Student View: International Week shows we can make a difference
Written By: Eilis Pourbaix
2007-01-29
; "Eilis Pourbaix")
By opening dialogue and drawing on all of our expanding community's expertise and creativity, we can truly effect change in our world. As a University of Alberta student, I feel participation in International Week (I-Week) is an integral component of my education and global citizenship.I spent my summer in Africa, on an internship made possible by the Canadian International Development Agency, through the Students for Development fund - a progressive initiative that supports research and work in governance-related fields. I want to encourage my fellow students to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that these grants provide for active knowledge exchange, which is key in understanding the biggest threats and challenges to our world.
International Week is a unique platform for this, allowing local and international non-governmental organizations, government and academics to weigh-in on issues of international importance. This integrated approach to tackling issues is necessary at the global level, and I-Week reminds us that today, more than ever, problems and solutions are multi-dimensional.
As a presenter, my goal is to bring the voices of Buduburam, Ghana to my fellow students and community, and to show how policy debates should not overshadow the individuals they seek to represent. Through pictures and excerpts from three months of interviews with residents, I can introduce the community of the Buduburam refugee settlement to Edmonton, putting a face and a personality to the sometimes impersonal moniker of 'refugee.'
There are invaluable lessons in governance that can be learned from transcending the notion of people as policy objects. Participating in activities that engage the public with these issues on this side of the world emphasizes how interconnected we all are - through our common desire to live full lives free from want and fear.
My participation in International Week brings my experience in Ghana full circle, reconnecting with the institution that inspired my research and the community that supported my work by donating funds and teaching resources to grassroots organizations in Ghana. I changed personally and professionally throughout my time in the Buduburam camp, and I want to share my experience, as well as the experiences of the refugee community who welcomed me so warmly, with others.
Eilis Pourbaix is a student in the University of Alberta Department of Political Science.
This article originally appeared in Express News.