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Empowering the Next Generation of Changemakers: Celebrating Our 2026 Summer Interns!

Our 2026 Summer Interns with GNCA Staff. From Left: Umamah, Melinda, Nysa, Yona, Matthew, Sasairo, Ponnezhil, Martin.

At Good Neighbours Canada, our mission to empower vulnerable communities and foster global citizenship starts right here at home. Every summer, our team is energized by the creativity, passion, and fresh perspectives brought by young leaders through the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program – an initiative funded by the Government of Canada to help students gain valuable professional experience in mission-driven environments.

 

This past summer, five incredible interns – Umamah, Nysa, Melinda, Martin, and Ponnezhil – joined us for an intensive 8-week placement. Although the eight weeks flew by fast, the mark this team left on our organization, community projects, and global campaigns will last far beyond their time with us.

Ponnezhil facilitates educational activities with students at the Peel and Hamilton Water Festivals.

Big Projects, Lasting Impact

From day one, our summer interns jumped into high-impact projects across advocacy, fundraising, community outreach, and digital strategy.

  • Ponnezhil hit the ground running by representing GNCA at the Hamilton Water Festival just a few days into the role, making a memorable connection with local students, teachers, and guardians. Ponnezhil also played a pivotal role in shaping our 2026 Hope Letter Campaign – developing the discussion guide, updating educational presentations, onboarding new partners, and creating social media content to inspire empathetic global citizens across Canadian schools.
  • Nysa tackled vital grant writing initiatives, developing a proposal for the Telus Future Friendly Grant focused on AI literacy and online safety for newcomer and refugee youth in Canada. 
  • Melinda & Martin brought strategic insight and creative flare to our social media channels and our Goods4Causes social enterprise, helping expand local e-commerce access for budding entrepreneurs.
  • Umamah supported key fundraising, advocacy, and community outreach projects – from helping with the annual BackRoads Run to Port Stanley to leading our joint Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) Tech Drive which collected and diverted old electronics to be refurbished for youth and non-profits in need.
Umamah and GNCA Staff support the annual BackRoads Run to fundraise for our Clean Water Initiative in Zambia.

As our leaders reflected on our interns final days:

"Thank you for bringing such commitment and positivity to your roles and the team... I am sure you will both be shining lights in this world, so keep up the good work!"

- Matthew Neill, Project Manager to Umamah & Nysa

"Thank you both for your contributions over the past two months... The wrap-up summaries you prepared are very well organized and will definitely be helpful for the rest of the team to pick up and continue the work."

- Hyang Cho, Executive Director to Melinda & Martin

In Their Own Words: Highlights from Our Interns

To celebrate their accomplishments, we caught up with three of our interns to hear about their takeaways, favorite memories, and advice for future Canada Summer Jobs students.

Nysa | Research & Grant Proposals

For Nysa, working with GNCA offered a hands-on introduction to research and hybrid work dynamics:

  • On their most meaningful project: “My most meaningful project that I’ve worked on during my internship would have to be the Telus Future Friendly Grant proposal on AI literacy and online safety for newcomer and refugee youth in Canada. I learned how to research finding different corporations in grant funding, learning how to write a grant proposal and being able to apply my research skills onto the proposal.”
  • On personal and professional growth: “My time at Good Neighbours Canada helped me grow professionally by learning how to take on different projects, research projects and receiving meaningful feedback on my work. This led to a foundational step in improving and strengthening both my hard and soft skills in an office environment…”
  • Advice for future CSJ applicants: “To future students, I would say that Good Neighbours Canada had a positive work environment with lots of meaningful tasks and projects that helped you grow as a person and in the professional world too!”

Martin | Creative Social Media & Content Creation

For Martin, the internship was a space to merge creative design with social good:

  • On creative expression for a cause: “I really enjoyed creating content for your social media pages, as I was able to express my creativity while knowing that my content is promoting a good cause.”
  • Advice for future students: “To future students considering a CSJ placement with GNCA, I would tell them to never be afraid to ask questions and always be willing to learn and improve yourself.”

Melinda | Entrepreneurial Strategy & Social Impact

As a small business owner, Melinda brought an invaluable perspective to our social enterprise initiatives:

  • On their most meaningful project: “I really enjoyed working on the Goods4Causes marketing campaign! As a small business owner myself it was really meaningful for me to contribute to a project that makes ecommerce accessible to budding entrepreneurs in the local community. In particular, I enjoyed the strategic aspect of building our campaign: analyzing existing trends and incorporating my own experiences as a business owner to justify recommendations.”
  • On exploring non-profit career paths: “As someone interested in pursuing a mission-driven career and exploring opportunities outside of the private sector, working with Good Neighbours and learning about the inner-workings of a non-profit organization was a valuable experience for me.”
  • Favorite memory: “Group bonding through team lunches! Visiting [Good Neighbours & Friends businesses]  Blanchou and Egg’s Morning! Forming relationships with fellow interns and making [social media] reels!”
  • Advice for future students: “Apply! GNCA has been a really fun and hospitable place to work and was an excellent introduction to working in a non-profit organization. If you’re interested in pursuing a mission-driven career, working here is a great way to learn about what it’s like!”
Interns Umamah, Martin, and Melinda visit a Good Neighbours & Friends business, Galleria, to restock Goods4Causes inventory.

Community, Mentorship, and Lasting Connections

Beyond the project deliverables and grant proposals, what truly defines a placement at Good Neighbours Canada is the supportive community we build together. Whether recording Instagram reels for Goods4Causes, bonding over team lunches, or collaborating on international campaign outreach, our team strives to build an inclusive environment where students feel empowered to learn, ask questions, and lead.

 

To Umamah, Nysa, Melinda, Martin, and Ponnezhil: Thank you for your hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication to Good Neighbours Canada. Your contributions leave a lasting footprint on our work both locally and globally. We wish you all the best in your studies and future careers, and we look forward to seeing the incredible things you will accomplish next.

Interested in joining our mission or staying updated on future opportunities?

Explore our Get Involved page or follow our story on social media by following @goodneighbourscanada and @goods4causes.

 

You can also learn more about our Canada Summer Jobs interns experience in 2024 on our blog.

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