CLA's 2014 Summer Internships are off to a great start!
Summer is (finally) here which means CLA’s 2014 Student Internship Program is well underway!
This year, 19 interns were selected from 15 law schools across Canada to work with our partner organizations in Nunavut, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Alberta, the Yukon, Alaska, Thailand, Kenya, and Ghana. Each student was carefully selected from a very impressive pool of applicants based on their experiences and dedication to promoting human rights, good governance and the rule of law. To learn more about these stellar students, see their bio’s here.
CLA is thrilled to continue partnerships with ECPAT International, Beyond Borders, Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council, Avocats Sans Frontiers, Mikisew Cree First Nation, Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya, and the Law Society of Nunavut. We are also pleased to welcome new partnerships with Chiefs of Ontario, International Commission of Jurists-Kenya, Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana, Yukon Human Rights Commission and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Thank you in advance to each of CLA’s amazing partner organizations for providing our law students with this unique opportunity to use law to improve lives. We have no doubt that our interns will have valuable and extraordinary learning experiences this summer!
As I work with CLA in Ottawa this summer developing our student program material on “Refugee Rights”, I’m also living vicariously through our interns around the world. Here is a taste of their experiences so far:
Vivian Tran, University of Calgary @ ECPAT International in Bangkok, Thailand
“I'm very excited to discover more about access to justice for victims, as this is a sector of society that is very much ignored. Although I have only spent about a month with ECPAT, I have learned so much about CSEC, and also about Bangkok and Thailand as well. Though there is a lot of work to do to eliminate CSEC, seeing how much Thailand and the rest of SE Asia has progressed and reading about the kinds of legal measures the governments have instated to fight this problem, gives me hope that one day, commercial sexual exploitation of children will be an issue of the past."
James Hsu, University of British Columbia @ Chiefs of Ontario in Toronto, Ontario
“A welcoming and warm office, interning at the Chiefs of Ontario has also been enjoyable. As a non-Aboriginal person, the opportunity to work through a new perspective has been a valuable learning experience. The majority of my work so far has involved researching and drafting briefs on legislation, government reports such as the Audits and alternative legal systems. I am also pursuing an independent project on Aboriginal women and governance. In the second week of June, I am very excited for the opportunity to be a part of the 40th Annual All Ontario Chiefs Conference which takes place over three days and involves collaboration on a number of key issues facing First Nations in Ontario.”
Sandra Gaballa, Université de Montréal @ Yukon Human Rights Commission
“I've been in Whitehorse for less than three weeks but I already feel like a valued member of the team at the Human Rights Commission. So far, I've watched history be made at the Legislative Assembly during the unanimous vote to endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, observed court proceedings, drafted memos and met great people at various community events. The atmosphere at work is warm and there are lots of different things to do. The same could be said about Whitehorse in general. The buildings downtown have the rustic charm of a frontier town, while being surrounded by a vista reminiscent of a Lawren Harris painting. The long days afford the perfect opportunity to explore trails and browse shops. The people here are very invested in their community and are always willing to point out art openings or music festivals I might enjoy.”
Anna Logie, University of Ottawa @ Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN) in Fort McMurray, Alberta
“Working with MCFN Government & Industry Relations (MCFN-GIR) has been an eye-opening experience. Not only have I learned about the rich legal, economic and political system of the MCFN, I have also witnessed the strengths and weaknesses of our own systems. In particular, I have come to understand first-hand the difficulties faced by the MCFN in ensuring respect for their constitutionally protected rights and for their indigenous knowledge. Through visiting Fort Chipewyan, attending conferences (including one featuring Desmond Tutu), and meeting traditional knowledge keepers, I have come to know that there is no better place than MCFN-GIR to explore the legal questions that Canadian courts will be grappling with for decades to come. In the field of Aboriginal and environmental law, there are more questions than answers, which makes it one of the most exciting legal areas to explore.”
Tyler Meyer, McGill University @ MCFN in Fort McMurray, Alberta
“The multitude of complex challenges that the MCFN face with so few resources was both exciting and daunting. I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to work on such high-level and challenging issues in a supportive and friendly office. As I become more entrenched in my tasks and hear more and more from various regional stakeholders, these contradictory feelings only grow.”
Jake Brown, University of Dalhousie @ Yukon River Inter Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) in Whitehorse, Yukon
“My experiences with the YRITWC so far this summer have been great. The Council is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Yukon River Watershed for present and future generations. Aside from the actual internship, I have been trying to experience everything the Yukon has to offer, including it's vast wilderness. This has consisted of a beer festival in Alaska, mountain Biking on some of the best trails in Canada, hiking to incredible views, and learning to fly fish. For anyone who loves the outdoors, this is the place for them.”
Loretta Choi, University of Manitoba @ YRITWC in Whitehorse, Yukon
“The Yukon is an ideal destination for a summer internship. As May turns into June, the already long days become even longer, until the land is endlessly bathed in light. From afar, snow-capped mountains frame the city; closer by, skinny conifers jut out from rolling taiga hills. Damp bogs and mosses occasionally take the place of solid ground. And alongside it all, the Yukon River steadily flows. In these few weeks at the YRITWC, I have had the pleasure of working alongside kind and talented people, passionate about the preservation of the environment and eager to see the Watershed Plan water quality standards, approved at the ninth Biennial Summit in 2013, implemented and given life. I feel privileged to be participating in this endeavor with the YRITWC, and look forward to what already promises to be an unforgettable summer.”
Whitney Donnelly, Lakehead University @ Beyond Borders in Ottawa, Ontario
“It is an understatement to say that my experience thus far has been educational - it has genuinely been perspective-changing. Up until this point, I have not worked with an NGO and am amazed at the work they do to advance children's rights, all through the efforts of volunteers. While I have just scratched the surface of my research in this area, I am excited to complete my first "project" and continue to foster my learning in this important area of Canadian and International law.”
Gaby Chowne, University of New Brunswick @ Federation of Women Lawyers in Nairobi, Kenya
“Due to the volume of work, I have been able to get a taste of a variety of legal work. I have screened clients, drafted divorce and custody pleadings, written mediation and demand letters, researched various Acts, and condensed a women's land rights book into a pamphlet so that information regarding land rights is made more accessible to rural women. I am continually impressed by the number of cases that this organization handles, the supportive and collegial atmosphere, and the compassion and composure of the lawyers when dealing with a variety of sensitive issues. I look forward to the remaining month I have with the Access to Justice Team, where I will have the opportunity to visit one of the courts in the city and (hopefully) continue to improve my Swahili!”
As the summer progresses we will be hearing more from the field as the interns provide updates on their experiences for special blog spots. Stay tuned to learn more about this year’s amazing group of CLA student interns!