A Voice For the Voiceless
The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.
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- AP Interns Start to Wrap Up Their Assignment, August 16, 2006
- AP Interns Realize the Impact of Their Work, August 9, 2006
- AP Interns Reflect on Obstacles They Encountered, August 2, 2006
- AP Interns Delve Deeper into Local Cultures, July 25, 2006
- AP Interns Roll Up Their Sleeves and Get Down to Advocacy, July 19, 2006
- AP Interns Find Rewards in a Busy Schedule, July 12, 2006
- AP Interns Find that First Impression Can Be Misleading, July 5, 2006
- AP Interns Confront the Complexities of Local Cultures, June 28, 2006
- AP Interns Confront the Challenges of Their Assignments, June 20, 2006
- AP Interns Confront Harsh Realities, June 13, 2006
- Summer Interns Start Blogging from 14 Countries, June 6, 2006
- 18 North American Students to Intern with Civil Society in 14 Countries, May 24, 2006
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The Impact of Service
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AP Interns Find that First Impression Can Be Misleading, July 5, 2006
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AdvocacyNet
Intern Update, Volume 4#5, July 5, 2006
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The Advocacy Project's 18 summer interns are blogging on the AP website about their summer assignments. The interns are working with community-based partner organizations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Italy, Guatemala, Nigeria, Fiji, Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and India. Excerpts from their blogs follow. Read more on the 2006 internship program.
Highlights:
- Developing Trust With Afghan Women
- Looks Can Be Deceiving in the West Bank
- Dalits Demand Affirmative Action in Nepal
- Walloped by a Court’s Ruling in the UK
- How KWN Became a Movement in Kosovo
- Dedication to Education in Fiji
- Empowering Youth Guides in Delhi
Developing Trust With Afghan Women
Erica Isaac (NYU) is working for womens' rights in Afghanistan with the Afghan Women's Network.
"No one missed a beat. No one wanted to talk about my soliloquy. My words were not inspiration, they were entree. It is very strange to feel trust happen. It usually creeps up on you, grows over time and makes itself known in the most subdued of ways. But time is different here. Urgency is palpable. From the moment I called on the first person the discussion that would last for the next five hours began."
Looks Can Be Deceiving in the West Bank
Sarah Sachs (Columbia University) is working for cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis with the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour/Jerusalem.
“But for all the army's promises and restraint, it was obvious in that final moment in the southern Hebron hills that looks can be deceiving. For years, I thought that if only I could get past the television, newspapers and radio, if only I were able to witness events in person, then I would have a realistic perspective on the world. But here it was, happening right before my eyes, and still I had to ask: what is media, and what is reality?”
Dalits Demand Affirmative Action in Nepal
Nicole Cordeau (Georgetown University) is working for Nepal's Dalit (lowest caste) with the Jagaran Media Center.
"Reservations. Affirmative action. Quotas. Positive discrimination. Special rights. Whatever you choose to call it, special consideration for jobs and school admission on the basis of gender, race, caste, or ethnicity is controversial territory indeed. It is also one of the key policy demands being articulated by Dalit activists in Nepal."
Walloped by a Court’s Ruling in the UK
Lynne Engelman (University of Calgary) is working to combat the eviction of Roma and Travellers from their land with the UK Association of Gypsy Women.
“Not too long ago I went to see my host’s land – a lush acre of green tucked down a secluded narrow lane... The courts actually went so far as to call them a ‘visual injury.’ Can you imagine? A visual injury? The phrase alone packs a visceral emotional wallop.”
How KWN Became a Movement in Kosovo
Barbra Bearden (American University) is working for women’s rights in Kosovo with the Kosova Women’s Network.
“Like most of civil society’s history, KWN truly began with a small action that became a movement. This is a story, told orally and now written of two sisters, Igballe and Safete Rogova, who responded to the abject poverty in the rural areas of Kosova with small tokens: clothing, books, etc.”
Dedication to Education in Fiji
Autumn Graham (Tufts University) is working to educate citizens about their rights with the Citizens’ Constitutional Forum in Fiji.
“This is a determined commitment to education: overcoming uniform and transportation costs, braving poor conditions and long bus rides home. All accomplished by students displaying striking maturity. Impressive.”
Empowering Youth Guides in Delhi
Donna Laverdiere (Duke University) is working for street children with Butterflies in Delhi.
“For now, however, as we begin, we need to ask ourselves these hard questions that may make us a bit uncomfortable. In reality, tourists are often skeptical of children selling goods, especially in India. But what is the broader meaning behind this belief, and what can we do to overcome it?”