Junior Fellow, eh?

The program I am participating in is called the Junior Fellowship Program, which is where the funny title comes from. There is a total of about 40 short term overseas volunteers from various universities across Canada going to Africa or the Philippines this summer for four months. The participants spend this journey working in a local non-government organization to get an idea of the challenges involved with being a development agent.

Of course, participants are encouraged to live a humble lifestyle during their stay and plunge into the local culture to understand the realities of the developing world. Besides doing our best to have impact overseas despite our short stay, our most important role is to share our experience with chapter members, friends and family back home. Upon our return, our role is to continue sharing and educating the public on the complexities of international development. Together, all of us Junior Fellows will reach out to thousands of people and get them thinking about small actions we can take collectively in Canada to make a big difference in the lives of our cousins abroad.