With the arrival of 2016, UCLG ASPAC greeted new interns at the Secretariat. Flying from Australia and France, our new interns – Brendan, Roma, Heather and Leila – are already busy with interesting projects within their areas of interest. Let’s find out more about them!
Brendan Webster, Australia
I study a Master of Asia Pacific Studies/Master of Diplomacy at the Australian National University. I first discovered UCLG ASPAC through the International Internships program. I chose to join this organizati
on because UCLG operates in two areas of personal interest, namely; government relations and developmental studies. Already, the organization has exceeded my expectations in what I wanted to learn and experience during my time as an Intern. I am currently engaged in two projects which aim to improve local government service delivery and outcomes to its constituents. These projects have also granted me the opportunity to travel across Indonesia and to work closely in collaboration with international organisations such as the United Nations. I really look forward to the remainder of my internship.
Leila Cabiac, France
I was born and raised in Paris, France and at the moment I study in Seoul, South Korea. My major is Political Science and International Relations and I wish to specialize on issues related to Gender Equality. I found out about UCLG through the UN, as it is the only Local Government organization they recognize officially. I chose to work at UCLG because you work on many different projects, I also liked the idea of working with local governments because it brings a more concrete aspect to the work that I really enjoy. This internship is not mandatory for me, no requirement from my university so I just hope to learn as much as possible from everyone at the office, and to develop my skills. It is also my first time working in an international organization so I hope to understand better how they work, to confirm if I want this to become my job later.
So far I have contributed to writing the ASEAN Mayors Forum proceeding, which is interesting because it combines research, writing, communication and graphic/design skills. I really enjoy being able to input my ideas and that have relative freedom to work how I think is the best. Later on I will also work on building up and developing UCLG ASPAC’s standing committee on Gender which I am really excited about.
Heather Mofflin, Australia
I study a Master of International Relations at the University of Melbourne in Australia. I found out about UCLG-ASPAC’s internship through the ACICIS (Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies) program. The main reason I chose to do an internship in Indonesia is because I study Bahasa Indonesia at university, and knew that coming to Indonesia would drastically improve my language skills! I have also learnt a lot of theory in my course that I wanted to put into practice in the workplace. UCLG ASPAC looked perfect for me, with a focus both on development and international relations. While here for the short period of a month, I will be doing work on human rights implementation by local governments, finding best practice examples throughout the Asia-Pacific. I look forward to what I am sure will be a challenging, and extremely rewarding month!
Roma Xiong, Australia
I’m from the island state of Australia, Tasmania. I am currently completing the last of my units for my Bachelor of Arts degree in which I am double majoring in Japanese and Tourism Management, and minoring in Asian Studies. As I approached the end of my degree I wanted to have some practical experience to add onto my knowledge. Also, in addition I wanted the opportunity to experience my capability and ability to apply what I have learnt throughout my University course into real-life situations and applications. As such, my respected lecturer for one of my Tourism units introduced me to the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS), and through this program I was allocated at this wonderful organization, United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) ASPAC. Honestly, at first I was quite surprised about my allocated internship placement as I had never heard of the organization and hence had no knowledge of them or what they advocated for. But, however soon after exploring through UCLG’s website and past publications my enthusiasm to work alongside everyone here began to spark and ignite. Also, especially after meeting the team, the work place and being formally introduced to the topics and areas in which UCLG ASPAC covers and advocates, I was totally overwhelmed. A good sense of overwhelmed though. It was all just so exciting and fantastic to know how hard working the organization is, the many areas in which they cover and most of all, how privileged I am to have been placed here. Throughout my internship I hope to be able to learn as much as possible from all of the seniors and members within and outside of the organisation. I hope to be able to meet deadlines and produce qualitative work and most of all have fun and make many MANY memories with the team!!
