This was written by the Young Professional in Media Fellows, part of AKFC’s 2024-25 International Youth Fellowship cohort.
Before beginning placements ranging from Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, to Kampala, Uganda, sixteen strangers descend on Ottawa for intensive pre-departure training as part of Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s International Youth Fellowship (IYF) program.
A month-long exercise—formerly known as the management seminar—forms bonds between Fellows that can last the rest of their careers, seeing a group of strangers leaving Ottawa as friends. But not before a crash course in international development.
“They give us a very good fundamental base. It’s practical,” says Mahir Hamid, from Toronto, Ontario. “I don’t feel the impostor syndrome I came in with.”
The pre-departure training is a whirlwind of development concepts and practices, engaging Fellows through lectures and debate on topics from gender equality and climate change to budgeting and project monitoring. Sessions are an opportunity for Fellows to learn from seasoned development professionals and each other.
“I’m really enjoying learning from other aspiring professionals and realizing what I still don’t know about the field,” says Ashley Stevens, from Victoria, B.C. “And there’s a lot of fun to be had outside of the seminars as well.”
Whether exploring Byward Market, doing an escape room, hanging out at the beach, or hosting dinners in shared hotel accommodations, the pre-departure training plays a key role in bringing the Fellows together. Peer support becomes crucial as Fellows depart for the field, with relationships adding to an extensive network of IYF alumni.
“Getting to know all the different Fellows has been incredible. We’re all from very different places and backgrounds,” says Maya Crawford, from Toronto, Ontario and an Algonquin community in the Ottawa Valley.
Back in the classroom, the pre-departure training culminates in a competition that sees Fellows work together to develop and pitch a project fit for their field placements.
“It’s a really important way for us to be able to put into practice the skills that we’re learning,” says Ian Stone, from Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
Projects focused on sustainable water and hygiene in Uganda, youth employment in agricultural Kenya, and women’s economic empowerment in the Kyrgyz Republic get pitched to an audience of development professionals at Global Affairs Canada. It’s a taste of the rigor needed for long and successful careers in international development.
“This is an opportunity for young Canadians to experience the promises of development through both a period of intense study and lived experience,” says Khalil Shariff, CEO of AKFC.
“It is our contribution to the leadership that Canada can provide the world.”
Behind the scenes of the pre-departure training, produced by the Young Professionals in Media Fellows: