WINNIPEG, MB – This week, The University of Winnipeg Global College, with United Nations partner, Geneva-based Youth Employment Network (YEN), of the International Labour Organization (ILO) is preparing five recent Canadian graduates for a life-changing journey: each have received prestigious international internships as YEN Associates in Kenya, Indonesia, Morocco and Tanzania.
UWinnipeg’s Zewdy Gebremedhin is the only Western Canadian selected by the UN for a placement in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The 26 year old, who graduated with a double major in Business Administration and Psychology, leaves in June for a six month placement where she will be part of a team dedicated to supporting young people’s entrepreneurial ideas.
Gebremedhin, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in Kenya, moved to Winnipeg in 2004. “This is an amazing opportunity, to be returning to Africa and gaining hands-on experience with an international development agency,” said Gebremedhin, who has worked with immigrant and refugee families in Winnipeg. “It is exciting to see a project through from beginning to end, and to help youth build a better community. This is a chance for me to both learn and offer my skills, it is a real give and take.”
Gebremedhin hopes her UN placement will help her pursue her dream of a career in international development work.
International challenges for youth
Over the next 10 years, the world will witness an unprecedented youth bulge with over 1 billion young people entering global labour markets. Recent economic conditions indicate that the supply of jobs will likely shrink, while many young people will not have the skills and experience needed to attain what jobs are available. Governments and partners in the UN system recognized the urgency of this challenge by setting up of the Youth Employment Network (YEN) in 2001. These internships bring together YEN and the University of Winnipeg Global College to assist partner countries to respond effectively to the youth unemployment challenge through the assignment of interns as “YEN Associates” to key national institutions. YEN Associates work with these institutions to develop and implement policy and programs to promote youth employment.
While the long term objective of the Global College/YEN internship program is to increase the participation of young Canadians working in international development, the immediate objective is to provide youth employment institutions with a skilled labour force to assist them in delivering their work plans.
These CIDA-funded internships bring together ‘YEN Associates’ with placements in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Many people assisted the Global College team in the successful application process, with appreciation to Senator Janis Johnson of Manitoba and her staff for invaluable support for this youth-focused initiative.
Find out more about Global College and the series of unique intense summer courses offered for 2012.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
