TERRE DES HOMMES

What practical advice would you give to future interns?

Prepare to manage your working time on your own, and don't hesitate to contact the

coordinators in case you have any questions.

Mariri Niino, St Anne’s College, Masters-level student, MSc Migration Studie, Remote working

Work Projects

I produced an internal desk report on how

organizations can establish equal relations

with and encourage the active engagement

of youthful participants in migrant-led

initiatives. I was responsible for interviewing

the project Head of the Living Together initiative from Tdh and two external migrant-led

groups in the UK. Through a series of interviews and analysis of internal reports, I tracked

youth engagement through all stages of the project cycle from ideation, implementation,

and outcomes to decipher best practices. I was given access to internal reports (both past

reports on youth engagement strategies by previous interns and concept notes for youth-

led activities) and guidance on reaching out to other organizations and their contacts. I held

around five online meetings with my supervisor who was supportive and receptive to my

ideas every step of the way.

Daily Life

I completed my internship remotely from Oxford although the office is located in Budapest.

I started in July, a couple of weeks after the end of term. At the start, I scheduled with my

supervisor on what days we would have a virtual meeting and set mini-deadlines which

helped me pace myself during summer break. I did not work on weekends and gave myself

enough breaks. After I reached out and conducted interviews, I became a lot less constricted

and worked mostly on my own terms. To wind down, I would take walks around Oxford and

go on day trips to the Cotswolds, Brighton, and London. Having come from Japan, I was

super excited to be able to explore the city a bit more during my summer break.

Lasting Impressions

My favourite part was conducting interviews. I felt that I gained an insider's perspective on

the challenges and benefits of engaging youth in activism and political processes. I was

especially inspired by talking to the co-founder of We Belong - a UK-based initiative aiming

to create access to education from people of all backgrounds. She said in the interview that

young people are often seen through the lens of vulnerability but often they have gone

through countless issues making them the most resilient human beings any organization

hoping to incorporate a youth-led approach could ask for.

It truly made me reflect on the misconception around developing youth communication

strategies and toolkits to ease the burden of information and responsibility which can

ultimately hurt organizations looking to empower when decision-making power is removed

from youth. I had just completed my MSc in Migration Studies and have had research

experience with migrants in Japan during my undergraduate years, but the internship

shifted my focus to young migrants and youth empowerment in general. Through writing

the report, I became more interested in youth engagement in the political process and am

looking forward to pursuing the topic further after graduation.

What practical advice would you give to future interns?

Make the most of the resources given to

you - don't feel afraid to reach out to

supervisors and seek their advice, ask for

contacts, etc (especially for those doing

their internship remotely). 2. If you plan

on conducting interviews as part of the project, start the process ASAP - lots of organizations/points of contact take breaks in the summer. 3. Seek advice from past interns

- it was very helpful for me to listen to past intern's experience with the organization before

going into my internship. Don't hesitate to get in touch.