My name is Pauline Goemans and I am starting my third and last year at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. I am studying economics, international development and Arabic language, and I am especially interested in sustainable economic development, as well as human rights and social justice issues. I have also always been intrigued by the field of journalism, notably the different ways stories are told and shared with the public. I think education through accurate and reliable journalism is essential to protecting human rights. I wanted to find an internship where both of my interests would intersect, where I would be able to learn and write about social justice while also acquiring journalistic knowledge and skills. My intent was also to obtain work experience, learn from an expert in the field of journalism and advocacy, and develop my professional and academic career.
With the help of the Arts Internship Office and the Dean of Arts Development Fund Award, I was able to work as a summer intern for the Upstream Journal from the start of May to the end of August. The Upstream Journal is a human rights magazine and NGO based in Montreal and it aims to tell the stories of people and communities facing poverty, oppression and marginalization with the goal of giving them a voice. The internship mostly consisted of independent work, alongside weekly meetings with the Upstream Journal team and our editor Derek MacCuish. My duty as an intern consisted of completing and individual project on a topic related to human rights. Based on research and interviews I conducted with experts in the field, I wrote an article, edited and recorded a podcast and created a promotional video posted on social media. I chose to write about the discrimination and violence faced by Fulani communities in Ghana, a complex and multifaceted issue that has been worsening in recent years, notably due to climate change induced migration.
I would say the main highlight of my internship was working with and learning from the editor of the Upstream Journal, Derek MacCuish, who not only mentored and guided me through the whole process of researching, interviewing, writing, recording and editing, but also gave me additional advice on developing my professional career through reliable connections, dedication and hard work. During this internship, I truly realized the importance of time management, setting achievable goals and persevering to achieve those goals. Another highlight of my internship was meeting the intelligent and knowledgable people I met through the interviewing process, who truly enriched my experience. I talked with Kaderi Noagah Bukari, a research fellow at the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Cape Coast, Alhaji Yakubu Musah Barry, the general secretary of Tabital Pulaaku International Ghana, and Ahmed Barry, an advocate for Fulani rights. Talking with these people made me realize the gravity of the the situation and the importance of reporting this issue.
I encountered different challenges in the past four months. In the beginning, I had a lot of difficulties finding people to interview. Not only was it difficult to find experts in the field of Fulani rights, but it was also challenging to figure out the best approach to contact them for an interview. After sending a lot of emails and connecting with people through Facebook and LinkedIn, I finally got my first interview. I then learned that perseverance was the best way to achieve my goal. After that, I found it a lot easier to connect and discuss with other people. Another challenging part was learning how to manage my time during the summer. I had to balance my internship duties with summer vacation and a part time job. It was important to me to have certain days of the week where I would only focus on my internship project.
I think this internship not only had an impact on the development of my career, but also on my academic and university experience. I now feel a lot more comfortable discussing with people in a professional setting thanks to my interviewing experiences. I also gained different writing skills, such as writing non-fiction, story-telling and the rules to writing an article. I have also learned how to edit audio and video, which is something I had never done before. I am confident that these new skills will help me develop academically.
I would like to thank Dean Lisa Shapiro for making this internship experience possible. Thanks to the Dean of Arts Development Fund that I received through the Arts Internship Office, I was able to pay my rent and transportation to the location of my internship. I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity. This experience shaped me as a person and made me realize that journalism was indeed made for me.
