Since 1997, the Coady International Institute's Youth Internship Program has given recent Canadian university graduates experience working with development organizations in their area of expertise, to help them increase their understanding of development issues and participate in their roles as global citizens. The program is also aimed at providing experience that will improve participants' employment opportunities when they return from their internship.
The interns work for almost six-months with one of the Coady International Institute's partners in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Coady International Institute's Youth Internship Program is the most reputable programs in the country, particularly for the outstanding support provided to the interns and their family/friends.
To prepare them for their overseas work experience, the interns participate in a five-week orientation program at the Coady Institute. This internship program is unique in terms of what it offers the participants who are preparing for a work placement overseas. During the in-Canada portion of the program interns have access and exposure to:
Upon their return to Canada, each of the interns will participate in a three-week re-entry and debriefing program at the Coady Institute, which is specifically aimed at helping them find long-term employment in their fields of specialization.
For more information about Coady's International Youth Internship Program please contact Louise Hamelin, Youth Programs Coordinator, Coady International Institute at lhamelin@stfx.ca or call (902) 867-5020
Since the program's inception in 1997, the Coady has increased participation from 6 interns in 1997 to 18 interns in 2003, with a total of 100 internships. The Coady interns have worked all over the world in Barbados, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Uganda, Peru, the Philippines, Uganda, & Zambia.
As apart of the Canadian Federal Government's Youth Employment Strategy (YES), the Coady International Institute receives funding from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), administered through the Youth Action Division, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The Coady International Institute has applied to CIDA for internships for 2003-05. Once Coady gets confirmation of funding in March - April 2003, we will begin recruitment.
The Coady International Institute covers the majority of the costs of the internship, including flights, vaccinations, medical insurance, monthly living stipends, and orientation & re-entry programs. However, the interns are responsible for their travel to and from Coady. Generally, interns do not incur any major financial responsibilities for the internship program. The interns are given student status which enables them to defer their student loan payments or bank loan interest.
2003-04 Group 1
| Phase 1: | Orientation | July 14, 2003 - August 8, 2003 |
| Phase 2: | Overseas Work Placement | August 20, 2003 - January 30, 2004 |
| Phase 3: | Re-Entry and debriefing | February 12, 2004 - March 5, 2004 |
2004 Group 2 Tentative dates
| Phase 1: | Orientation | February 2, 2004 – February 20, 2004 |
| Phase 2: | Overseas Work Placement | February 24, 2004 – July 29, 2004 |
| Phase 3: | Re-entry and debriefing | August 2, 2004 – August 20, 2004 |
2004-05 Tentative Dates
| Phase 1: | Orientation | July 2, 2004 - July 29, 2004 |
| Phase 2: | Overseas Work Placement | July 31, 2004- January 16, 2005 |
| Phase 3: | Re-entry and debriefing | January 31, 2005 - February 18, 2005 |
Phase 1: Orientation
Coady's orientation program is integral in determining the success of the internship. The Coady provides a five-week orientation program for the youth interns. The program is an immersion experience to enable the interns to learn and prepare together for their international placements. The program consists of opportunities to learn about: the Coady International Institute's history and approach to community development; HIV/AIDS issues; anti-racism; development theory; and asset-based community development (ABCD). Through orientation sessions, the interns learn skills in proposal writing, giving presentations, conducting appreciative inquiries, as well as web research and design. The interns become prepared for cross-cultural adaptation through sessions with Coady staff, Coady participants and former Coady interns.
Phase 2: Placement
Coordinated by the host organizations, the interns will have orientations to their placements, organizations and host countries. It is expected that the interns will develop a work plan in collaboration with their host supervisors within the first two weeks of their placements. This fluid work plan guides the interns in documenting their accomplishments and goals throughout their internships. Both the interns and the host organizations send a mid-term reports to Coady. The Interns and their supervisors also provide feedback to each other on the on-going success of the internship. The Youth Programs Coordinator conducts a monitoring visit to some of the internship placements to assess the impact of internships and future internship opportunities. The interns and their supervisors are required to provide Coady with final reports on the results of the internships. The interns are given one to two weeks of vacation prior to their return to Coady for their re-entry. Coady follows up with the host organizations to provide feedback on their overall evaluation of the internship.
Phase 3: Re-Entry
Coady provides a three-week re-entry program for the returning interns, which assists in easing the interns' transition back into Canadian culture. The interns are provided with support on debriefing their experiences in order to reflect, analyze, and process their internships into a forum for public awareness on international development issues, particularly on HIV/AIDS. The interns are guided in career development and employment to assist them in the transition between school and the labour market.
Highlights:
In both 2003-04 and 2004-05, the orientation of the interns will overlap with the Adult Education and Community Development Certificate which will involve the participation of the interns in sessions with over 50 development professionals from all over the world. In addition, in 2003-04, the orientation will coincide two other exciting opportunities:
In 2004-05, it is anticipated that the interns will be able to participate in Coady's innovative Youth Leadership Certificate in Community Based Development. The interns in both years will have the unique opportunity to work in the countries of the African youth participants in the symposium or certificate. The interns and African participants could build their partnerships and develop ways to support each other in their leadership capabilities and development work.
The internship work placements vary each year depending on the requests and priorities of Coady's Southern partners. In general, Coady's internships are focused on contributing to sustainable development, particularly CIDA's social development priorities of basic education, health and nutrition, child protection, and HIV/AIDS.
Ten of the 12 internships in 2002-03 were focused on HIV/AIDS in response to several Coady partners indicating that they could not successfully continue their development work without integrating HIV/AIDS issues in the development process.
For example, CIDA-Coady intern Teresa Donovan, who worked with Community Research in Environment and Development Initiatives (CREADIS) in Bungoma, Kenya was able to incorporate nutritional management of HIV/AIDS into the training of rural farmers in Kenya. Based on Teresa's nutritional assessment of CREADIS' field schools, Teresa co-developed and co-facilitated workshops on the Nutritional Management of AIDS, and Preventing and Destigmatization of HIV/AIDS. She also developed manuals on Community Nutrition and Nutritional Management of HIV/AIDS. These have been useful tools for the Bungoma community members and home-based care providers to better support people who are living with AIDS, especially those who can not afford anti-retroviral drugs. As a pilot project, the Ministry of Health for Bungoma District is distributing one of Teresa's brochures to the local hospitals and health clinics in Bungoma. If they are successful, the distribution area will be extended to the entire Western Province in May, 2003. Teresa Donovan's internship was very successful and it is reflective of CIDA-Coady's youth internship placements.
Criteria
Coady Youth Interns are:
For more information, please contact:
Louise Hamelin
Youth Programs Co-ordinator
Coady International Institute
St. Francis Xavier University
PO Box 5000
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Canada, B2G 2W5
Tel: 902.867.5020
Fax: 902.867.3907
E-mail: lhamelin@stfx.ca
Is the application process competitive?
Yes, Coady receives over 100 applications a year. We offer interviews to a short list of candidates, either in person or on the phone.
What does my background have to be in?
Our internships are open to all disciplines. We have accepted graduates with various degrees/diplomats into the program. For Example, Psychology, English, Human Kinetics, Health Education, Human Nutrition, Sociology, Anthropology, Biology, Communications, Spanish, International Development, Business, Art, International Relations, Philosophy, Education, and Political Science.
Are the internships only for St. Francis Xavier University graduates?
No, the internships are open to university or college graduates across Canada who meet the general criteria. However, Coady concentrates on recruiting youth from the Maritimes, since it is an area of Canada that struggles with high unemployment and keeping its educated youth in the Maritime provinces. There are also few internship programs in Eastern Canada.
Will the internship cost me anything?
No, generally the internship will not cost you.
Can I choose my country placement?
No, the Coady International Institute makes the best fit between the host organization and the intern's background, skills, and interests. If you are successful in getting an interview, you will be asked your preference.
When will I find out if I'm successful?
The Coady International Institute will contact the successful candidates once it has confirmation of funding from CIDA/HRDC and the recruitment process is finished. This is expected to be in April or May.
What are you looking for in a candidate?
We are looking for candidates who want to gain international development experience to enhance their career development. The most important personal qualities are flexibility, cross-cultural sensitivity, positive attitude and initiative. The intern group is usually a mixture of young people with various levels of understanding of development and travel experience.