Host Organization

Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT)

Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT) is a youth-led nonprofit organization committed to advancing social equity, human rights, and access to education for marginalized communities, with a particular focus on youth and women. APT works at the intersection of education, mental well-being, youth leadership, and advocacy by delivering mentorship programs, capacity-building initiatives, research, and advocacy that amplify voices that are being silenced and to promote inclusive and rights-based solutions.

Project Supervisor(s)

Ajmal Ramyar, Executive Director

Project Description & Objectives

The Taliban’s bans on girls’ education have created a mental health crisis. On September 17, 2021, secondary schools for girls beyond grade six were closed. Later, on December 20, 2022, universities were banned for women. Due to these restrictions, reports show that Afghan girls now suffer from depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts at alarming rates. A UN Women study (September 2024) found that 90% of women in Afghanistan describe their mental health as bad or very bad, with conditions worsening each quarter. APT works through mentorship, advocacy, mental health support, and by amplifying youth voices on global stages. While many Afghan women remain excluded, some participants in APT’s mentorship programs are receiving guidance to apply to universities abroad and continue their education. This gives them a sense of purpose, connection, and hope for the future. This research project will compare the support provided to women in Afghanistan through APT’s mentorship program with those who do not currently have such support. It will study changes in mental health and sense of belonging between the two groups. There are 45 women in the mentoring program, while the comparison group will be drawn from APT’s WhatsApp networks of over 200 young women.

Research Objectives:

• Examine how exclusion from education affects mental health.
• Measure outcomes such as depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation.
• Identify what helps mentored girls feel stronger and more hopeful.
• Document lived experiences of both groups.
• Collect evidence to improve APT’s mentorship and advocacy.
• Share findings with policymakers, NGOs, and international audiences

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

The first deliverable will be the data and findings. This can be done through a survey as well as personal stories gathered from interviews. The survey and interviews will be with participants in APT mentorship programs as well as other young women who are not part of it. These stories will focus on what helps young women to cope and stay hopeful (or what causes them to lose hope) and will show the human side of the crisis. The findings should be explained using straightforward tables, graphs, and/or infographics and accessible writing to ensure that everyone can understand. The findings will be written up first as a research report that looks at the mental health of Afghan girls who are part of our mentorship program and compares them with girls who are not in the program. There will also be a technical report that brings together all the data, stories, and lessons learned. This report will also give clear recommendations for policymakers, NGOs, and international organizations on how mentorship and education support programs can help protect the mental health of Afghan women and girls under the current restrictions.

Project Team

The fellow will work closely with the Canada-based Executive Director and will also collaborate with the APT team based in Kabul, Afghanistan to coordinate and facilitate communication with mentees and APT members. APT will assist the fellow with orientation, facilitate introductions to mentees, APT members and provide guidance throughout the project.

Fellowship Location

The fellowship will be conducted entirely online.

Technical Skills

The project requires someone with academic and/or professional training in mental health and trauma who can use these skills to support the design/implementation of the research and support themselves during the Fellowship. The fellow should have strong written and oral communication skills.

Required research skills: previous experience of designing, implementing and analysing an online survey, interviews and focus groups. Evidence of ability to write reports for academic audiences and NGO/professional audiences.

Required technology skills: demonstrated ability to conduct research online, use of tools like WhatsApp to stay in touch with participants.

Transferable Skills

For this project, the required transferable skills include good communication, teamwork, and project management. Communication is important because the project needs to reach young women from different provinces and listen to their concerns. Teamwork and management are also important because the project must organize surveys, interviews, and group discussions, and make sure that all research goals are met on time.

The assets that are useful for this project include networking skills, advocacy skills, and partnership building. These skills help the project connect with other organizations, raise awareness about the mental health crisis, and build strong partnerships to share findings. These assets will make the research more effective.

Other assets include at least a basic understanding of the context of Afghanistan, Dari and Pashto language skills, interest in gender issues, and experience of working with women experiencing trauma and/or mental health challenges. 

Additional Application Materials

Based on the work the applicants will be conducting for this project, a short writing simple (2-5 pages), such as academic paper, policy research paper is required to be submitted by the applicants.

Host Organization

African Canadian Development and Prevention Network (ACDPN)

Our Mission:

• Develop a network of organizations that can contribute to a thriving Black community;
• Facilitate organizational capacity building, joint planning and resource development;
• Promote healthy approaches and best practice prevention models;
• Advocate for improved access to services for the Black community that are adapted both culturally and linguistically;
• Promote and support the Strengthening of Black Families.

Our vision is to be a resource to members of the Black community in the Greater Montréal Area through the development of a network of organizations, experts and community members advocating for the healthy development and vitality of the Black community.

Project Supervisor(s)

Soukaina Hamia, Program Director

Project Description & Objectives

English-speaking Black communities in Montreal are double minorities, with both visible and linguistic minority status. Consequently, community members face significant barriers when accessing mainstream health and social services, including language barriers, systemic racism, and a lack of culturally responsive care. These barriers increase reliance on Black-led community organizations as trusted spaces for support, information, and connection.

At the same time, the lived experiences and structural barriers faced by English-speaking Black communities contribute to greater and more complex health and social needs, particularly in areas such as early childhood development, mental health, and support for youth and seniors. Current and recent periods of socio-economic strain further underscore the role of community-based organizations as trusted and accessible spaces for support, especially for communities that experience barriers to mainstream systems. Despite this reliance, there is currently no comprehensive understanding of how the organizational ecosystem in English-speaking Black communities in Montreal aligns with key social determinants of health, nor where gaps in services and organizational capacity may limit the communities’ ability to respond effectively.

To address this gap, the McBurney Fellow will map Black-led community organizations through a health equity lens by documenting organizations by mandate and sector, engaging organizational leaders and community stakeholders through interviews, and synthesizing findings to identify ecosystem strengths, service gaps, and structural challenges.

The objective of this work is to generate accessible, actionable knowledge to support community development, health advocacy, and future capacity-building efforts, particularly in the context of culturally adapted care and emerging approaches such as social prescribing.

This project is intentionally designed as a scoping and learning-focused initiative, rather than a program implementation. It reflects ACDPN’s commitment to grounding future community development, health advocacy, and capacity-building efforts in evidence, lived experience, and a clear understanding of the existing community ecosystem. Findings from this project will inform longer-term planning through the Ujima initiative and support more coordinated, culturally responsive approaches to reducing health inequities affecting English-speaking Black communities in Montreal.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Black Community Organization Ecosystem Map
  • A visual and descriptive map of Black-led community organizations in Montreal, categorized by mandate and sector, and situated in relation to key social determinants of health.
• Health Equity Gap Analysis Brief
  • A focused analytical brief examining how the current Black community organizational ecosystem aligns with key social determinants of health, identifying areas where community organizations are positioned to respond and where gaps remain. Findings will be informed by the ecosystem mapping and key informant interviews.
• Community-Facing Summary and Infographics
  • A plain-language summary and visual materials designed for sharing with community partners, board members, and funders, highlighting key findings and insights in an accessible format.
• Final Presentation (Time permitting)
  • A presentation or recorded overview summarizing the project approach, findings, and implications, suitable for knowledge-sharing with stakeholders.

Project Team

• Soukaina Hamia – Lead Supervisor / Project Lead
  • Soukaina will serve as the primary supervisor for the McBurney Fellow, providing day-to-day guidance, overseeing the project work plan, and supporting research activities and deliverables.
• Ushana Houston – Strategic & Community Advisor
  • Ushana will provide strategic oversight and community context, drawing on her relationships with Black-led community organizations. She will support partnership engagement, contextual interpretation of findings, and alignment with ACDPN’s broader mission.
• Tooba Waseem – Public Health Support Lead
  • Tooba will support the project by contributing public health–informed perspectives, drawing on her undergraduate training in public health to assist with analysis related to health equity and social determinants of health.
• Project Intern – Administrative & Logistical Support
  • A project intern will support administrative and logistical tasks, including scheduling interviews, coordinating meetings, and organizing project materials.

Fellowship Location

The fellowship will be conducted in a hybrid format, with the fellow based primarily at ACDPN’s NDG office and flexibility to work remotely. As part of the research, the fellow may also be required to travel within Montreal to conduct interviews with Black-led community organizations and community stakeholders

Technical Skills

Required:

• Strong written communication skills (ability to produce organized, plain-language written materials)
• Basic qualitative research skills (e.g., note-taking, thematic analysis, synthesis of interview data)
• Ability to organize and manage information from multiple sources
• Ability to conduct semi-structured interviews with guidance and supervision

Assets: 

• Experience with community-based or qualitative research methods
• Familiarity with health equity, social determinants of health, or public health concepts
• Experience creating visual materials (e.g., simple maps, infographics, or diagrams)
• Experience working with or researching community organizations or nonprofits
• Knowledge of the Quebec or Montreal community services landscape

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage respectfully witt community stakeholders
• Organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to work independently and meet deadlines
• Critical thinking and analytical skills
• Cultural humility and sensitivity when working with marginalized communities
• Willingness to learn and adapt in a community-based research environment

Assets:

• Lived experience within Black communities or other marginalized communities
• Experience working in community, volunteer, or advocacy settings
• Interest in community development, health equity, or social justice
• Ability to work across different perspectives and organizational contexts
• Presentation skills or comfort sharing findings with diverse audiences

Additional Material

Applicants are encouraged to submit one optional writing sample demonstrating their ability to synthesize information and communicate clearly in plain language. Specifications: 1–2 pages maximum May be an academic paper excerpt, policy brief, reflection piece, report, or communitybased writing sample Topic does not need to be health-related, but should demonstrate clarity of thought, organization, and analytical skills Applicants are also encouraged to use their personal statement to reflect on their interest in health equity and community well-being, and why they are particularly interested in issues affecting Black communities.

 

Host Organization

Commissaire à la santé et au bien-être (CSBE)

Commissaire à la santé et au bien-être's goal is to evaluate the performance of the health care system in Quebec.

Project Supervisor(s)

Yun Jen, Medical Consultant 

Project Description & Objectives

There are currently several organizations working on wellbeing using surveillance indicators, such as G15+, Greater Montreal Community, Greater Quebec Community, the Institut de statistique du Québec, Statistics Canada, and others. However, there is no unified set of indicators that enables meaningful comparison across these initiatives.

Establishing a unified set of wellbeing indicators in Quebec is essential to better reflect what truly matters to people’s quality of life and to guide public action more effectively. While economic indicators such as GDP provide useful information, they offer only a partial picture of societal progress. Wellbeing indicators make visible the social, environmental, cultural, and health dimensions that shape people’s daily lives, including mental health, social connections, housing, education, environmental quality, and a sense of purpose and belonging.

A unified framework would create a shared language across government departments, public institutions, municipalities, and community organizations. This common reference point would reduce fragmentation, improve policy coordination, and support more coherent decision-making. When all actors work from the same set of indicators, it becomes easier to align strategies, identify trade-offs, and assess collective progress toward shared goals.

Such indicators also strengthen evidence-informed policymaking. By tracking changes in wellbeing over time and across regions and population groups, Quebec can better identify inequalities, anticipate emerging challenges, and evaluate the real impacts of policies and programs. This supports smarter investments by focusing resources where they can have the greatest positive effect on people’s lives.

Moreover, a unified set of wellbeing indicators enhances transparency and democratic accountability. Clear and accessible measures allow citizens to understand how society is doing beyond economic growth and to hold institutions accountable for improving wellbeing. Finally, by integrating perspectives such as Indigenous knowledge and community-defined priorities, Quebec can develop indicators that are culturally relevant and reflective of its unique social fabric. In doing so, wellbeing becomes not an abstract ideal, but a measurable and shared objective guiding collective action.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• A mapping of all current wellbeing indicators being used in Quebec and Canada.
• An analytical framework of divergences and convergences, including results from focus groups.

Project Team

• Yun Jen, medical consultant from the Health and Wellbeing Commissioner (CSBE)
• Mathieu Masse-Jolicoeur, agent de programmation, planification et de recherche, CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal

Fellowship Location

CSBE: 2021 Union Street, Montreal.

Technical Skills

Required:

• Qualitative analysis
• Mastery of Microsoft Office

Asset:

• Literature review

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Teamwork
• Strong French oral communication and reading skills

Asset:

• Knowledge of basic principles in public health surveillance
• Political analysis

Additional Application Materials

Example of a report written on a similar topic in public health

Host Organization

CRARR (Center For Research-Action on Race Relation), in collaboration with CERES Lab (Centre for Relationships in Serious Illness)

CRARR is a Montreal-based non-profit civil rights organization that was founded in 1983 with the mandate to fight racism and advance racial equality. It is considered as one of the leading non-profit race relations organizations in Canada. Before courts, tribunals, and human rights organizations, CRARR has directly assisted more than 1,000 individuals who are racialized, immigrants, or members of Charter-protected groups, such as women, seniors, and people with disabilities, who face discrimination and harassment in a variety of sectors, including employment, public and commercial services, education, and housing. This has provided important insights into whether and how marginalized groups in the healthcare system, among others, feel acknowledged, validated, and understood.

CERES is a research centre located in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. Its mission is to advance the science and practice of high-quality relationship-building between people affected by serious illness and their care providers. The driving focus of their research, improving doctor-patient relationships, involves investigating and prioritizing communication and connection, through knowledge gathering, clinician training, and information support for both patients and providers.

Project Supervisor(s)

• Samara Perez: Psychologist; Associate Investigator, Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC); Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology, McGill University
• Justin Sanders: Kappy and Eric M. Flanders Chair of Palliative Care; Palliative Care, McGill; Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McGill University; Director, Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, McGill University Health Centre
• Fo Niemi: CRARR Executive Director

Project Description & Objectives

The fellow will work on projects addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in access to Comprehensive Psychosocial Oncology (PSO) Services and identifying health needs of victims of discrimination & violence of cancer patients. PSO services address the psychological and social challenges faced by patients throughout the cancer journey, helping improve quality of life. Unfortunately, SDOHs such as socioeconomic status, race, and more, create disparities in cancer outcomes. Yet, healthcare systems lack standardized SDH data collection to identify and rectify these inequities, preventing the delivery of effective PSO care. This project is designed to understand and address these disparities, examining how social factors influence who gets support, when, and whether services work equally well across diverse groups.

In addition, the fellow will overlook the psychosocial health needs of victims of discrimination and violence in Montreal. Through its services and activities, CRARR has identified a set of health issues surrounding the individuals whom it assists, including mental and emotional issues, social behavioral modifications and economic hardships. These observations recognize the gaps in the qualitative documentation of and in services and programs that respond to these needs, which vary on the basis of factors such as gender, cultural backgrounds, family dynamics, socioeconomic position and education.

In this context, research on the psychosocial health needs of victims of discrimination and violence in Montreal and the social determinants of health involved will be useful to more clearly document these multilayered needs, and to promote the development of appropriate and adequate programs and services.

Fellow Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Developing and advancing grant proposal and manuscript writing
• Contributing to an ongoing literature review on social assessment approaches, including peer-reviewed papers, conference abstracts, policy white papers, policy reports, and working papers
• Summarizing existing quantitative data sources, such as surveys used in the recent literature

Project Team

The student will join members of the Center for Relationships in Serious Illness and engage substantively in discussions about ongoing projects during weekly team meetings. Members include faculty and students from McGill. Furthermore, the student will be collaborating closely with the team at CRARR.

Fellowship Location

5858 Chem. de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC

• Part of the work may also be performed at the Research Institute of the MUHC, as well as online (telework).

Technical Skills

Required:

• Ability to conduct literature searches and synthesize findings
• Strong writing and communication skills
• Organizational skills

Assets:

• Experience with qualitative methods (thematic analysis, coding)
• Familiarity with R, Python, Nvivo
• Interest in oncology and palliative care
• Background in health sciences, psychology, or communication research

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Effective teamwork and communication in interdisciplinary settings
• Ability to work independently and adapt to evolving project needs
• Open-mindedness and sensitivity to ethically complex and emotionally sensitive issues

Assets:

• Experience conducting interviews or working with patients or families
• Cross-cultural communication skills
• Comfort in bilingual (English/French) environments

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal

En accord avec la loi sur la santé publique, les lois sur la santé et la sécurité du travail et sur les services de santé et les services sociaux, la Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal (DRSP) a pour mission d’améliorer et de protéger la santé et le bien-être de la population qui vit ou travaille sur l’île de Montréal, et de réduire les inégalités sociales de santé (ISS) en agissant en amont sur les déterminants des problèmes de santé.

Project Supervisor(s)

Mathieu Masse Jolicoeur, Agent de planification de programmation et de recherche

Project Description & Objectives

Ce projet de stage vise à soutenir une meilleure connaissance des actions menées par les organismes communautaires montréalais en faveur du bien-être collectif. L’étudiante ou l'étudiant aura pour mandat de réaliser une recension des activités, programmes et interventions déployés sur le territoire de Montréal et contribuant à la promotion du bien-être. Le stage consistera à documenter la diversité des initiatives, leurs objectifs, leurs publics cibles et leurs champs d’action. L’étudiante ou l'étudiant travaillera à partir de sources documentaires, d’outils de collecte d’information et, au besoin, d’échanges avec les organismes concernés. Les résultats permettront de dresser un portrait structuré des interventions existantes. Ce travail contribuera à valoriser l’expertise communautaire et à soutenir la réflexion stratégique des partenaires. Le stage offrira une expérience concrète en analyse, synthèse et mobilisation des connaissances.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

Rapport détaillé avec une revue de littérature, une liste des activités recensées, une analyse critique et des recommandations.

Project Team

• Mathieu Masse Jolicoeur
• Yun Jen
• David Kaiser

Fellowship Location

DRSP de Montréal.
1560, rue Sherbrooke Est
Pavillon JA De Sève
Montréal (Québec) H2L 4M1

Technical Skills

Required:

• Recherche documentaire (collecte, organisation et classification de données qualitatives);
• Analyse et synthèse de l’information;
• Maîtrise d’outils bureautiques (Word, Excel);
• Notions de base en méthodologie de recherche (recension, cartographie d’acteurs, cadres d’analyse).

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Capacités de communication en français;
• Sens de l’organisation et gestion autonome du temps;
• Esprit d’analyse et pensée critique;
• Capacité de synthèse et de vulgarisation;
• Rigueur, souci du détail et respect des échéanciers;
• Sensibilité aux enjeux communautaires, sociaux et de bien-être collectif.

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Eva Marsden Centre for Social Justice and Aging

The Eva Marsden Centre (EMC) engages older adults (50+) in community programs by providing advocacy and psychosocial services to individuals dealing with issues related to social determinants of health, like social isolation. EMC is dedicated to restoring dignity and humanity to the experience of growing older in our society and works to improve all aspects of health and well-being.

Project Supervisor(s)

Paola Leal, Director, Community and Knowledge Development

Project Description & Objectives

Social prescribing is an emerging approach where healthcare providers refer patients to non-medical community resources – such as exercise groups, art programs, volunteering, and social clubs – to support health and well-being. These connections are facilitated by “link workers,” who help clients identify appropriate resources and engage with them. By addressing social needs like isolation and limited access to supportive networks, social prescribing contributes to more integrated, person-centered care.

Planning is underway to implement a social prescribing program in two primary care clinics on the island of Montreal. Through a co-design process involving healthcare providers, community organizations, and prospective users, the program will be tailored to local needs and cultural contexts.

The initiative aims to improve health and social outcomes among historically underserved and older adult populations. At the same time, it seeks to reduce care fragmentation by developing and testing a model that bridges clinical and community settings, strengthening collaboration between these sectors in the CIUSSS ODIM and CODIM territories. Insights from this pilot will inform sustainable, system-level change.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

The fellow will be working alongside project team members to deliver:

• Community Engagement Map:  The Fellow will identify community organizations in the West-Island of Montreal by borough, health territory, social determinants of health, program services, languages served, and target population. This work will be added to an existing database and visual map.

• Training Materials: With the help of the project coordinator and research team, the Fellow will help to draft and animate 3 training modules adapted for link workers, healthcare professionals and community partners.

• External Communication Plan: Time permitting the Fellow will work with community partners and research teams in the creation of promotional and educational materials surrounding social prescribing.

• Community Event Outreach and Participation: Time permitting the Fellow will work with the project coordinator to identify existing community events, such as conferences, community fairs or forums and create an outreach and engagement plan to increase visibility of social prescription initiatives. The fellow will accompany community organizations to relevant events.  

• Content for Outreach and Engagement: Time permitting Working alongside the project coordinator and communication specialist, by analyzing engagement metrics, the fellow will develop outreach, engagement, and communication strategies adapted to patients, community members, public and healthcare professionals. This will include creating newsletters and social media post templates.

Project Team

The fellow will be working with Paola Leal, who is coordinating the social prescribing project. They will also be working with members of the social prescribing project’s Strategic Committee, composed of community organization representatives, researchers, and primary healthcare providers. The two McGill faculty members named on this project (Irene Sarasua and Alayne Adams) are members of this strategic committee.

Fellowship Location

Eva Marsden Centre (88 ave. Ballantyne North) and occasionally in other locations based on project meetings and activities.

Technical Skills

Required:

• Strong written communication skills for newsletters, social media, and outreach materials.
• Basic research and information-gathering skills to identify community organizations and events.
• Organizational and planning skills for structuring outreach activities and managing timelines.
• Proficiency with common digital tools (Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Zoom).
• English and French language proficiency for bilingual outreach.

Asset:

• Experience with health communication and/or public health outreach and/or social media.

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Interpersonal skills – comfort interacting with diverse stakeholders, including healthcare providers and community members.
• Adaptability and flexibility – ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and tasks, working effectively across diverse activities.
• Team collaboration – working effectively within an interdisciplinary research team and contributing to shared goals.
• Cultural humility – demonstrating respect for diverse perspectives and an openness to learning from participants’ lived experiences.

Assets:

• Problem-solving and creative thinking – ability to develop innovative approaches to engage stakeholders and promote the program.
• Facilitation or public speaking experience for community events.

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Fondation de la Visite

Since 1988, the Fondation de la Visite has supported Montreal families with a newborn, providing direct support from trained community members known as “parent-visitors.” They work with prioritized families through home visits, infant and family material assistance, respite care, guidance on local resources, networking, and group activities.

Project Supervisor(s)

Margarita Paloma Cruz, MSc, Coordinator for intervention in Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Iván Sarmiento, PhD, McGill University
Anne Cockcroft, PhD, McGill University

Project Description & Objectives

This project explores group-based support for immigrant and vulnerable families during the perinatal period in Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal. Since 1988, individual accompaniment has been central to the work of La Fondation de la Visite. Its De la Visite program offers personalized peer-led (trained visitor parents) home visits that connect families to neighbourhood services, including health care and social support. The program has demonstrated significant impact in strengthening social support, reducing isolation, and improving access to resources for children. However, individual accompaniment is constrained by limited resources.

Studies of group postpartum care have reported improved knowledge, clinical outcomes, and reduced postpartum depression. Drawing on participation science, this project engages beneficiaries and staff in discussions about the feasibility of group support models within the De la Visite program. It explores the potential benefits for families of increased ownership, use of local evidence and knowledge, and planning innovative solutions for shared concerns.

In collaboration with another intern, the fellow will facilitate and analyze focus group discussions with families served by La Fondation and parent-visitors. They will then facilitate a deliberative dialogue based on the focus group results. These sessions will gather perspectives on collective accompaniment and identify key themes for a pilot group support program. Families and visitors will contribute insights on what could be achieved and how to achieve it. The discussions will inform the design of support group activities and help define evaluation criteria based on what families and visitors consider essential for success.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

The fellow will work in collaboration with another intern funded by La Fondation. Some deliverables will be shared responsibilities, while others will be completed individually.

• A plan for the focus group discussions, including discussion guides (with the intern).
• The thematic analysis of the focus group discussions (with the intern).
• Guide for the deliberative dialogue, including a summary of focus group findings (individual responsibility).
• Notes from the deliberative dialogue (individual responsibility).
• Oral presentation at a PRAM Lab meeting (with the intern).
• Poster for dissemination (with the intern).
• Policy brief with recommendations for the group support program (individual responsibility).

Project Team

La Fondation delegated Margarita Paloma Cruz and Iván Sarmiento to supervise the project. They will coordinate all activities directly with Anne Cockcroft, who provides methodological support in participation science. The fellow will participate in regular meetings with the supervisory team and Iván Sarmiento. The fellow will constantly collaborate with another intern funded by La Fondation.

Fellowship Location

Department of Family Medicine. Côte des Neiges, Montreal.

Technical Skills

Required: 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Asset:

• Academic writing
• Experience in qualitative research
• Design of communication materials
• Literature search tools

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Works well in a team
• Good interpersonal communication in English and French
• Willingness to accommodate participants’ availabilities

Asset:

• Commitment to assigned tasks

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

The Fraser-Hickson Institute

The organization's mission is “to raise literacy levels by empowering partners to instill in children a life-long love of reading and learning from birth and to enable free access to books and animation services.”

Project Supervisor(s)

Marco De Petrillo, Librarian

Project Description & Objectives

The Collection Discoverability Project will support early literacy in the community by improving the discoverability and accessibility of the library’s growing collection of children's books.

Key to any library is organization, which comprises two fundamental aspects: (1) controlled vocabulary for the description of the contents of books and (2) a categorization scheme for the logical arrangement of books among each other.

Our library is in need of a controlled vocabulary to guide the creation and use of subject headings, use implying both in cataloguing and in searching. This will help cataloguers (whether staff or volunteers) assign subject headings to each book in a structured and consistent manner, clearly and precisely describing each book's contents and striving to reflect the needs and interests of the library's user community.

Our library is also in need of developing a strategy to standardize its use of the Dewey Decimal Classification. This will bring clarity and consistency to the categorization of the collection.

By helping develop crucial tools for the library, the project (involving a controlled vocabulary and classification standardization) will greatly increase and facilitate the discoverability of the library's many books.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

One document detailing a controlled vocabulary to guide the creation and use of subject headings, and another document instructing how to use the Dewey Decimal Classification.

Project Team

The fellow will be working directly with the Librarian, and possibly with volunteers.

Fellowship Location

At the library's location in the basement of NDG municipal library at 3755, Botrel Street (suite S110), Montreal, QC H4A 3G8.

Technical Skills

Required: 

• Knowledge of controlled vocabularies, including subject analysis and representation.
• Knowledge of Library of Congress Subject Headings and Sears.
• Knowledge of the Dewey Decimal Classification.
• Knowledge of authority control.

Asset:

• Knowledge of children’s literature.
• Knowledge of library management systems such as Apollo (Biblionix).

Transferable Skills

• Analysis & synthesis
• Organization
• Communication
• Professional documentation
• Collaboration
• Project management

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Havre Bene INC.

Havre Bene is a facility dedicated to supporting and caring for new parents during the critical postpartum period. Our goal is to address the physical, emotional, and social needs of parents after childbirth by offering a range of services, including guidance, education, and community engagement. The social issue we aim to address is the isolation and lack of support that many parents face after childbirth. Too often, the postpartum period is marked by an absence of comprehensive care, leaving parents to navigate physical, emotional, and mental challenges on their own. This lack of resources and support can contribute to parental exhaustion and mental health challenges such as postpartum depression. Currently in Canada, 1 in 4 mothers suffer from postpartum depression.

We seek to transform the current system by integrating a holistic approach to postnatal well-being. Havre Bene offers comprehensive care that combines physical support, psychological guidance, and community-building. By facilitating access to specialized professionals, essential resources, and a nurturing environment, we aim to shift the perception of postpartum care from being a luxury to becoming a standard. The intended impacts include improved physical and mental well-being for parents, a reduction in postpartum depression rates, and better preparation for parenthood. By promoting rest, education, and social support, we hope not only to ease the burden on parents but also to contribute to the harmonious development of families and the overall well-being of society.

Project Supervisor(s)

Rems Christleen Elysée (Co-founder, CEO)
Dorit-Lynn Elizabeth Staco (Co-founder, CEO)
Dr. Marilyn N. Ahun (Assistant Professor at McGill University)

Project Description & Objectives

The early postpartum period is a vulnerable time when many parents experience exhaustion, anxiety, isolation, and major life transitions. Community-based supports can play a crucial role in promoting emotional, physical, and social well-being, but there is still limited knowledge about which types of support parents find most helpful and where important gaps remain.

This project aims to deepen understanding of postpartum well-being among parents who have accessed a short-stay postpartum support centre in Montreal. Using existing client feedback and newly developed parent-friendly survey tools, the fellow will explore how parents describe their well-being after birth, the types of support they received, and which aspects they found most or least helpful. The data collected will be used internally by Havre Bene, and a summary of findings will be shared with participants.

The work will involve: (1) analyzing current parent feedback and documentation to identify key themes related to rest, mood, confidence in newborn care, partner dynamics, and perceived social support; (2) contacting a subset of parents to clarify missing information or gather richer qualitative and quantitative insights through brief follow-up surveys; and (3) co-designing a concise and accessible feedback survey focused on well-being outcomes and support needs.

The objectives are to:

• Describe how parents who used this community postpartum program perceive their well-being and unmet needs.
• Identify which forms of support (emotional, practical, informational, environmental) they find most beneficial.
• Develop concrete recommendations to improve how parent feedback is collected and how services can better promote postpartum well-being.

The findings will inform future directions at this centre and may also contribute to improving similar community-based postpartum initiatives.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• A brief follow-up survey with close-ended and open-ended questions to gather richer quantitative and qualitative insights from parents.
• A 10-page analytical report describing parents’ reported well-being, key support needs, and the types of support they found most helpful, using both existing feedback and new data.
• This report will also include practical recommendations for ongoing data collection, including when and how to invite parents to share feedback, suggested tools and platforms, and basic guidance on consent and confidentiality. Additionally, it will include recommendations for service adaptation, outlining concrete ways community-based postpartum support could better address parents’ needs and promote their well-being.

Project Team

The fellow will work with a small interdisciplinary team connected to the postpartum centre, including Christleen Elysée, co-founder and medical student at McGill, serving as project lead and primary supervisor for day-to-day guidance; Dorit-Lynn Staco, co-founder and operations lead, offering insight into how supports are organized and delivered to parents; and Dr. Marilyn N. Ahun (Assistant Professor at McGill University), who will provide academic oversight, support with study design, and ensure alignment with McBurney Fellowship expectations through weekly meetings.

Fellowship Location

The project will be based in Montreal, Québec and carried out in a hybrid format. On-site work will take place at the partner postpartum centre or hotel space in downtown Montreal for team meetings, contextual observation of the care environment (as appropriate), and collaboration with staff. Desk-based work will include data organization, analysis, literature review, and writing, and will be conducted at Dr. Marilyn N. Ahun’s office at the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at the RI-MUHC (2nd floor, 5252 boulevard de Maisonneuve O). This combination will allow the fellow to stay closely connected to the real-world context of parents’ experiences while maintaining flexibility for analytic and writing tasks.

Technical Skills

Required:

• Basic understanding of research or evaluation methods, especially survey design and analysis of feedback data.
• Ability to perform descriptive data analysis (e.g., organizing and summarizing data in Excel or Google Sheets).
• Comfort with online survey platforms (e.g., Microsoft Forms).
• Awareness of confidentiality and data protection principles when working with sensitive health-related information (e.g., completion of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans).
• Basic understanding of mental health and parenthood (e.g., through coursework, previous research, or lived experience).

Asset:

• Experience with qualitative methods, such as coding themes from open-ended survey responses or brief interviews.
• Familiarity with perinatal or postpartum health research or broader public health program evaluation.
• Basic skills in visual data presentation (e.g., simple graphs or infographics).

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Strong written and oral communication, including the ability to present findings in clear, accessible language for parents and community partners.
• Empathy, active listening, and sensitivity when discussing potentially emotional postpartum experiences with parents.
• Organization and time management skills to balance data collection, analysis, and reporting within the fellowship timeline.
• Capacity to work independently while seeking feedback and collaborating regularly with supervisors and staff.
• Bilingualism (French and English) to better connect with Montreal’s diverse parents and providers.

Asset:

• Previous experience in community organizations, health care, or family support settings.
• Teamwork and facilitation skills to support discussions of findings with staff or community partners.
• Personal or volunteer experience related to perinatal or postpartum care or family well-being, which can help contextualize the data and recommendations.

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

HPV Global Action

Established in 2006, HPV Global Action is an NGO committed to spreading inclusive information on sexual and reproductive health. Our mission involves implementing comprehensive educational programs with a focus on gynaecological cancers, HPV and its potential consequences, including HPV-related cancers. We promote equity, inclusivity and empowerment, particularly in communities where diverse cultures and ideologies intersect, by disseminating critical, evidence-based information. Collaborating with provincial, territorial, federal, and global leaders, we advocate for best practices and equitable policies concerning prevention, cervical screening, and access to treatment for HPV, HPV-related cancers, gynaecological cancers, and broader health issues that impact women and people with a cervix.

Project Supervisor(s)

Amélie McFadyen, Chief Executive Officer

Zeev Rosberger, Associate Professor, Lady Davis Institute, McGill

Project Description & Objectives

The student will be introduced to various activities of the organization. We develop comprehensive sexual and reproductive health tools designed to enhance and assure positive sexual health outcomes. We connect with academic settings, health care professionals, and communities of all demographics. We disseminate information regarding the prevention of STIs and HPV-related diseases and provide local resources, promoting public health programs for HPV vaccination and cervical screening. We develop partnerships, implement educational programs, and develop research initiatives. Our prevention programs empower people by delivering clear, simple, evidence-based messaging.

The student will participate in research projects focusing on the evaluation of a sexual health education workshop intervention for adolescents and the evaluation of an HPV testing–based cervical cancer screening implementation program in Eswatini, Sub-Saharan Africa, as one of nine international sites in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute in the United States. The student will conduct data entry, work with supervisors to summarize data statistically, and develop PowerPoint presentations for conferences.

The student will also assist in developing grant applications for new and innovative projects aimed at implementing cervical screening with self-collection HPV testing among underserved new immigrant and low socioeconomic populations in Montreal and potentially with First Nations communities. This work will include conducting literature reviews, summarizing background materials, and participating in overall project development with the team. In addition, the student will work with the organization’s volunteer network to create evidence-based messaging for various social media platforms.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

Literature reviews, conference abstracts, PowerPoint presentations, social media messaging, possible co-authorship on a manuscript submitted for peer-reviewed publication.

Project Team

Amélie MacFadyen, Teresa Norris, Zeev Rosberger

Fellowship Location

Dr. Rosberger's lab at the Jewish General Hospital where they will have access to computer and desk space; remotely on occasion.

Technical Skills

Background in health psychology, sociology, public health, or a related field. Some experience with Excel or other data management applications, as well as PowerPoint and Word.

Transferable Skills

Excellent organizational, writing, and oral presentation skills; ability to summarize literature; excellent academic performance; and strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively in teams.

Additional Application Materials

We would appreciate a writing sample of the applicant's research experiences, e.g., research thesis, literature review, research protocol, or other relevant paper

Host Organization

NDG Community Council - NDG Housing Table

We mobilise all stakeholders and bring them together to improve the quality of life in NDG. The NDG Housing Table is one of the sectoral tables in NDG. It brings together tenants’ rights groups, housing cooperatives, community organisations, non-profit housing coordinators, technical resources groups (GRT), and developers to share information and work on collective solutions to local housing issues. Together, they develop a strategy for healthy and affordable housing for all residents in NDG.

Project Supervisor(s)

Mona Tajbakhsh, Community organizer- Housing Table Coordinator

Project Description & Objectives

This project aims to research, document, and highlight innovative and creative initiatives that improve the experience of residents living in social and affordable housing. It will explore approaches that go beyond traditional housing models, with the goal of identifying practices that strengthen social cohesion, support resident engagement, and improve daily living conditions while remaining adaptable to the NDG context. The project will also examine creative solutions already used in other neighbourhoods or cities.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• A comprehensive report summarizing creative and innovative initiatives in social and affordable housing.
• A final presentation (PowerPoint or similar) summarizing findings and recommendations to the Housing Table members.

Project Team

A small committee including the housing Table Coordinator and member of the Table

Fellowship Location

Montreal, NDG - 5964 Ave NDG

Technical Skills

• Ability to design online surveys on Google Forms
• Basic data analysis

Transferable Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Organized
• Respects deadlines

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

NDG Community Council

We mobilise all stakeholder and bring them to work together to improve the quality of life in NDG

Project Supervisor(s)

Halah Al-Ubaidi, Executive Director

Project Description & Objectives

Map current community spaces used by resident groups in NDG, estimate actual and unmet space needs (including groups with no space), collect rent and cost data, document planned projects, and identify funding and opportunity streams to expand or secure space.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Survey of 40 community groups in NDG: collect data on current space use, unmet needs, rental costs, accessibility, program types, and priority gaps.
• Public data compilation: collect and organize publicly available information on borough facility listings, rental rates and booking policies, community centre fees, and social housing providers’ community rooms.
• Municipal, provincial, and federal grant programs related to community spaces.
• List of proposed community spaces: identify potential spaces available or adaptable for community use (public, private, non-profit, institutional).
• Summary report: produce a concise report (8–12 pages) summarizing findings from surveys, public data, identified space options, and funding opportunities, including recommendations for next steps and potential partnerships.

Project Team

Management Team

Fellowship Location

Montreal, NDG Community Council office 5964 Ave NDG

Technical Skills

• Can read statistics , Note-taking and documentation tools

Transferable Skills

• Ability to conduct surveys and document data accurately
• Organizational and time-management skills

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Young Scholars Society (YSS)

Young Scholars Society (YSS) supports academically talented Black youth in Quebec as they navigate their path to higher education—from the transition into high school, through the high school years, and toward post-secondary education. Through hands-on mentorship, academic advising, and family-centred guidance, YSS works alongside students and families to help turn early promise into post-secondary admission and long-term success.

We envision a future where every Black student in Quebec can access, pursue, and complete higher education not by chance, but by design. YSS helps make this future possible by ensuring early potential is nurtured, families are equipped with the knowledge and tools to support their child’s journey, and students receive the guidance, preparation, and opportunities needed to thrive in every academic space they enter and beyond.

Project Supervisor(s)

Ushana Houston, Founder and Board Chair

Project Description & Objectives

Across Montreal, academically talented Black high school students are enrolled in enrichment programs or independent schools, and their academic promise is clear. Still, the path to success, both in high school and beyond, is far from guaranteed.

The students YSS works with are second-generation Canadians from working-class or lower–middle-class families. Their parents have made deliberate choices to access opportunity and want to be active partners in their child’s success. At the same time, families and students are often navigating school systems and predominantly white institutions that were not designed with Black student success in mind. Schools may face challenges in creating environments where Black students experience a sense of belonging, safety, and affirmation alongside academic rigour. Structural inequities, racial isolation, and limited access to culturally responsive guidance can shape students’ experiences across their entire educational pathway, from high school through post-secondary education.

This project asks: What are the conditions for success that enable academically talented Black students in Montreal to successfully transition into high school, thrive during their high school years, and transition into and succeed in post-secondary education? By learning from existing models and promising practices in Canada and the United States, the project aims to better understand what supports equitable outcomes for talented Black students across key educational milestones.

A central objective is to clarify how community-based organizations like YSS can strengthen this ecosystem—by supporting families, guiding students, and working alongside schools—to help reduce educational inequities and ensure that talent is supported with the conditions needed for long-term success.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

Over the course of the fellowship, the Fellow will produce the following deliverables:

Plain-language report
A clear, accessible report that brings together existing research, program models, and promising practices related to supporting talented Black students across key educational milestones, including transition into high school, success within high school, and transition into and success in post-secondary education. The report will clearly describe the roles that students, families, schools, and community-based organizations play in supporting student success, in a way that is practical and usable for YSS.

Program design recommendations
A set of actionable recommendations outlining how YSS can strengthen current supports and design future initiatives (e.g., a Transition Navigator model, creating a parent community) to better accompany students and families through these milestones.

Accessible knowledge products
A small set of shareable materials (e.g., one-pagers, visual summaries, or checklists) designed for parents, students, educators, and community partners to support understanding, engagement, and practical application.

Optional presentation for YSS parents (time permitting)
A short presentation highlighting key findings and recommendations, delivered to the YSS parent community to support reflection, discussion, and engagement.

Project Team

Project Supervisor: Ushana Houston, Founder
Ushana will serve as the day-to-day supervisor, supporting the Fellow in shaping the scope of the project, providing regular feedback, and ensuring the work aligns with YSS’s mission and the realities of families and students served.

Project Lead: Soukaina Hamia
Soukaina will support project coordination and provide program insight, helping ensure that findings and recommendations are practical and relevant to community-based work.

YSS Summer Intern
The summer intern will provide logistical and coordination support, including assistance with organizing materials, arranging interviews if needed, and supporting the translation of findings into accessible formats such as infographics.

Fellowship Location

The fellowship will be conducted in a hybrid format, with two days per week in person at the YSS office in NDG and the remainder remotely.

Technical Skills

Required

• Strong writing skills, with the ability to explain ideas clearly and accessibly
• Ability to read, understand, and summarize information from multiple sources
• Basic research and information-gathering skills
• Comfort organizing information and identifying key themes
• Ability to work independently and manage time over a 12-week project

Assets

• Experience with education, youth development, or community-based work
• Familiarity with qualitative research, program reviews, or policy analysis
• Experience creating plain-language materials (e.g., reports, briefs, toolkits)
• Comfort working across academic and community settings
• Comfort conducting one-on-one conversations or small group discussions (interviews or focus groups)
• Knowledge of the Quebec or Canadian education system (high school, CEGEP, university)

Transferable Skills

Required

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Cultural humility and sensitivity when working with Black families and youth
• Ability to listen, reflect, and engage thoughtfully with community perspectives
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Openness to feedback and collaborative learning

Assets

• Lived experience within Black or other racialized communities
• Prior experience working with parents, students, or community organizations
• Understanding of anti-Black racism in educational settings
• Ability to facilitate or present information to non-academic audiences
• Interest in equity, education, and community-led approaches to student success

Additional Application Materials

A short writing sample (1–2 pages) that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to explain ideas clearly and accessibly to a non-academic audience. This may include an excerpt from an academic paper, a policy brief, a blog post, or other relevant writing. Applicants are encouraged to use their personal statement to reflect on their interest in education equity and their approach to working respectfully with Black students and families.

Host Organization

Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF)

ACAF is a civil society organisation based in Accra, Ghana and partnered with the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR), New York, USA. It is dedicated to advancing research on, and promoting a culture of respect for, academic freedom in Africa through monitoring, advocacy, and providing support for at-risk scholars.

Project Supervisor(s)

Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, the Regional Director of ACAF

Project Description & Objectives

Many African scholars have left the continent, not for economic reasons but as a result of persecution by State and or non-State actors simply for their academic works related to the pursuit, production, dissemination and application of knowledge to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law and to challenge orthodoxy and speak truth to power. Some managed to obtain the opportunity to seek support through various at-risk scholar programmes. Among this group, while some have secured permanent positions in universities and other research organisations to undertake academic ventures, for the majority, it has not been possible for them to access such opportunities. To make ends meet, they are forced to quit academia to find other means of survival. The 'Back Home Africa' project seeks to locate such academics and link them to universities on the continent to fill in the scholarly personnel gaps that many universities face in Africa. The first stage of the project is to identify all programmes, organisations and institutions that provide sanctuaries for at-risk scholars to link up with such academics to discuss such a project and to link them to universities that may need their skills and finally arrange for return to Africa to work in these institutions. The second aspect of the project is to invite such institutions to team up with ACAF to link such at-risk scholars to African universities in need of teaching personnel/research personnel to provide employment and protection for such scholars, instead of finding sanctuaries for them outside the continent. This way, Africa will be able to retain its critical scholarly personnel on the continent outside their countries of origin/persecution, either temporarily or permanently, remotely and/or in person.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

• To identify the institutions in Europe and North America in particular that provide sanctuaries for at-risk and threatened scholars
• Create/obtain a database of African scholars they are providing sanctuary and teaching/research opportunities to
• Create a database of African universities with needs for teaching/research personnel and develop arrangements on how to offer sanctuary and opportunities for such scholars
• Support project leads in working with such sanctuaries to divert providing sanctuaries for African scholars outside the continent to institutions within the continent
• Support project leads in seeking funding support for such projects

Project Team

Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, Prof Philip Kwame Duku, Prof Kwasi H Prempeh, Prof Gyimah-Boadi

Fellowship Location

Accra or remotely

Technical Skills

Required:

• Knowledge of International Human Rights/Refugee law
• Knowledge of the higher education landscape generally, but mostly in Africa
• Language proficiency in French and/or Portuguese will be an advantage
• Data analysis
• Developing, designing, and conducting research activities
• Report writing
• Coordinating administrative and logistical details
• Reviewing, writing, and editing executive documentation
• Planning online meetings with stakeholders

Transferable Skills

Required:

• Diplomatic and interpersonal relations skills
• Empathy
• Communication and leadership skills
• Ability to relate well to people
• Time management

Additional Application Materials

N/A

Host Organization

Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation (ASRF)

The goal of ASRF is to design, pilot, and scale psycho-spiritual programs rooted in Armenia’s legacy of survival and
revival, by advancing mental health through research, practitioner training, and design of culturally
adaptable programs that restore agency and strengthen communities in post-conflict settings.

Project Supervisor

Nazeli Kirakosyan (Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation), Programs Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

Prof. Jura Augustinavicius (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal), Associate Professor

Project Description & Objectives

The Armenian Revival Journey (ARJ) program emerged from a deep recognition of the psychological and spiritual wounds left by historical and contemporary traumas in Armenia. The overarching goal of the program is to foster a pro-future mindset that supports participants to courageously engage in their lives, families, and communities. The program aims to enhance personal agency and community connection while strengthening spiritual values and active historical thinking (e.g., reflection on Armenians’ resilience across generations). Through structured group sessions, workshops, and reflective exercises, ARJ seeks to facilitate meaningful personal transformation, empower individuals to navigate challenges with confidence, and develop a sense of collective identity and purpose.

The Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation, in collaboration with the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Implementation Research Program, will rigorously evaluate the ARJ program by designing and implementing a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The objective of the RCT will be to examine the effectiveness of the ARJ program.

Fellow Responsibilities & Deliverables

As part of an interdisciplinary and international team, the fellow will work to define processes and develop materials that will guide successful implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the RCT by:

• Supporting the development of a monitoring and evaluation system for the ARJ program within the context of the RCT.
• Developing standard operating procedures for monitoring and evaluation of the ARJ program.
• Developing training materials for quantitative and qualitative data collection for project data collectors.
• Developing standard operating procedures for the implementation of the RCT.

Project Team

The fellow will work with staff from the Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation and the Climate Change and Mental Health Lab (which is based out of McGill University and Université de Montréal).

Fellowship Location

The fellow will spend time with the team in Montréal and at the Armenian Spiritual Revival Foundation in Yerevan, Armenia. Approximately four weeks in Montréal and eight weeks in Yerevan are anticipated, although the duration and timing of travel will be decided jointly with the fellow, considering their background and skills, project needs, and availability.

Technical Skills

Required:

The fellow should have experience with research and academic communication (including reports), and a fundamental understanding of quantitative and qualitative methods.

Assets:

Experience developing standard operating procedures, data collection materials, and training materials; interest in mental health, global health, or humanitarian health; knowledge of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs or interventions.

Transferable Skills

Required:

Strong communication skills (oral and written); strong time management and organizational skills; ability to work in an international team setting and independently; willingness and ability to travel to Armenia (valid passport, eligibility to obtain a visa for Armenia).

Assets:

Ability to communicate in Armenian; familiarity with the Armenian context; prior experience working in a public or global health setting and/or a humanitarian setting.

Additional Application Materials

Applicants should submit a writing sample of 10 pages or fewer. This may be a paper written for an academic course, a first-authored peer-reviewed manuscript, a professional report, or other writing that demonstrates the ability to think critically and communicate effectively.

Host Organization

Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation, Inc. (CDPFI)

CDPFI endeavors to promote community-based climate and disaster risk reduction and management through its various programs, advocacy, and research work. It works closely with various stakeholders and marginalized groups to conduct Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRRM) and to implement proactive measures for inclusive disaster preparedness, mitigation, prevention, response, and rehabilitation.

Project Supervisor(s)

Revka Perez, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer

Elna Kaluang-Alih, Project Manager

Project Description & Objectives

DRR-YIELDS is a two-year partnership project of CDPFI and Margareth A. Cargill Philanthropies. The project aims to capacitate youth from at-risk communities to ideate, develop, manage, and sustain locally innovative disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation solutions that address identified needs and conditions. Through a community-led innovation process, youth innovators contribute to reducing climate and disaster risks, ultimately paving the way for resilience and development.

Objectives: 

• Organize children’s and youth organizations, both in-school and out-of-school, to ensure sectoral leadership in innovation development and sustainability.
• Build and strengthen the capacities of the most vulnerable sectors, especially children and youth, as well as relevant stakeholders and duty bearers, in preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and risk reduction, enabling them to become active actors in DRR/CCA.
• Identify, design, implement, and improve innovative DRR solutions that address community needs and challenges.
• Create intergenerational and intersectoral learning platforms on innovative DRR and CCA solutions involving children, youth, and community partners from other communities.

Fellowship Responsibilities & Deliverables

The fellow may engage either remotely or in person. For remote engagement, the fellow will assist in transcribing and analyzing inputs from youth innovators’ reflection journals as part of the project’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities and will submit a content analysis report.

For in-person engagement, the fellow will conduct field visits, interviews, and community observations with youth innovators focused on their innovations, experiences, and feedback on the DRR-YIELDS project, and will submit interview transcripts and article(s) to be posted on the CDPFI website and social media. If the schedule permits, the fellow may also assist in the transcription and analysis of youth innovators’ reflection journals.

Project Team

• Elna Kaluang-Aliih, Project Manager
• Joan Denolan, Capacity Development Officer
• Alyssa Mae Payongga, Area Coordinator, Camarines Norte
• Mary Cris, Project Staff, Camarines Norte
• Margie Pelito, Area Coordinator, Northern Samar
• Jayson Genotiva, Project Staff, Northern Samar
• Justine Paolo Era, Communications Officer
• Geanette Galvez, Innovation Specialist
• Revka Perez, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer

Fellowship Location

Remote or In-Person. For in-person engagement, the fellow will be based in the province of Camarines Norte, Bicol Region, Philippines.

Technical Skills

Required skills: Research, transcription, qualitative data analysis, content analysis, technical writing.

Assets: Photography, graphic design, newswriting/article writing.

Transferable Skills

Required skills: Verbal and written communication skills; Critical thinking; Attention to detail; Teamwork; Adaptability

Additional Application Materials

At least two writing samples; 2-3 pages long.