continue to make the most of my internship and continue to learn as much as possible. Now is the time… Seriously! It is not like we have anything better to do.

If you are hesitant about doing an “at a distance” internship, don’t be. There is so much to gain by working with these organizations. Not only will you be gaining some much-needed experience, but you are also working for something that is greater than yourself. Every one of these organizations is looking to make the world a better and safer place, so I highly encourage you to apply!