Letter from An Admirer

 
Letter from Ms. Jiliane Golczyk, District 5360 Global Grant Scholar
 
Supported by a Global Grant Scholarship from District 5360, Ms. Jiliane Golczyk is currently completing her master’s degree at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, where she studies Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, with concentrations in Diplomacy and Latin America. She spent the fall 0f 2016 as an intern in UNESCO’s regional office for Central America. She is now back in Paris to complete the final semester of her degree. Jiliane is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Red Deer East and Paris Alliance.
 
 
Dear All:
 
I have just completed my internship at the UNESCO Regional Office for Central America, and I had an incredible experience! As I mentioned in my last update, I was working with the Social and Human Sciences Sector, working on projects related to the following four themes:
- Gender Equality
- Inclusive Public Policies
- Prevention of Youth Violence
- Intercultural Dialogue.
 
In my first month, I worked almost exclusively on programs related to intercultural dialogue, organising consultations with Afro-descendant peoples, who have historically experienced discrimination in Costa Rica and the region, in order to provide advice for the government. 
 
Following this project, I became very involved in two projects. 
 
The first was the organisation of the first National Encounter for Young Women in Costa Rica. I co-organized this event, collaborating with the Costa Rican government, and at the event, I facilitated a workshop on "Women and Violence".  However, three days before the event, Costa Rica was hit by Hurricane Otto. We thus spent three crazy days calling all of the participants and reorganising the logistics of the event in order for it to take place the following week. It was a very busy few days, but with some dedication, we were able to make all of the necessary arrangements and the event was a huge success! The end result of the Encounter was to prepare a Declaration with clear demands for the government in order to improve the status of women in Costa Rica. 

The second important project...
 
 
to which I devoted my time while at UNESCO was a project to prevent youth violence in El Salvador. El Salvador is currently the "most dangerous country in the world", with homicide rates of over 100 per 100,000 people (in Canada, the rate is about 1.5 per 100,000 people). These high levels of violence are due to a large range of factors, which I can outline for whoever is interested (please contact me!) To give a brief explanation, the lack of opportunities for youth and the history of violence in the country have given birth to two gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and the Mara Calle 18. These gangs have a very important rivalry and are responsible for some intense violence. 
The project that UNESCO will lead in El Salvador will very likely be funded by the Rotary Club, as I had worked in conjunction with the District that represents Central America. This project will bring together a variety of actors, including the Salvadorian government, local NGOs, and other UN Agencies, in order to improve the education system in El Salvador, provide opportunities for dialogue between families of victims and perpetrators, and provide employment opportunities for youth. I travelled to El Salvador in December, thanks to the Global Grant, and presented this project to the various stakeholders. This mission was a huge success, and the project is moving forward, but is now in the hands of someone else, as I have returned to Paris.
 
I am now starting my final semester at Sciences Po. I am taking a wide variety of courses on human rights, diplomacy and on my regional specialisation, Latin America, and improving my Portuguese through language classes. It's strange but good to be back after such an enriching experience in Costa Rica! 
 
 
Happy New Year to all,
 
Jiliane