Internship at The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud

What tasks did you perform during your internship?

– I primarily worked in the Supervision Department at The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud (LDO). The department mainly engages in political advocacy and supervision work, which means that they work with the authorities in addition to promote equality in other fields. My work tasks have mostly been related to the activities that LDO has been running at the same time as my internship. These have been very varied, and because of that my work tasks have consequently been very different.

Some of my work tasks have been to initiate potential collaborative projects with other parties that promote equality where LDO can assist with advocacy work. Other have been related to mapping and discussing some of the Norwegian youth politicians' equality policies aimed at boys and men. I have also assisted in preparation of lectures on gender polarization in Norway, as well as investigating, mapping and communicating professional disagreements related to various topics that have been relevant during the internship. For example, an important theme during the internship has been the Children's Act and a potential legislative amendment to it. Here I have investigated the professional disagreement around the concept of 'parental alienation'. Another important theme has been suicide, where I have investigated the professional disagreement around the so-called «90%-truth», i.e. the thesis that ninety percent of all suicides are related to mental illness.

In addition to this, I have participated in several meetings internally at LDO, as well as participating in external events such as F2F's conference on the Children's Act. It was particularly memorable to observe the national meeting of the expert committee that follows the government's action plan for suicide prevention.

How did you use skills you have acquired from your education at the Faculty of Humanities?

– My competence from the Faculty of Humanities can be said to be both general and specialized – the former means that I have the ability of critical thinking and critical reading, as well as strong reading and writing skills, the latter means that I have specific competence from Gender Studies on marginalization, discrimination, gender and masculinity. My general competence was very useful in researching, mapping and dissemination of various themes and the previously mentioned professional disagreements. The specialized competence from Gender Studies was also very useful in understanding the complex debates in the field of gender equality – of which the potential change in the Children's Act is an example, and in being able to think practically and pragmatically about different frameworks of collaborative projects between LDO and other actors to promote gender equality.

What do you think is or was the greatest benefit from your internship?

– There are SO many things I could think of to answer this question, because the internship has been incredibly educational! Academically, the greatest benefit has been learning about concrete ways in which one can work systemically to promote gender equality and counteract discrimination. It is incredibly motivating to experience concrete examples of how one can work with gender and gender equality at a system level. Furthermore, it has been very useful to practice and apply my academic expertise to concrete, political and current issues. The internship has also given me experience of what it can be like to work in the public sector, which will undoubtedly be useful later in my working life. Last but not least, the internship has been an excellent opportunity to make contacts and expand my professional network.

Anything else you would like to add?

– An internship is a unique opportunity to build a bridge the gap between academia and the working life by testing yourself as an employee, both academically and professionally. During the internship, I have tested my strengths and weaknesses, as well as tested which themes and ways of working that resonate most strongly with me. In addition, I have expanded my professional network, which can be very helpful for future job searches. I would encourage everyone considering internships to do so!

It is important to emphasize that internships requires you to take the initiative, ask for work assignments, and preferably to be open to participating in as much as possible. Several internship students, myself included, have occasionally experienced downtime and undefined work assignments, which quickly lead to inactivity. Here it is important that you request clear frameworks and follow-up, and remember that you are a resource in the internship period even though you are inexperienced.

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