NCCAR launched its 2012 Parliamentary Internship Program

Ammar Afaneh	Sophia Sithole	Wassim Bouanani	Caitlin Downie
Carleton University Ottawa, ON	Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC	Université de Montréal Montreal, QC	University of Ottawa Ottawa,ON

You can still support this program by donating this year. Click here to support the Internship.

Operating since 1996, the Parliamentary Internship Program has become a fundamental component of the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations’ (NCCAR) Educational Program. This placement is available to young Canadians currently enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary educational institution. It provides interns with exposure to the Canadian political process and serves as an eye-opener to the challenges and opportunities the Canadian Arab community faces in the Canadian political arena.

This year, a strong and diverse team of students was awarded four internships. Each student will be placed to work at an MPs office for a duration of 6-8 weeks. Each student will receive a stipend of $500 at a minimum to cover their travel and accommodation costs.

NCCAR is pleased to present the profiles of this year’s Parliamentary Interns:

Wassim Bouanani – Montreal, QC

Université de Montréal

In 2011, Wassim began a master in International Studies at Université de Montreal with a concentration in Institutions and Law. During his first year, Wassim had a chance to represent his University at the 2012 National Model United Nations simulation that took place at UN headquarters in New York City in April and received along with other members of his delegation the “Outstanding delegation” award.”  Wassim has undertaken multiple internships related mostly to international affairs through which he gained an expertise in international matters with a particular interest in the MENA region.

Caitlin Downie, Ottawa, ON

University of Ottawa

Caitlin graduated with an honour’s distinction in Social Anthropology program at Dalhousie University. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s at University of Ottawa in religious studies. She is involved in a number of projects under the Religion and Diversity Project including “A Web-based Survey Instrument on Religious Identity” and “Religion in the Everyday: Negotiating Islam in St. John’s, NL”. Caitlin’s current research interests include multiculturalism and religious freedom. Caitlin Downie focused her research on the challenges and coping strategies of Muslim immigrants in Halifax. She was also involved with various charity organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Feed Nova Scotia.

Sophia Sithole – Burnaby, BC

Simon Fraser University

Sophia Sithole is a third year undergraduate studying Political Science, with a focus on quantitative methodology, at Simon Fraser University. She has research experience in energy policy, arctic sovereignty, education policy and conflict analysis. She has published articles and papers discussing the Beaufort Sea dispute and peace building in Iraq. She intends to go on to study Public Policy after completing her BA. She is highly energetic, and very pleasant to work with.

Ammar Afaneh – Ottawa, ON

Carleton University

Ammar is a fourth year Carleton University student studying Civil Engineering with a concentration in Management. He has worked with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), and is currently employed with the City of Ottawa as part of the CO-OP program managed by Carleton University. Ammar takes initiative in every challenge given and has consistently remained active in the community advocating for Multi-culturalism and Human Rights. His positive attitude has facilitated many successful events in the community.

Posted on May 01, 2012