Environment and Climate Change

Ijeoma Okwor worked with Climate Action and Energy Innovation (CAEI) office during her first field placement. The CAEI is a branch within the Environment and Climate Change division of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the management and protection of the province's environment and rich biodiversity of natural resources.

In her position as a policy intern, she worked directly with the Stakeholders Relations and Reporting unit, supporting the team with policy development and stakeholders’ engagement. She covered three projects- the Mobilizing Municipalities; Climate Adaptation and Merit Project. All the projects she worked on involved engagement with Municipalities, and so she developed a community of practice (CoP) framework to ensure proper coordination of activities and to support Manitoba municipalities better in accessing federal and provincial grants open to them. This framework is currently being reviewed and she believes that it will provide the missing link in the relationship between the CAEI office and Manitoba municipalities, when approved. In her stakeholder’s engagement role, she updated the current 2024 stakeholders list of the office, interacting with over nine hundred stakeholders from different sectors in Manitoba and beyond.

"Field placement provides a beautiful opportunity for students to get better understanding of how development work is practiced in Canada. It is an invaluable addition to the MDP program. In some ways, I see it as a true decolonized approach that recognizes the essence of diversity and inclusion. This is because in other jurisdictions, international students especially those from Africa, do not get such internship opportunities which will eventually position them better for career opportunity in their field of study. I am therefore grateful to the MDP program for this opportunity."