Canadian students gain valuable experience while assisting Ukraine

OTTAWA - A group of young Canadians have returned to Canada after a half-year internship in Ukraine. The young graduates are participants in the International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) administered by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). The program will run again this year and will offer 13 internship positions funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

"This is a win-win situation," said Jennifer Humphries, director, Scholar-ships, CBIE. We send recent university and college graduates on these internships abroad and they return to Canada with professional experience that helps them to find attractive jobs. We are proud to announce that a recent returnee is now employed at CBIE, and several have been offered positions in Ukraine or Canada."

The hosts in Ukraine benefit from having eager young Canadian professionals working within their organizations. And the special partnership between Canada and Ukraine is strengthened.

The 2002-2003 interns include recent graduates from universities across Canada including the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta, the University of Waterloo, Brock University, the University of Manitoba, Carleton University, York University and Seneca College. They hold either undergraduate or master's degrees in specializations such as political science, local economic development, finance, psychology, Central/East European area studies, to list a few.

The host organizations in Ukraine included the United Nations Develop-ment Program, the Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration, the Kyiv Post (a weekly English-language newspaper), and Help Us Help the Children. The variety of the interns' work in technical cooperation, public relations, policy development, education and public ad-ministration gives an idea of the breadth of the interns' experience, but only hints at the significant responsibility level of their internships.

As one of the interns wrote in a report to CBIE: "CIDA and CBIE provided me with a link between university and practical work experience that is related to my field of study, creating a steppingstone for obtaining my future career objectives. My international experience also allowed me to expand my knowledge of the world by giving me the opportunity to live in a historically rich and ethnically diverse region."

Another intern wrote: "I became extremely self-confident, gained many new skills, and gained valuable work experience. In addition I also improved my language skills, enjoyed the culture and even had the opportunity to travel to other countries... It was the most incredible time of my life."

CBIE is an Ottawa-based national organization comprising 200 member educational institutions and organizations. More information about CBIE and Youth Internships may be found at http://www.cbie.ca/scholarship/index_e.cfm?page=yip_e

For information about the program generally, please contact:

Julita Palka, CBIE's program administrator - youth internships, at (613) 237-4820 x242, or [email protected].

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 22, 2003, No. 25, Vol. LXXI

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