As COVID restrictions have lifted, the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement has become a livelier place with old faces returning and new ones joining. Among them are a number of students hired for co-op, internship, and volunteer positions by the Centre for Peace Advancement and its participants, particularly The Ripple Effect Education (TREE), Project Ploughshares, and ESGTree. In the previous academic year, 27 students had the opportunity to be apart of our community, and a total of 161 students have been hired by the Centre for Peace Advancement and its participants since 2014. The Centre is a collaborative space with eleven participant organizations, where connection, professional and informal, comes easily. This interdisciplinary community that emphasizes peace exposes students to diverse ways of thinking and real examples of community change. These placements provide students with the professional skills needed to excel in the workforce, mentorship by reputable academics and professionals, and exposure to the expansive and exciting field of peacebuilding.
Learn more about more students who've worked at the Centre in "Students in the Centre for Peace Advancement: Impact Beyond the Workplace."
The spring term often brings many new students into the Centre’s community. Many students from surrounding post-secondary institutions turn to the Centre for summer opportunities. Currently, there are ten students working in the Centre.
TREE welcomed three student interns over the beginning of the spring, Brianna Mussell and Rwan Muzamil, both undergraduate students at Wilfrid Laurier University, studying International Education. Both Mussell and Muzamil worked as Program Development Interns. Theirresponsibilities included facilitating workshops, increasing the efficiency of TREE’s evaluation system, and working on curriculum updates.
TREE Manager of Programs Leah Kschsinski believes Mussel and Muzamil both embodied the TREE spirit and that their work provided a significant impact in how TREE was able to execute their programs. Sammy Fogel is currently working as a Program Associate and Facilitator. She is a Master's student at Laurier, studying Social Justice and Community Engagement.
Project Ploughshares has hired three students for the summer.Selah Woelk is Ploughshares’ Multi-Media Intern, which combines her passion for peace and disarmament with an interest in communications and graphic design. Woelk is highly involved in Conrad Grebel University College student life, and became familiarized with Project Ploughshares throughout her time as a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) student. She stated that she is grateful to be doing work in a field that energizes her.
“Connecting with other collaborators at the CPA during coffee breaks has made the environment even more welcoming!”
“The opportunity to use my storytelling and design to promote the work that Project Ploughshares does in policy, research, and activism has been really exciting.”
She also highlighted the Centre’s emphasis on collaboration and its positive environment:
“Connecting with other collaborators at the CPA during coffee breaks has made the environment even more welcoming!”
Ploughshares has also hired two Peace Researchers, Mehnaz Hossain and Maya Campo. Mehnaz is a student of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Hossain is pursuing her Master of Arts in Global Governance, while focusing her research on the effects of securitization, specifically on marginalized communities.
Maya is particularly interested in the Canadian Arms Trade. She also has a BA Hons. in Women and Gender Studies. With Project Ploughshares, Maya will be focusing on researching the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
ESGTree has a growing team, which is a testament to the work of CEO Majid Mirza and his colleagues. ESGTree has hired three students this summer. Sabeeh Ahmed, a Kinesiology co-op student at the University of Waterloo, has been hired to work as a Research and Development Intern. His responsibilities include working on product development, which means researching and mapping out how we can create the best product for their consumers. Ahmed generates leads for their sales team, and happily admits that he also helps out with some fun tertiary tasks. Ahmed can be seen working hard in the Grebel Peace Incubator every week.
“The CPA is hands down the best place to get any work done on campus. It’s quiet, has a microwave, and is full of kind and driven people.”
As a STEM student, Ahmed is in a unique position being one of the few STEM students to fill a student position at the Centre:
“My experience as a Kinesiology student gives a good background in performing quality research & thinking in logical steps. Many of the biological mechanisms in our body can be related to the real world. Whether it be computers or legislations, Kinesiology has provided me the framework to understand complex systems on a mechanistics & functionalist level.”
ESGTree has also hired Joseph Tafese as VP of Engineering. Joseph recently completed his undergraduate degree in Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo and will be embarking on Ph.D. studies this coming fall. His role with ESGTree entails working to create a sustainable digital future, maximizing the company’s positive impact on the world. As a former PeaceTech Living-Learning Community Peer Leader, the Centre for Peace Advancement is already a familiar community to Joseph. To round out their team, ESGTree has also hired a high school student named Andrew Yang.
The Centre for Peace Advancement has also hired Isabelle Sinclair as Program Assistant, a co-op position, for spring 2022. Sinclair is majoring in Legal Studies, and minoring in Political Science at the University of Waterloo. She is also an executive member of the Innocence Club and the Co-founder of the Women in Pre-Law club at Waterloo. Social justice is one of Sinclair’s interests, which ultimately inspired her to apply to the Centre for Peace Advancement. She has thoroughly enjoyed her time as a Program Assistant as she has been able to make meaningful connections with the Centre’s participants.
“The Centre is a wonderful place to
work because everyone is incredibly welcoming and the sense of community is off the charts! The Centre provides many opportunities to connect with individuals during community engagement activities. Learning and hearing from Research Fellows, CEOs, Founders, among others is remarkable. I’m so glad that I decided to apply for a co-op placement at the Centre!”
As well, Interim Centre Coordinator Victoria Lumax, a fifth-year PACS and English student, is on the Centre for Peace Advancement team for the summer. She has previously completed two co-op terms at the Centre as Communications Assistant (now Program Assistant), and has served as an Incubator Fellow.
“Learning and hearing from Research Fellows, CEOs, Founders, among others is remarkable. I’m so glad that I decided to apply for a co-op placement at the Centre!”
The Centre for Peace Advancement attracts skilled and ambitious young individuals, many who go on to work for renowned institutions in meaningful positions. The Centre hopes to act as a stepping stone for future opportunities, as well as a way for students to explore how they can make an impact.
Interested in getting involved? Check out our Employment and Engagement Opportunities page.