This summer, from May to July, I had the opportunity to intern at the Climate Reality Project Canada, thanks to McGill and the Dean of Arts development Fund. As a student in the inter faculty program of environment, this was an opportunity to explore what a potential future job in this sector may look like, and if it is appropriate for me, or if I should look for a different kind of occupation in the same sector. I also hoped to build upon my skills and see which of my skills most needed working on, especially for future related type of work.
Climate Reality Project is an organization that was created by Al Gore, originally with only a US branch, but has since expanded to other countries such as Europe, Indonesia, and Canada. The branch I worked at was Climate Reality Project Canada (CRPC). The aim of the climate reality project is to teach people about the climate crisis, and what they can do, by training climate mentors, and linking people who wish to learn and fight climate change together through the climate reality hub. Climate reality Canada also creates the National Climate League (NCL) standings, which ranks cities in Canada based upon 17 indicators, such as bike-ability, waste management, and democratic representation. This then features what the winning municipality has done, as a tool to show Canadian cities what they can do, and what to push for. I was working under the Campaigns manager, as the Campaign manager intern, and so worked with the person who was in charge of the NCL, as the 2022 NCL is out, and the 2023 NCL work has not started yet, I did not get to work on the NCL proper, but did work with putting it on the site, so that it is more accessible. I also researched policies, at the municipal, federal and provincial levels to write policy bulletins that are also used to showcase the type of policies and tools available to municipalities.
Working hybrid gave me a lot of flexibility when working, which is an experience I hope to retain later in my university career. The people, and work environment were also highlights of the internship. For example, the weekly team meetings are given time for check-ups, and everyone is given the chance to speak and say their opinions- even interns. An aspect I found more challenging was the nature of the work, which I found sometimes tedious, with lots of writing and spending time on the internet researching. This may be a job suited to many people, but this experience taught me that it may not be the best type of job for me to pursue. However, the work environment is something I really enjoyed, and would like to work in places with similar work environments in the future, both for my studies and jobs.
I am not receiving any credits for this internship, but it has impacted my university experience. I learned how an organization works, and the skills needed on the job market. This will allow me to focus my learning on skills I need, or are lacking, as well as complement my university knowledge, which is often more theory based. Furthermore, this allowed me to network with other similarly- minded people, in a field I hope to work in.
The funds I received as part of the award allowed me to pay for my rent and groceries, and focus upon my internship and the future, without which I could not have done. And so, my deepest gratitude towards the new Dean of Arts, for the increase in the budget of this award, allowing the climate reality project Canada to take on an additional two interns, and giving me this opportunity to expand my world-view and skills. As such I would like to thank the Dean of Arts for the funds that allowed to have this experience.
