Grant Recipient: Justin Pena ‘12
Major: Government, Certificate in International Relations
Organization: China Development Brief
Location: Beijing, China
I have spent my summer in Beijing, China interning for a Chinese NGO called the China Development Brief. The NGO reports on social development in China, mainly writing publications on the developing civil society and non-profit sector in China. I am helping out the new English component of the organization, which is working to produce material for an international audience. The project I have been given is the task of updating their old website's directory of International NGO's operating in China. I am, therefore, contacting other NGO's in China, requesting their respective organization's latest information. I also assist in editing articles, as well as translations of NGO laws and regulations, for online publication. Recently, I have agreed to do some volunteer work for another NGO, International Rivers, once per week on my spare time. That work consists of translation and research on hydropower development. I am certainly enjoying my internship at the China Development Brief, thus far. Working with an all-Chinese staff has been invaluable. I am getting a sense of a Chinese work environment, while practicing my Chinese. It is also fun discussing various social issues or cultural differences with co-workers. Although certain tasks may occasionally feel tedious, I am definitely getting a better grasp of China's social development situation. I am becoming more familiar with the work of the many NGO's in China and how the government interacts with and responds to the developing non-profit sector.
