By Wendy Stocker
Published in The Ploughshares Monitor Winter 2023
Part One: What was it like?
Project Ploughshares has a long history of mentoring interns. I can picture them in our office below the chapel at Conrad Grebel University College, at the former Seagram Museum in uptown Waterloo when it was the home of both Ploughshares and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and in our current space in the Centre for Peace Advancement at Grebel. I also recall their virtual images during the pandemic.
Recently, I was thinking about the work done by interns over this past spring term, and about the role of interns in such projects as the Armed Conflicts Report (ACR) and the Space Security Index. I began to wonder where our former interns were today.
I was able to get contact information for five former interns. Out of the blue, they got an email request from me to answer a few questions for use in a Monitor article – with a pretty short deadline. All five responded positively and, as you shall see, with generosity and grace.
Prepare to be impressed!
Benny Skinner
Role at Ploughshares
Benny Skinner interned first as an ACR researcher in January 2017, then as a multimedia intern for the spring term, in both instances working chiefly with Tasneem Jamal. The second internship turned into a part-time job as a multimedia assistant that lasted until 2021.
Thoughts on the internship
Benny, who got a copy of the ACR from a Peace and Conflict Studies professor, recalled, “I hung it on the wall in my dorm room and was infatuated by the thought of researching conflict in order to try and find solutions.” Two years later, Benny became one of the ACR interns and “worked my butt off.” Next, as a multimedia intern, Benny took on “creating videos, infographics, and social media posts.”
Benny enjoyed “getting to learn about the translations between research and policy (as a form of action). I think working at Ploughshares really opened my eyes to the mobilization of knowledge and data for making concrete changes, whether that was in the form of educating or policy briefing.” But what Benny loved best was “the people I worked with.”
On the path to ultimate work goals
Benny’s “ultimate work goal is to dedicate my life’s work to making the world a better place in any way that I can. I have committed to continuously fighting for decolonization and for the equitable treatment of those who have been historically excluded and oppressed.”
Kirsten Mosey
Role at Ploughshares
Kirsten Mosey interned virtually with Ploughshares in winter 2021, during the pandemic lockdown. She worked with Branka Marijan, Jessica West, and Kelsey Gallagher, mostly on “forced migration and its connections to disarmament.”
Thoughts on the internship
Kirsten enjoyed writing “deep-dive” articles, “such as the article I wrote about Libya’s forced migration and enforced disappearance problem and the role of European countries in deterring migration.” She found it “very fun” “to spend weeks on a topic, learning everything about it, and then having that work published.”
What she liked best about the internship was “being able to simply discuss key issues with the whole PP team – it felt like getting a peek behind the curtain, and both helped to make a career in disarmament more relatable and reinforced that it was something that was very unique.” Kirsten felt that an internship with Ploughshares was “like being a part of a special club – in all my travels (whether Geneva, New York, and Ottawa) and throughout my day to day, whenever I mention that I got my start with Project Ploughshares, those familiar with the staff and the work always welcome me with open arms, recognizing that to have worked with Project Ploughshares is a unique and extremely valuable experience that few of us have the honour of sharing.”
On the path to ultimate work goals
Kirsten “would love to continue representing Canada on the international stage.” She continued, “I owe my start to civil society, so I am always finding myself drawn back to my roots! But working alongside civil society in my current role (as a Nuclear Policy Officer with the Disarmament and Non-proliferation Division at Global Affairs Canada) is sort of the best of both worlds right now. I think as long as I am working towards general and complete disarmament and related issues I am happy!”
Grace Wright
Role at Ploughshares
Grace Wright held two virtual internships with Ploughshares in 2021. In the first, she worked with Branka on “a project focused on understanding the current landscape of the policies, directives, and best practices of Canada and its allied states related to the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence in defence.” In the second, she worked with Jessica “to identify themes and characteristics of arms control initiatives in various domains of warfare that could be transferred to outer space.”
Thoughts on the internship
Grace “had a strong interest in technology policy, specifically its social, political, and economic impacts” and her two internships “were a great way to explore that through an international lens.” She felt that working with a civil society organization like Ploughshares “gave me a unique perspective on the role of civil society in shaping policy. I think this work environment really helped me hone some of my critical analysis skills and ability to understand the symbiotic relationship between policies at national and international levels.”
Grace “really enjoyed the level of autonomy I was given during the research process, while still meeting regularly with Branka and Jessica to ask questions and receive guidance.” She found the two researchers “incredible supervisors – they were great at providing guidance and were very personable.” However, Grace confessed, she didn’t like working remotely, missing personal contacts and interactions.
On the path to ultimate work goals
Grace “would definitely encourage anyone who is seeking research experience and has an interest in policy and social impact to intern with Ploughshares.” Why? “I think it provides a wonderful working environment and a great opportunity to work with a team of people passionate about making a positive change.”
Erin Yantzi
Role at Ploughshares
Erin Yantzi had a virtual internship with Ploughshares in spring 2020, during which she “researched and wrote on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by militaries and – on a completely separate topic – military culture.” She worked mainly with Branka.
Thoughts on the internship
After the internship, Erin intended to begin graduate studies, hoping “to focus on international security (specifically critical security/military studies).” Thus, the internship “aligned with my academic interests.” Erin noted that “the internship taught me how to research and write in a more public-facing and policy way instead of the typical ‘academic’ style.” She was pleased that “PP staff took the time to align my internship with the topics that I was interested in researching which relate to their mandate.”
On the path to ultimate work goals
Erin, “at the beginning of my career,” knows that “I want to work with people like those I worked with at PP – hard workers and learners, smart, empathetic, supportive, always able to find a bit of light in hard situations or when dealing with difficult topics; those that are able to understand different perspectives and speak to a wide range of people.”
Yelena Gyulkhandanyan
Role at Ploughshares
In 2015, Yelena Gyulkhandanyan was an intern, “coordinating a team of researchers to conduct research and draft the 2015 Armed Conflicts Report,” under the supervision of Tasneem.
Thoughts on the internship
Yelena appreciated the opportunity to lead a research team, which “allowed me to hone my leadership and people management skills. In addition, I learned a great deal about various sources of information on history, politics and current developments pertaining to conflict.” She really enjoyed “the learning aspect.” She wrote, “I learned a lot about an area of research that was in line with my education, interest, and career aspirations.” Yelena also enjoyed working with her team and with Tasneem, who was “very supportive and encouraging.”
On the path to ultimate work goals
“My work goals have always been to work in an organization and have a job that is in the humanitarian sector, working in a team where we share a common goal of making positive change. I currently work in the nonprofit sector and aim to continue working in this field.”
Did the internship help Yelena along the path to her goals? She wrote, “Students and new graduates interested in peacebuilding and conflict resolution work would certainly benefit from such an intern-ship, as I did.”
You will learn more about the thoughts and insights of this group of Ploughshares interns in the Spring 2024 issue of The Ploughshares Monitor.
