Student Opportunities
Global Justice and Development at Trent attracts bright and socially committed students. Our majors come from all regions of Canada and most parts of the world. Many will already have had substantial first hand exposure to development issues and bring a particular enthusiasm from that experience. Most see themselves as activists, anxious to change the world, and they provide each other with a great deal of moral and intellectual support.
There are numerous opportunities on campus for students to be involved in activities that reinforce and complement their academic program. The Students’ Association in International Development (SAID) organizes events, film nights, and engages in dialogue with GDST students across Canada. In addition, many students volunteer and work at organizations such as the Kawartha World Issues Centre, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), to name just a few.
There are also opportunities to earn academic credit for work with local community groups through the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education (TCCBE).
Life after IDS at Trent
Trent GDS graduates go on to a wide variety of careers that require and/or benefit from a deep understanding of development issues in a global context. These careers include the fields of teaching, journalism, law, local and international activism, and development work at home and abroad. We have alumni working in many parts of the world in development agencies, nongovernmental organizations, schools, universities, research organizations, government agencies, international institutions, and small businesses. Whatever career paths students choose, GDS prepares them to understand and appreciate diversity as well as world events and issues.
“In only a few short months since completing my IDS degree at Trent University, I have secured a paid internship in Tanzania doing HIV/AIDS education with the Woman Advancement Trust. The NGO was very impressed with the exposure I had had to an indigenous development agency while working in Ghana. Moreover, I feel that they were more comfortable giving me the position knowing that I had already lived in a different cultural setting for an extended period of time.”
~ Rachel Logel, IDS Graduate and Trent-in-Ghana Participant
So what can I do with an GDST degree?
You could:
Teach English in China, like Diego Garcia
Found an undergraduate IDS journal, like Sam Grey and Geoffrey Cameron
Become the executive director of World University Services of Canada (WUSC), like Paul Davidson
Win the Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC)'s Youth Acting UP! award, like Sara Korosi
Go on to become a Political Science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, like Derek Hall
Manage WWF-Canada's climate change campaign, like Keith Stewart
Intern with CBC, like Chris Rompre