By Sasha Gubina, Intern, Generations for Peace Institute

What partially drew me to studying in Jordan through the CIEE program was the fact that, for the second semester, students were told they would be given an opportunity to apply for a local internship. And now, six months later, and I am finally interning with Generations For Peace, an NGO dedicated to “empowering, mentoring and supporting volunteers to be change-makers to create a better future in their own communities.” Those are the first words you see when you visit GFP’s fabulous website. And believe me, Generations For Peace means business.

Oleksandra (Sasha) Gubina, GFPI Intern.

Oleksandra (Sasha) Gubina, GFPI Intern.

I was first introduced to this organization through my friends from last semester, Kassi and Josh, who always raved about how GFP has become a big part of their lives, and how everyone at the organization was exceptionally welcoming and passionate. Well, so far, GFP has definitely matched my expectations. On my first day at GFP, I had the chance to meet every staff member in the organization, and every single one of them truly seemed interested and welcoming. I was especially happy to be introduced to the individuals at the GFP Institute, which is the portion of GFP I am now working for. Nabila, Love, Edward and Sairah all grew up in different countries, and I instantly felt right at home, being able to relate to the various identities we encompass as human beings. Through light humor, I felt at ease with this group of charismatic individuals.

As for my assigned duties at GFP: my current and long-term task consists of doing transcriptions (not the easiest of tasks, but I sure do love a challenge!). For the past three weeks I have been transcribing video interviews of Nigerian pioneers and volunteers talking about their experience working with GFP and how this NGO has impacted their communities. I truly enjoy this task, even if it has a certain language pronunciation difficulty, because from their words, I can see that GFP has done some great things to try to impact conflict-stricken communities and to teach them how to build a long lasting peace for generations to come.

I cannot wait to get to know other staff members better and to see what other tasks I will be given during my time with GFP! Surely this will not be the last time that I post about this lovely and uplifting organization.

As part of our relationship with the American NGO, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), GFP recruited Oleksandra (Sasha) Gubina as the Generations For Peace Institute part-time Intern. Sasha comes to us from the University of Missouri, where she is studying International Studies and Russian Studies. Her passion for empowerment and community building makes her the perfect fit for GFP and we are happy to have her as part of the team! 

www.generationsforpeace.org