91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Ms. Martine Vanasse and Mr. Randall Wilbert, whose generosity through the Vanasse Wilbert International Experience Internship Award made my internship possible. As an undergraduate student at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, majoring in International Development and History, my studies have focused on ethnic conflict, human rights violations, and refugeehood. Throughout my studies, I have developed a deep interest in post-conflict studies, peacebuilding, and genocide prevention. These interests have been furthered by the writing I have done for Catalyst, 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s International Development journal’s newsletter.

I was motivated to intern with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it aligned with my academic interests and career aspirations by allowing me to gain invaluable experience in my fields of interest, as well as providing a platform for me to hone other academic skills, such as research and writing. Due to my particular interest in post-conflict studies and genocide prevention, interning abroad was the only viable option to gain hands-on experience and served as a chance to apply material and frameworks learned in class to actual case studies.

The PCRC is a woman-led NGO and research center dedicated to fostering peace and conflict prevention in the Western Balkans by creating and implementing evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and innovative approaches to peacebuilding. The PCRC has six key areas of operation: Creative Multimedia, Preventing Genocide, Mass Atrocities, and Violent Extremism, Post-Conflict Research, Peace Education, Transitional Justice, and Consultancy.

As an intern, it was my duty to support ongoing research initiatives and projects headed by the PCRC as well as write an article for their multimedia platform Balkan Diskurs. This July marked the 30th Anniversary of the Bosnian Genocide; therefore, many of my projects and tasks were centered around this event. I helped the organization and research for the PCRC’s conference panel commemorating the genocide. For this, I researched and wrote a series of questions for the panel ‘Justice and Truth: Prosecuting War Crimes and Combating Denial.’ Additionally, I provided social media and artistic support to the PCRC’s Srebrenica Youth School as well as the Mother’s Scarves exhibition. My individual task was writing an article for their multimedia platform. My article focused on the transformation of Albania’s former communist bunkers into museums and sites of remembrance and reconciliation, as well as the debates surrounding the bunkers' repurposing.

My academic background in nationalism, ethnic conflict, and genocide studies served as a framework for contextualizing and understanding Bosnia’s complex historical and political issues as well as its current struggles. Moreover, the academic skills such as close reading, writing, and research, developed throughout my degree, were highly useful and applied in multiple internship tasks and duties.

There were two highly memorable experiences from my internship. First was the PCRC’s Srebrenica Conference commemorating the Bosnian Genocide. Besides serving as support staff to visiting guests, I was in the audience for the panel I had organized, so I witnessed dignitaries, including Bosnia's High Representative, answer the questions I had researched and written. The second event was the 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the Bosnian Genocide we attended at the Srebrenica Memorial Center in July. Thousands of visitors, genocide survivors, and political and religious leaders from around the world gathered together to commemorate the 8,732 Bosnian Muslim men and boys who had been killed in the genocide. I feel incredibly grateful that I was in attendance at such an important event, which provided justice and closure to the families of the victims whose remains were buried that day.

The biggest challenge I faced during my internship was the emotional toll of the internship's dark subject matter, including the war and genocide. The field visits to memorial sites, museums, and medical examiners' offices were highly educational, but were extremely difficult emotionally speaking. To help manage this, the internship cohort engaged in open discussion to process what we were witnessing and learning about.

Working with the PCRC has demonstrated the challenges post-conflict societies still face and how much work remains. My internship with the PCRC has therefore reinforced my desire to pursue post-secondary education with the goal of working in genocide prevention and human rights advocacy. The funds from the award were crucial to my experience in Bosnia as they allowed me to focus solely on my work with the PCRC.

Thank you, Ms. Martine Vanasse and Mr. Randall Wilbert, for your generous support, which made my experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina possible!