South Africa?

Katie D.

November 7, 2010 - 10:39 PM

Part of the Conflict Resolution master's program at the UO is an internship experience. We are required to complete over 300 hours of internship work, including blogging about our experiences, and to choose internships that are in line with our educational and vocational goals in the field of conflict and dispute resolution.

The CRES program says,

"There are two primary goals of the internship portion of our graduate program of study:
• To further the student's education with real world experience in the area of practice in which the student is interested.
• To provide a stepping stone to post-graduation work.
Placements will range from local to international. Internships may be undertaken in a concentrated period during the summer or over a longer period during the academic school year."

I think it is a fabulous thing to require internships or other practical experience for any and all university students. For this program in particular, it is essential to apply the skills we are learning in the field itself: by working with people to resolve real conflicts that surround us.

I can't wait to start on an internship. I hope to use the experience to expand my experiences and skills, as well as applying what I have learned in the program to organizations and areas that I have already been working in. I have considered internships as diverse as Community Mediation Services, immigration work, prison Restorative Justice, Small Claims Court mediation, family mediation, environmental policy work, and youth Restorative Justice. (Check out the CRES website for more information http://conflict.uoregon.edu/work/ ) I imagine I will choose to spend some of my internship hours at some local organization, hopefully working to make Eugene a safer and more equitable community while also honing my skills and increasing my resume.

However, I have recently heard about a truly inspiring opportunity overseas. Many students choose to work on international internships, and of course I will jump at any chance to travel. There are exciting and well-established programs in Northern Ireland and in Israel/Palestine, and I am considering these as potential future opportunities. However, my current plan includes two summer months working in South Africa, with an organization called The Southern African Media and Gender Institute (SAMGI).

SAMGI "aims to promote human rights by increasing the range of voices heard in Southern Africa through participatory education, advocacy, lobbying, and media production to improve the status of women." This includes media watchdog groups, work with women who are involved in the criminal justice system, and refugee law in South Africa.

One of the members of CRES Cohort 5, Christina, has worked with SAMGI for more than six months. She worked in witness, advocacy, publicity, and program development while living in Cape Town, South Africa, and working side-by-side with the South African women who founded SAMGI. In talking with Christina, it seems like SAMGI would be an increadible fit for my goals with the CRES program. I would be working in direct action and advocacy, as well as in program development and support. I would be learning more about international human rights, criminal justice, and refugee laws. Although my primary interest has not been in gender issues, I have worked in gender studies, and am extremely interested in how social and violent conflict impact different parts of societies. I also am truly inspired that SAMGI is a true grassroots organization, founded by local women working on the issues they see to be most important in their lives.

If this idea works out, I will be in South Africa for at least six weeks this summer. I've spent a lot of time this week imagining what that might be like: looking up pictures of Cape Town, reading Lonely Planet Guides, and dreaming up what this opportunity might bring.

I'll keep you posted about this! Wish me luck.