91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ

I am a third-year undergraduate student at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, pursuing an Honours major in History with a minor in Communication Studies. As a History student, I am curious about the root causes of current political, economic, environmental, and social justice issues. I am also deeply interested in storytelling, specifically language’s ability to shape our understanding of both history and the present world around us.

Having received the Dean of Arts Development Fund, I was therefore eager to pursue an internship with The Upstream Journal because of its dual focus on accessible storytelling and social justice. With an aim to ultimately work in journalism, my primary objective for my internship was to gain practical reporting experience. I also aimed to improve my research, writing and multi-media skills more broadly, by producing both an original article and a podcast episode.

The Upstream Journal, founded in 1986, is a Montreal-based human rights and social justice magazine that aims to tell the stories of people and communities facing poverty, oppression, and marginalization. It publishes digital articles and podcast episodes across multiple streaming platforms that inform readers and challenge them to think critically and act compassionately.

As a Journalism Intern for the summer, I was tasked with producing a story on a current human rights issue of my choosing. I chose to investigate the financial, social and physical wellbeing of Canadian seniors. Throughout my internship, I conducted primary research on my topic by interviewing activists, academic experts on aging and Canadian older persons. With this research, I produced a written article and an accompanying podcast episode. I also created a promotional video for The Upstream Journal’s social media pages.

My academic studies in History and Communication Studies provided a useful background that helped me successfully complete my internship. Experience critically analyzing primary and secondary students as a history student taught me research skills that proved valuable in my research process. In my Communications courses, I have also learned how to communicate complex information in a clear and concise manner, which helped me produce accessible content for a wide audience.

I especially enjoyed conducting interviews during my research process. It was incredibly inspiring to speak with activists working to improve the lives of Canadian seniors every day. I distinctly remember a moment when activist and founder of Senior Women Living Together, Pat Dunn, grew emotional during our Zoom conversation interview, becoming teary-eyed when recalling the strength of single senior women in her community. I found myself becoming emotional, too, as I realized the importance of telling stories of those who often go unseen and underappreciated. Speaking with the people at the core of social justice issues was definitely a highlight of my internship, as it allowed me to concentrate on the human core of challenges that had previously appeared rather abstract to me.

A challenge I encountered in my internship was learning how to write concisely and avoid ‘flowery’ or superfluous language. Derek MacCuish, general editor of the Upstream Journal, taught the intern team to be wary of using too many adjectives or adverbs. Derek further advocated for shorter sentences and clear language. Therefore, in my editing process I focused on distilling large amounts of information into a succinct story. I aim to apply this lesson on language in my writing moving forward.

Although I did not receive academic credit for my internship, it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I am immensely grateful to have gained valuable journalism skills through my internship and specifically appreciate the opportunity to contribute to human rights journalism amidst a tumultuous period for non-profit journalism and human rights organizations around the world.

Thank you to the donors of Dean of Arts Development Fund for providing financial support to make this internship possible.