My name is Beth Hales, and I’m from Saskatchewan going into my last year at McGill University pursuing a double major in Psychology and International Development with a minor in Behavioral Science. Alongside my studies, I have been involved in event and workshop facilitation in the McGill and wider Montreal community. My passion for community mobilization stemmed from high school and has been an integral part of my life and university experience.
This summer, I interned at the PLC (Participatory Cultures Lab) in the department of Integrated Education at McGill. Working under the supervision of Angela McDonald and Dr. Claudia Mitchell, I helped put on McGill’s 11th International Cellphilm Festival, alongside my co-intern Andrae Wang. The PLC uses participatory arts based research methods to explore social issues. Specifically, my position included working with a method known as cellphilming, which are short videos made on a mobile device that convey a social message. I have always known the power of the arts in community mobilization, but through this internship I learnt that it is also a great way to engage community members in research and advocacy. Research is oftentimes seen as something limited to academics, but I learnt through this internship that anyone can engage in research!
The McGill International Cellphilm festival spreads this exact message, by allowing individuals to create and submit their own cellphilms to the festival. This year the festival occurred on June 15th and included participants from all over the globe. I was involved in putting on the festival by helping with workshops, doing email outreach, organizing the cellphilm submissions, creating internal documents, attending meetings, and communicating with participants. However, the work did not stop after the festival! Afterwards, my main task consisted of compiling the festival report for CODE, a not-for-profit educational literacy organization that funds the festival. In addition, I created the festival results page of the website that included showcasing the winners and adding clips from the festival.
One of my highlights of my internship was helping host a cellphilm workshop at Foyer Du Monde, a local migrant shelter. We let the children at the organization film video clips in the park, in which afterwards I analyzed the clips and created my own cellphilm that was submitted to the festival. It was great to see children's organic thoughts be captured on film and compiled to tell a story. Throughout this internship I was able to express my creative side by editing videos, making graphics, and designing the website. I was also able to see how my experience with event coordination may fit into a research setting. In addition, I was able to practice collaboration skills by working alongside another intern and other members of the lab.
I am not receiving academic credit for the internship, and I was able to participate thanks to the Lev Bukhman Internship Award, which provided me with the financial stability to work with the PCL. I am truly grateful to have been introduced to everyone working at the PLC, whether that be the dedicated grad students, the supportive administrative staff, or my fellow passionate interns. My supervisor Angela was very accommodating schedule wise, allowing me to do the internship alongside another job. As the internship was hybrid, I was able to visit my family for a short time and work from home!
Overall, this internship has provided me with a more holistic view on what constitutes research, which will impact my academic path moving forward. As this was my first time working in a McGill lab, the internship also allowed me to see what research looks like at McGill. Lastly, It has also given me the chance to reconnect with my creative side, linking research to my passion for social a
