Internship Spotlight: Emma Orshanski - Educonnexion

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund, which allowed me to pursue my summer internship at Éduconnexion. As a third-year Political Science and Philosophy student at McGill, I have developed a deep understanding of various methods for increasing civic participation and improving democratic processes, with a particular interest in supporting marginalized communities. Having developed a passion for conducting research on these topics during my undergraduate degree, I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to do an internship at Éduconnexion. This internship provided me with the opportunity to not only further develop my research skills but to gain hands-on, practical experience working at a nonprofit. I was able to spend my summer working on a project that I am extremely passionate about while simultaneously giving back to my community in Montreal, which I truly enjoyed.

Éduconnexion is a nonprofit organization based in Montreal which aims to promote active and responsible citizenship, advocating for social and environmental justice through various educational and research projects. I worked on two large mandates during my internship. The first mandate consisted of working as a project manager for a workshop hosted by Éduconnexion, which focused on promoting healing and well-being for youth and young adults in Montreal North. I was tasked with coming up with ideas for these weekly workshops, organizing activities to do with the group, including a picnic and an outing to La Ronde, and ensuring that each workshop ran smoothly. Because the core tenets of these workshops were social justice, healing, and the decolonization of practices, I was able to apply things that I have learnt in the classroom to the development of these workshops and then watch them come to life as the students participated in the activities, which was very eye-opening. My second mandate focused on conducting qualitative research on violence in schools in Montreal. The goal of this research project is to better understand violence in schools as a danger to public health.

As part of this project, I was tasked with interviewing students, teachers, and social workers. At times, the stories they shared were very heavy and difficult to hear, and it weighed on me outside of working hours. I was lucky enough to have such supportive coworkers that I could turn to for advice. After speaking with some people on my team, they assured me that this was something that many people struggle with in this line of work and gave me tips on how to separate my home life from my work life. This was definitely a challenge for me to do, but knowing that I had people to turn to who had experienced similar issues helped me overcome it.

While there were many memorable experiences over the course of my internship, some of the highlights included participating in a conference organized by Café-Jeunesse Multiculturel and the Research Center on Educational and Community Services (CRSEC) at the University of Ottawa titled “Urbanité et jeunes marginalisés: de la confrontation à la bienveillance”. Additionally, I really enjoyed speaking with the students who participated in the social healing and wellbeing workshops and being able to listen to their stories and hear their perspectives on various issues. Finally, I will always cherish the close bonds and friendships I formed with the other interns and staff at Éduconnexion. Whether it was working alongside the other interns on the research project, going bowling with the whole team after work, or one of our many engaging team meetings, everyone at Éduconnexion did their best to create a warm and welcoming environment, which allowed me to make the most out of my internship.

I would like to thank everyone at Éduconnexion and the McGill Arts Internship Office for providing me with the tools and resources that I needed to successfully complete this internship. Working at Éduconnexion reinforced my passion for research and social justice, while also introducing me to many community organizations and resources that I wouldn’t otherwise have been exposed to. Finally, I would like to thank the donor who sponsored the Undergraduate Experiential Learning  Opportunities Support Fund. I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to complete my internship at Éduconnexion this summer, and I would not have been able to do so without the support that this award provided me with.