During the summer of 2023, I was an intern at Monthly Dignity, a Montreal nonprofit dedicated to the achievement of menstrual equity through education, advocacy and the distribution of period products. As a student of Political Science, International Development Studies and Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies, this internship was a unique opportunity to combine the different aspects of my degree, as well as my interests. I have always been passionate about gender equality and women’s empowerment, and wish to pursue graduate studies and a career dedicated to protecting and furthering these essential aspects of development. By being Monthly Dignity’s intern, I hoped to learn more about how small nonprofits assess their community’s needs, raise funds, manage demands, and generally operate.
Given Monthly Dignity’s small team, I had the opportunity to explore different facets of the organization’s work, in accordance with their demands and my interests. Over the twelve weeks of the internship, I co-organized an event for Menstrual Equity Day, attended and contributed to regular team meetings, participated in the delivery of period products, familiarized myself with the organization’s inventory system, planned and created content for their social media platforms, helped update their website, created a multimedia database focused on menstruation and period poverty, and started developing a blog dedicated to menstrual equity.
While I had hoped to collaborate and learn from the education team through the workshops they offer to school-aged youth, they mostly happen at schools and, consequently, during the academic year. However, as a way of still incorporating education and research components into my internship experience, my supervisors trusted me with the development of Monthly Dignity’s very own blog, a goal that, due to ever-changing demands, had been postponed by them for a long time. This opportunity allowed me to revisit research and article-writing skills, take on a new role as editor and administrator, and work closely with Monthly Dignity’s Education Coordinator.
Another highlight of this internship experience was organizing the Menstrual Health Day Fundraiser Gala. For Monthly Dignity, Menstrual Health Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about period poverty and collect funds for future educational projects and product distribution. I was responsible for creating posters to be displayed in the event space, organizing and cleaning up the venue, coordinating the raffle, and taking photos/videos for social media platforms. During the event, I met some of the organization’s partners, thus learning about the important work of other grassroots nonprofits in the Montreal area. After weeks of planning, it was immensely gratifying to see the event’s successful turnout.
Although I did not receive academic credit for completing this internship, the experience will significantly benefit me as a student. After my first year at McGill, I became more aware of the impact civil society and, particularly, grassroots organizations have on development outcomes, as well as the importance of establishing a cooperative relationship between them and other stakeholders, such as governments and corporations. The members of Monthly Dignity, for instance, noticed an unmet need in their community - the prevalence of period poverty - and found a way of mitigating the issue despite prevailing stigmas surrounding menstruation. Therefore, even though the organization’s volunteer team is not fully composed of economists and politicians, they can provide wisdom and a unique perspective when it comes to creating policies and developing strategies to achieve menstrual equity. Witnessing the existent gap between grassroots nonprofits and the more influential end of society has made it abundantly clear that cooperation is necessary for the achievement of development goals. Thus, I will have a more nuanced and critical view of different socio-political actors and of their interactions as I continue my studies.
Since Monthly Dignity is entirely volunteer-run, the organization could not afford to financially compensate an intern. However, thanks to the AIO’s Internship Awards and all of the generous donors, I was able to make the most of an internship that will positively impact me professionally and academically, rather than taking on a job unrelated to my areas of study solely for the financial compensation. Internships are an essential part of university life, and I had the privilege of basing my choice primarily on the organization’s mission, values and area of work, rather than remuneration. This internship has shown me how I can combine my academic knowledge and interests with the nonprofit sector. As I continue my studies and solidify my future career goals, I hope to gain more experience in civil society organizations, but also explore other spheres and paths.
