With the worldview and perspective from Peace and Conflict Studies, combined with the understanding of systems and policy that Legal Studies provides, Anna is ready to take on the world. Anna is in her 4th year, studying a double major in Legal Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies, as well as being in the co-op program. After taking PACS 202: Conflict Resolution, Anna Miedema realized the value in having Peace and Conflict Studies as part of her degree. Since then, she has been able to find new ways that PACS can apply to her everyday life as well as her co-op experience.
If you talk to Anna about her co-op experiences and what she is studying, you will hear how excited she is about her experiences and the work she is doing. However, this confidence in the co-op program and her experience has not always been there.
Initially when I was looking at job boards I was thinking “how can I find things that are relevant to my program, but all of [the jobs I have had] have been relevant in different ways.
Anna has worked in Human Resources and in an Administrative Reception position and is currently working as a Parliamentary Assistant in MP Mike Morris’s office in Ottawa. While these positions are not the type of position that she first thought of as being relevant to Peace and Conflict studies, her experiences has proved her wrong. One example of this was from Anna’s experience working in Human Resources. Knowledge of social aspects within conflict, and understanding how miscommunication and conflict can take place, helped with being able to navigate high tension situations.
Having in-depth knowledge of interactions going on around you and of what conflict is has been helpful in all of my workplaces. I feel as though I have some insider knowledge because a lot of my colleagues don’t have any conflict resolution training.
In her current co-op position as a Parliamentary Assistant, Anna is working in Ottawa interacting with many different people from Senators and Ministers to community advocacy groups, which gives a lot of new opportunities to understand conflict and learn from it. Her everyday tasks involve research on climate, criminal code amendments, and housing legislation, writing speeches, briefing on upcoming Bills, and attending meetings with Mike Morris and other MPs. While interacting with colleagues and the general public, there are complaints, and upset emails about decisions being made or current events. Anna talks about how understanding conflict resolution has directly helped her in learning to properly respond to people.
The way you deal with [emails and complaints].. that is peace and conflict studies on a small level to me. The way you respond can either escalate, create, or end a conflict.
She goes on to talk about larger scale, more obvious applications of Peace and Conflict Studies which take place in meetings with ambassadors and being present in the House of Commons during the question period.
The level of conflict presents during question period, Anna describes as a “hunger games arena”. In this environment Anna noted how she can apply her understanding of conflict and peacekeeping.
You realize how much further you get when you are willing to take a deep breath, think about what you’re talking about…dealing with a conflict in a respectful way can get you way further.
Referencing one of her favorite PACS courses once again Anna reflects laughingly that “I think all MP’s should be forced to take PACS 202, it would make a much better government”.
Looking forward to after graduation, Anna is unsure what she wants to do. “I came in with one idea of what I wanted to do, and every single course I’ve taken has changed what I want to do,” she says. The co-op has allowed her to gain many different experiences to build from and to figure out where she may want to be in the future. Part of this process for her as well as been to understand that there are so many fields out there that need caring and understanding people to work in them.
There are so many things that interest me from [becoming a] lawyer to refugee law to non-profit or working in the government - I feel equipped with this degree to do anything that I would want to do.