Openness is the one word I would use to summarize my Young Lawyers International Program experience. Throughout my studies, I imagined a career working in human rights and advocating for the rights of marginalized people. Yet, I found myself at the end of 3L without an articling position. This is where my openness journey began. Rather than following the traditional path of articling or clerking right after law school, I participated in YLIP because I could meaningfully contribute to human rights initiatives and learn about different parts of the world. Although I did not know much about South Africa beyond apartheid, Nelson Mandela, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I chose to work on land reform and women’s rights with the Legal Resources Centre based in Durban.
Despite my internship being virtual, having an open-minded attitude made me excited about learning South Africa’s history, legal system, and social issues. I took every opportunity I could get to learn about South Africa from readings, videos, South African shows on Netflix, and talking with Canadian and South African interns. Building a foundation on these matters at the beginning strengthened my knowledge about South Africa and left me feeling more confident about working on assignments. The enthusiasm amongst other interns and supervising lawyers created a supportive environment, particularly with the learning curves of working on legal issues in another country. Working with individuals who were passionate about their projects contributing to change was motivating and inspiring.
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