Arielle C Hooks Canadian Parliament Internship Program

Type of Project: Study Abroad/Internship

I participated in a study abroad internship program in Canada. The main objective of this program was to provide us with the opportunity to intern with the Canadian Parliament. The main activities I participated in was working in the office of Member of Parliament and touring the city on excursions.

Prior to the internship I believed that the United States should look up to other countries in terms of their political systems and the way that they handle social issues. After the internship I realized that no country is anywhere near perfect. There is a lot of change that the world needs and every country can look to one another to see how they can improve. This internship showed me the importance of unity for growth.

Watching members of Parliament challenge each other on issues had a large influence on the change of my views. I realized that many people come from various backgrounds which influence their political opinions significantly. It became obvious to me that when people choose to be aggressive rather than listen and seek to learn, it is more detrimental than effective for their agendas. I began to realize just how much lack of optimism to the views of others can impedes progress.

Policy research was an important part of my work in Canada. It allowed me to see how legislation effects various people. Doing policy research taught me the importance of discovering how many possible effects legislation change can have on citizens. I learned that no legislation is perfect but failure to thoroughly explore the ways that legislation does or does not affect every citizen is problematic.

The people I worked with during my internship really helped to shape my views. They sought to show me the flaws that could be found in a parliamentary system. They also sought to show me the flaws that can be found in politics in Canada as well as the United States and the rest of the world. I think that this was very important because in order to know how to grow you must know what to change.

This change in my view of politics and government was significant because it gave me a new outlook on the way systems function. This is important because I wish to make a career in the legal field and this internship gave me a new perspective on how I should approach said career. It made me realize how decisions that may seem small can have a large impact on certain groups of people. It also helped to see how important working together is.

One thought on “Arielle C Hooks Canadian Parliament Internship Program

  1. Arielle I’m glad that your experiences interning with the Canadian parliament have given you new perspectives that you plan to incorporate into your future career in the legal field.

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