探花系列

Kaylin is in her fourth year, working towards a double major in political science and gender studies. The interdisciplinary nature of her education has inspired a broad range of interests, including the complexities of labour, gender, race, and migration. Kaylin will be travelling to Bangkok to work with GAATW, an alliance of NGOs with a human rights approach to their anti-trafficking and migrant rights work. As a mixed-race woman whose mother immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, Kaylin is eager to deepen her personal relationship with these topics but also develop a more nuanced understanding of globalization in relation to migration. She is grateful to CAPI for the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in her prospective field and immerse herself in an unfamiliar but rich cultural space. 

My capstone project is an artistic expression of my experience interning and living in Bangkok—a collection of analog images, thoughts & reflections, and art pieces. Exploring the themes of space & place, embodiment, and "home," this project transcends temporal and geographical boundaries. The story shared here is only snippets of my experience: photographs I captured while in Bangkok, words I wrote in my journal on weekends, and poetry and photographs that I've created since returning to Lekwungen territories (Victoria). These snippets that might seem fragmented are crafted together to build a cohesive whole. I share this vulnerable space with you in hopes to translate deep feelings of love and gratitude, as well as what it means for me to "come home to myself."

view the pdf:

Meghan is a fifth-year Geography and Professional Communications student, concentrating in Environment and Sustainability. She has a keen interest in sustainable urban development and how forms of communication and media can be used as a translation of knowledge from scientist to citizen. She is additionally interested in the intersectionality of arts, activism, and environment in digital media, and how this impacts social and spatial patterns within cities. Meghan is looking forward to gaining international work experience with CITYNET Yokohama and is excited for the lived-experiences which will bring her a deeper understanding of the barriers to sustainability Asian cities are facing. Meghan is incredibly grateful to CAPI for this opportunity which brings her interests, passions, and career goals together for an invaluable capstone experience.

Mimi and Hanna had gone to the market to pick up bread for dinner, as their mother instructed. Suddenly, Mimi was knocked off her feet as the ground seemed to jolt out from under her. Hanna turned to her little sister, grabbing her hand and screaming, “Earthquake!”

Throughout my internship with CITYNET Yokohama Project Office, an overarching theme of both my work and my day-to-day life was disasters and natural hazards. While living in Yokohama, I experienced two violent typhoons, and a number of small earthquakes. At work, I learned each day about Disaster Risk Reduction, a major topic of work for CITYNET. Over my internship, I realized how important being prepared for disasters was, and could see the gaps in DRR knowledge myself and other Canadians have. For my capstone project, I decided to write a short children’s story about two sisters caught in an earthquake, learning important DRR lessons as they find their way back home to reunite with their parents.

view the pdf:

Taylor is in his final year of a BSc in Earth Science and a diploma in environmental restoration with the 探花系列. He is interested in the interactions between land-use, hydrology, and poverty in rural sub-Saharan Africa and will be returning to Zambia to help with The SAM Project’s rural water development programs. Taylor will be working alongside SAM, the local tribal leadership, various government offices, and rural communities to inspect the feasibility of diversifying Zambia’s rainwater harvesting strategies to improve food and water security in drought-prone areas. He is looking forward to strengthening old relationships and forming new ones, and he is extremely grateful to the CAPI program for the opportunity to do so.

Olvie is currently working on her master’s thesis in the Social Dimensions of Health program at the 探花系列. Her research interests are focused on the self-determination of Indigenous youth in sexuality and healthy relationships within the resurgence of traditional land, language, and nationhood. Professionally, she is a Community Health Nurse working primarily within remote Indigenous communities. Born and raised in Ontario with a love of food, culture, languages, travelling, and the outdoors (Vancouver Island is growing on her!), Olvie is excited to be a CAPI intern this year and join PRIA in learning more about community capacity building and participatory action research in health advocacy, education, and promotion. She thanks CAPI for this incredible opportunity and knows it will challenge and change her in ways unimaginable!

What is sex and sexuality? And how do youth in India experience it in the context of their realities? Join Olvie Li, 2019 CAPI Intern, who spent 6 months in New Delhi at the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) helping the NGO develop sexual health curriculum to be delivered all over schools in India. In this six episode podcast series, Olvie (Registered Nurse and Sex Educator) interviews youth in New Delhi about their sexuality and views on sexual health education in India. Dhanyawad & shukriya for listening!

Listen to Olvie's on Soundcloud

Ariana is a fourth year Social Work student with a focus on child welfare and child protection. She is thrilled and grateful to receive the opportunity to be working with Ukulapha Community Outreach Project in South Africa. Ariana currently works with children and teens of various demographics and is excited to translate this into her work at Slangspruit Primary School. She is passionate about social justice and advocating for marginalized demographics. She believes expanding your lens and recognizing your own positionality truly fosters empathy and growth. She is excited for this life experience that will point her in many unknown directions.

Throughout our time in South Africa, we witnessed the direct aftermath of Apartheid, in particular with the underfunding and lack of support from the government for the township schools. We witnessed resilience and passion within the children despite the academic, emotional, and socio-economic challenges that they were facing. We were inspired to create a capstone that would assist future interns in navigating their role at Slangspruit school, with Ukulpaha Project, and in South Africa. We hope that our handbook will assist interns in transitioning into their new role and most importantly, help them to be able to work in a way that puts the students first.

view the pdf:

Selina is studying Environmental Studies and Geography at the 探花系列, and is excited to work with MSRI! Selina is interested in holistic sustainability, especially in urban settings. Her passion for sustainability, and therefore social justice, led her to becoming a CAPI intern, and she is looking forward to being an intern with MSRI in Kuala Lumpur. Additionally, Selina is excited to be able to experience living in a place that is drastically different geographically and culturally.

A Different Kind of Progress, is a collaborative effort between some of the students who were in both the Sustainability Club and Art Club at the Malaysian Social Research Institute and I. We worked together to create an idea for a story, which the students had free reign to draw and paint pictures for. They each chose 3 to 4 statements they wanted to paint a picture of. Seeing the way each student interpreted each statement is fascinating. The story tries to highlight how all problems are interconnected and how these large global problems actually provide chances to create a greater future.

view the pdf:

Erin is a 4th year Political Science student completing an Honours degree with a concentration in comparative politics and government. Her undergraduate research has focused on public policy, voter behaviour, and political participation in Europe and Japan. Her passion is making government services and aid accessible and responsive to the needs of their citizens. Outside of the university, she enjoys swimming, volunteering at the UVic Food Bank, and learning new languages. As a program assistant at CITYNET Yokohama Project Office, she is excited to study how the organisation encourages a higher quality of life in municipalities and urban areas across Asia. 

During my internship, my work with CityNet Yokohama Project Office focused on building strong, healthy, and resilient municipalities across the Asia-Pacific region. In both work and travel, I found that the theme of resilience and recovery was a crucial theme of my experiences in Japan. Throughout the summer, I used watercolour paintings and literature to document how I felt and reflect on my own character, my place in the world, and my contributions to the community. As such, I wanted my capstone to be something that I physically created, as an act of resilience and discipline in its own right. This capstone is a artistic and literary exploration of these themes in the medium of a "handbook" that examines the different ways in which resilience manifested in my placement.

view the pdf: