Meet Our Summer Interns!
Jul 3, 2019This summer, four interns have joined our RC team. With their hard work and dedication, we are excited about their engagement in our reconciliation work. Meet our incredible Summer interns!
Rodman Joseph
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Ancestry: Kwakwakaʼwakw
Hometown: Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Why did you want to intern at Reconciliation Canada?
Working in Indigenous Relations has always been a passion for me. I have already worked for the BC Region Department of Indigenous Services and wanted to learn more about indigenous relations from the private sector.
What does reconciliation mean to you?
Reconciliation means understanding both sides and using that understanding to move forward in unison. Two parties cant move towards a brighter future without knowing where to go.
What do you hope to accomplish this summer?
I hope to better learn how to stream line social media plans so that anyone can use them.
How does reconciliation play into your future plans?
As an indigenous person who is Canadian, being able to bridge these two previously separate identities, I hope that my children will be able to be proud of both identities and be an indigenous Canadian.
Siera Stonechild
Community Engagement Coordinator
Ancestry: Cree
Hometown: Red Deer, Alberta
Why did you want to intern at Reconciliation Canada?
I feel that its interest in education Canadians about their historical and current relationships with Indigenous people, and their social outreach spoke to me in a way that other places did not. The cultural benefits of working with an Indigenous-led organization also interested me. I felt that this was the best position for me to grow in professionally and personally.
What does reconciliation mean to you?
Reconciliation means the bringing of truths to light in order to face them together. The general Canadian historical narrative conveys the subjugation and erasure of Indigenous Peoples. Reconciliation helps integrate our history with Canada’s in order to create a complete history that will bring Canadians closer together through Indigenous inclusion. Reconciliation means the facing of truths for the building and benefit of a larger community.
What do you hope to accomplish this summer?
I hope to gain the hard skills of an event coordinator and community outreach person. I also hope to grow on a personal level through learning about Reconciliation Canada’s social endeavours to discover how best to support marginalized communities in Canada.
How does reconciliation play into your future plans?
My long-term goal is to work to support urban Indigenous communities in order to better their quality of life. I am not a social worker; however, I hope to work with these communities as a lawyer in order to develop policies that will protect Indigenous ways of life in urban settings. Reconciliation will assist me through working with Indigenous peoples in conjunction with the non-indigenous communities that they are also a part of. This way policy changes will also take into account a city’s diverse population and joint-community needs.
Yeram Ko
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Ancestry: Korean
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Why did you want to intern at Reconciliation Canada?
Ever since I’ve learned about the residential schools at school I’ve wanted to be involved in the community. I was deeply inspired by Chief Joseph’s thoughts on the importance of truth and reconciliation. I’m amazed and inspired by the passion and spirituality that exists in Reconciliation Canada. It is a blessing to work with others with such positive energy.
What does reconciliation mean to you?
I think reconciliation isn’t something that you achieve but is something that’s an ongoing process. To me, reconciliation is about finding peace within yourself by acknowledging what happened in the past and having the willingness to move forward to make a better future for the next generation.
What do you hope to accomplish this summer?
As a newcomer at Vancouver, I feel committed to learning more about the first people and land that we are blessed to live on. My goal is to learn more about Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and ways of teaching to share with people.
How does reconciliation play into your future plans?
I think reconciliation plays many aspects of our daily lives, especially the way how I view the world. Through reconciliation, I hope that my lenses expand regarding how to live with others and how to respect one another.
Tate Chernen
Community Engagement Coordinator
Ancestry: Métis, Russian, Irish
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona & Vancouver, British Columbia
Why did you want to intern at Reconciliation Canada?
I wanted to intern at Reconciliation Canada because they showed me love and support in a time of need and it inspired me to join them in the work they do.
What does reconciliation mean to you?
To me reconciliation is love and empathy in harmony to create a future where everyone is supported and those who are in pain have healing.
What do you hope to accomplish this summer?
This summer I hope to develop an educational program that addresses hate crime and implicit biases within communities. I want to grow as an Indigenous person and learn more about my ancestry.
How does reconciliation play into your future plans?
Reconciliation is a force that can be applied to all aspects of life. I can bring it into everything that I do, whether that be business, art, and basic human connection. I can live with the passion to bring those who are suffering up to the same level as those who aren’t. When creating this plan over summer I hope to include reconciliation, a key part to a world of acceptance and healing.