For the last five years, Concordia's SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation has bridged the gap between academia and grassroots communities by placing more than 350 student interns at 40 different community organizations. That impact is set to grow through a recent merger with an Office of Community Engagement program that focusses on internships with Black and Indigenous-led organizations.
The collaboration, known as the community-based internship program, means Concordia students from every faculty can dive into real-world projects, gain skills, build networks and make a difference in their communities all before graduation.
Mutually beneficial internships
From Milton-Parc to Parc-Extension to Kahnawà:ke, Concordia interns are placed across the island of Montreal and beyond.
"It's a win-win for everyone," says Concordia University President Graham Carr, who made a commitment in 2022 to extend experiential learning opportunities to all undergraduates. "Internships help ensure better alignment between the needs of organizations tackling real challenges on the ground and the skills of future employees, without adding financial barriers for the partners or the participants."
Community partnerships address a critical gap identified in a 2022 Rideau Hall Foundation report on youth engagement while students are highly motivated to contribute to their communities, they often lack meaningful pathways to do so and cannot afford to volunteer unpaid time.
"Community organizations in Montreal are key players in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Internship programs like this one, where students receive guidance from the SHIFT team and respond to community needs, make a meaningful contribution to the sector," Isabel Heck, head of knowledge and learning at Centraide of Greater Montreal. "They also offer students a remarkable opportunity to bridge academic learning with real-world practice and realities on the ground."
Empowering students, empowering communities
The most palpable impacts can be found in the stories SHIFT's partners and interns tell. Hamidou Maïga, founder of Hamidou Horticulture, an urban agriculture co-operative focussed on ethnic and heritage fruits and vegetables, explains that it was his first intern who built the foundation for his horticulture course. Four years later, he continues to host students, each shaping the organization in new ways.
"Every student did shape differently what we are doing," Maïga says. "It changed my life. It would not be possible without SHIFT."
For students, the benefits of community-based internships extend far beyond boosting their resumes.
"It's so rich to be able to apply our knowledge and contribute to our communities, which are underserved most of the time," says Tayma Hammoud, a psychology undergrad who completed an internship with the Amal Centre for Women in Ville Saint-Laurent.
"The internships help us be better students and better people working in the world," she says.
Many students discover new career paths through these experiences, with some continuing on to graduate studies or securing positions with their host organizations.
Akinyi Oluoch, a graduate of the master's program in Creative Arts Therapy, emphasizes not only the professional growth she experienced during her internship with the Black Healing Centre, but also the personal growth that ensued while working in a flexible, holistic, and collectively-oriented environment.
"This experience really just expanded me," Oluoch says. "I feel like I have reached the peak of the mountain. I'm looking down at the journey, and I cannot believe that I climbed up this high. And now I know the route, so I can share it with others."
The SHIFT internship program was initially created thanks to a generous gift from the Saputo family in 2019. SHIFT interns have earned over $1 million in awards, and their placements have contributed over 55,000 hours of capacity to Montreal's community sector.
Learn more about SHIFT and Concordia's community-based internship program.
