My placement with Nature United

By Hannah Johnston, 1st year MDP student

I’ve been working at Nature United for my summer field placement! I’ve been working on an inventory project for Indigenous youth on-the-land programs throughout Canada, and learning about these topics has been both enjoyable and applicable to my interests for future endeavors. For the inventory project, we’ve created several “Program snapshots” that represent key information about several of these programs throughout Manitoba, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. Some of the goals with these are to provide a brief overview of the programs for the convenience of those conducting similar programs in different regions, who may use the information as a resource; allow for those planning their own pilot program to see a succinct model demonstrating factors that go into running a program; and facilitating contact between program directors and interested parties, such as potential partner organizations, potential funders, or someone running a program in a different region.

 

Working remotely can be challenging, and a lot of the time I would find myself pausing what I was doing to do some dishes, or take the dogs to the dog park. While it can be difficult to have separate spaces for “work” and “rest,” I found myself grateful for the quality time I got to spend with loved ones (especially at the dog park). A lot of working from home is locking yourself in a room, and accepting that inevitably someone will poke their head in during an important zoom meeting. For situations like this (as well as most situations), self-care is important. I took the time during the summer to reread my favorite books, catch up with friends, and try new things.