Jenna Inch (political science and European studies)
Jenna Inch (political science and European studies) spent a co-op term as a junior policy analyst with the Canada EU Trade and Investment Association (CEUTIA) in Brussels, Belgium, where she helped advance United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Advancing the UN SDGs through CIFAL UVic
As part of her co-op experience, funded by Global Skills Opportunity, Jenna took part in a new UVic co-op initiative that helps students directly link their work to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
This program, developed in partnership with CIFAL Victoria, a training centre connected to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), provides students who do co-op terms outside Canada with the opportunity to receive UN accreditation for engaging in co-op work terms that advance the UN SDGs as part of their experiences. They must also lead a community-based activity that supports the SDGs in their host country.
Leading conversations about partnerships
As part of this experience, Jenna organised an educational mixer between young professionals from Belgium and Canada to dive into the Canada-EU relationship--it also doubled as a networking opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
The mixer included a trivia game that Jenna created centered on the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA).
“Many of the trivia questions prompted laughs, surprised reactions, and side conversations among. Additionally, some attendees came up to me afterwards mentioning their interest in the Canada-EU relationship and how they could get a hold of some of the resources I used to craft the trivia questions.”
Advancing UN SDGs
Jenna’s initiative aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals). The topics covered, including Canada-EU economic development, CETA, climate change, the circular economy, and social equity, subtly incorporated SDG 5, 7, 9, 12, and 13 due to the breath of discussions.
Developing cultural intelligence
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) played an important role in Jenna’s educational mixer, influencing her interactions with participants and event presentation.
“As my participants were both from Canadian and various European descents, I acted in a way that would allow for me to stick to my Canadian roots without potentially alienating or making uncomfortable my European guests.”
Jenna made use of her CQ to its fullest potential. “I utilized my CQ Action skills during my event by paying attention to my cadence, my level of physical distance, my levels of eye contact, and other verbal and non-verbal behaviours.”
Leveraging the event as a networking opportunity allowed Jenna and her participants to develop their professional and personal networks.
“The mixer was organised in such a way that conversation periods for chatting and networking among participants were slotted for the beginning of the event, during the trivia round, and after the trivia was complete.”
Engaging leadership skills
Jenna also had the opportunity to strengthen her leadership skills through the implementation of this event. Even though language barriers did present a hurdle during setting up the event, Jenna remained calm and believed in her ability and skills to pull of a successful event.
Overall, Jenna’s community engagement activity emerged as a well-rounded event, enlightening individuals on the Canada-EU relationship, fostering leadership skills, using her cultural intelligence, and facilitating the growth of professional and personal networks.