As a student currently pursuing Honours Studies in Political Science聽(now entering U2), I am delighted to have had the opportunity to intern for the Albert Einstein Institution (AEI). Indeed, I fundamentally believe in the AEI鈥檚 core values, which are defending democratic freedoms and institutions, opposing oppression and dictatorships, and reducing violence as an instrument of policy. The AEI has overseen the creation and dissemination of some of the most influential texts on nonviolent action and I was able to actively contribute to the AEI鈥檚 aims of enacting peaceful regime change in authoritarian contexts. The AEI currently pursues its mission by advancing work in three directions: research on nonviolent action and how opponents seek to undermine it; education programs for the public and policymakers on viable alternatives to violence; and support for nonviolent resistance movements.
An internship with the AEI is thus inextricably linked with political science, my field of study, and so I wanted to intern for this organisation. Exploring the philosophical ideas that undergird the normative assumptions of the use of nonviolent means of resistance in undemocratic states has allowed me to further develop notions learned in political theory classes. Moreover, examining the importance of civil society actors and transnational links between nonviolent resistance networks has enabled me to observe concepts seen in comparative politics and international relations courses. Lastly, researching different case studies and broader theoretical frameworks for the analysis of anti-authoritarian liberation movements has permitted me to apply methods learned in my research methods course. By pursuing this internship, I have thus been able to better comprehend my discipline, thereby enriching my studies and worldview.
As an intern, I was delegated many responsibilities. I worked on urgent tasks for the executive director, such as research on political contexts or evolving situations from across the world. I also spearheaded two separate projects: an educational workshop for teenagers and a podcast destined for activists. The first project is the development of a curriculum on nonviolent action and the testing of it with a High School class. I met with leading experts in the field of nonviolent action teaching while working on this project. The second project allowed me to meet many nonviolent activists and question them on lessons they have learned that may be useful for other movement leaders. Lastly, I have worked with the AEI鈥檚 director of education on the climate fellowship program, assisting him with administrative tasks as well as helping fellows facing specific issues. For example, a climate justice group in C么te d鈥橧voire wished to hold a Canadian mining company accountable for its non-respect of a protocol it signed with local communities in 2021 as well as its unresponsiveness to its poisoning of a local river. Therefore, I was tasked with being the liaison between them and Canadian NGOs, and so, acting both as an intermediary and translator, I was able to aid them in their quest for compensation.
The highlight of my internship was without a doubt the in-person climate fellowship nonviolent workshop that took place in Penang, Malaysia. I was able to meet many of the AEI鈥檚 team members in person and have enriching discussions on the future of nonviolent action. Throughout the week (from June 9th to 14th), I observed the pedagogical approaches used to teach nonviolent strategic action to activists. This also allowed me to meet activists from many different political contexts and talk about their perceptions of today as well as their plans for change, their visions of tomorrow.
However pleasant as this internship was, I did encounter some challenges. I sometimes found it difficult to understand if the work I produced was up to the AEI鈥檚 standards. But since the AEI鈥檚 members already had too much work to do, I learned to make sure to check each time I completed a new task with whoever asked the task of me if that is what they were looking for. After that, I evaluated the quality of similar completed tasks by comparing them to the verified ones.
This internship has greatly impacted my university experience. Not only have I learned more about my field of study, I also acquired field experience. In the future, I may be interested in pursuing research on nonviolent action for my honours essay or at the master鈥檚 level. The great autonomy I have been given allowed me to produce work I am very proud of and learn in a much more deep and engaging way about nonviolent resistance. Meeting with nonviolent activists in many countries across the world has also broadened my worldview and reaffirmed my belief in the importance of building strong transnational networks between nonviolent activists since much of the knowledge they acquire is transposable even if their lived realities differ greatly. I was also able to try out working for an NGO, and this has made me interested in possibly working for one in the future.
Thus, I am deeply thankful to Ms. Sokoloff and Mr. Bukhman for the funding I received. Indeed, with this funding, I was able to go to Malaysia and this made my internship experience all the more enriching.
