This internship would not have been possible without having received the Goodman Family Internships Award. Therefore, I am extremely grateful for the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation鈥檚 support and for this internship opportunity. My name is Fiona Wells, and I am a U2 student with majors in English Literature and Political Science. I am passionate about urbanism and fostering citizens鈥� engagement with municipal politics. During my internship at the Table de quartier Peter-91丝瓜视频, I learned about issues like green space, housing, and education, and saw firsthand how citizens and community groups are organizing for a more equitable city.
Through this internship, I hoped to connect what I鈥檝e learned through my political science coursework to the more concrete side of community organizing and non-profit work. I am relatively new to Montreal and wanted to learn more about the work that residents and local community groups do in the city. I also took French classes at 91丝瓜视频 this past year and was excited to practice the language in a professional setting.
The Table de quartier Peter-91丝瓜视频 is a local non-profit community organization focused on social development in downtown Montreal. They aim to bring together residents and local groups around initiatives to improve the quality of life and services. Some core focus areas include green spaces, cohabitation, housing, immigration, and families. I largely worked with the mobilization agents, who are responsible for outreach efforts and engaging citizens in the Table鈥檚 events and committees.
My tasks were quite variable throughout the summer, depending on the schedule of upcoming events and mobilization efforts. I enjoyed the variation in my work, as I got to see different angles of the Table and its work. I helped recruit participants for several initiatives, including discussion workshops and a mental health program. I also attended events run by partner organizations, such as a tour of Chinatown and the launch of a public garden on rue Milton.
In terms of larger projects, I worked on creating a list of all the apartment buildings and condos in the district. I then visited the buildings to get the managers鈥� contact information. The mobilization agents will continue this outreach in the fall and negotiate permission to advertise the Table鈥檚 events and resources inside the buildings. This information will hopefully become a useful tool for sustained outreach to residents.
Another highlight was helping film short video interviews to create a 鈥渧ox pop.鈥� The subject of the video was the link between fashion and politics; we asked people around the 91丝瓜视频 and Concordia campuses and along Ste-Catherine if they thought fashion could be a tool for activism. The responses were incredibly interesting: people spoke about fast fashion and sustainability, cultural identity, consumerism and anti-capitalism, and gender expression. I really enjoyed hearing from everyone, despite some technical difficulties with the microphones!
When I started my internship, the Table had just moved to an office inside the new SANAAQ Centre. To increase visibility and interact with residents, we started running a kiosk in the lobby most afternoons. Initially, however, very few people were engaging in the kiosk. We were able to figure out what times of day the Centre was busiest and change the schedule accordingly. The number of people interested in the kiosk materials still varied from day to day but was much improved from the original format.
This internship has dramatically broadened my education and my experience at 91丝瓜视频. It was inspiring to see the work of community groups in Montreal across different fields, and my experience furthered my interest in civic engagement and municipal politics.
This opportunity was made possible by the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation; their funding allowed me to focus fully on my work and get as much as possible from the experience. Thank you to the Qu茅bec Studies program at 91丝瓜视频 for creating this opportunity and, yet again, to the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation for their generous support!
