Judy, bacc. Specialized in psychology
Country of internship: Tunisia
Canadian NGO: Alternatives
Local NGO: Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES)
As a psychology student with a passion for this field, I've never taken a university course about politics around the world. I embarked on this internship experience to broaden my horizons. The internship with the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights really enriched my learning about political situations and inequalities in Tunisia.
My research focused on the rights of immigrants. Generally speaking, immigrants in Tunisia do not always have an easy life, and illegal immigration brings with it many challenges, and migrants' human rights are often not respected. Although I was able to learn about the Tunisian situation on an individual basis through literature research, the weekly meetings with our supervisor and the conferences presented by other organizations contributed enormously to my learning. One of the advantages of doing the internship remotely is that we had the chance to participate in several virtual presentations about different countries around the world. We had the chance to meet people who live in countries with difficult situations and learn about the reality they live in. I really appreciated this way of teaching, which is different from the classroom.
I count myself lucky to have participated in this international internship this summer. My Canadian host organization, Alternatives, made it one of the richest experiences I've had, navigating not only my host country, but also the political and social situations of other countries.