Meet Claire: our American intern

Claire Wilson (left), in the offices of Caritas International, with Constance Isaac - Caritas International

12/12/2022

Claire Wilson, from the United States, has been with Caritas since October in the Communication & Mobilization department. For 12 weeks, she’s working as an English translator in our Brussels office. Read more about what she’s been up to at Caritas and during her time in Belgium.

Can you introduce yourself?

Claire: “I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the north of the United States. I graduated from Macalester College in the spring, with a major in Political Science, concentrating on human rights. Although I have been to a few cities in Europe briefly in the past, I have never lived abroad or experienced Belgian culture before.”

“I was excited to be matched with the Caritas International internship because I have interned for human rights NGOs in the past and was interested to continue this work in a Belgian work place. My experience with Caritas so far has allowed me to expand upon this work and get a more global perspective of the work immigration NGOs like Caritas are able to do.”

I was drawn to the idea of the “capital of Europe” and excited to see all the cultures and international influence.

Claire Wilson, intern at Caritas International

Why Belgium?

Claire: “My program, the Insititute for Field Education (IFE),[1] offers three locations: Paris, Strasbourg and Brussels. I have been to Paris previously, and although fun to visit, seemed like it might be hard to live there, while Strasbourg seemed too small for me. Brussels seemed like a happy medium; a busy international city, that wouldn’t be as overwhelming as Paris.”

“I was drawn to the idea of the “capital of Europe” and excited to see all the cultures and international influence. I did not know very much about Belgium before coming, besides that it has beer and chocolate, but I have learned a lot about the history and culture since arriving, as well as visited several cities in Flanders and Wallonia. My favorite part so far has been the ability to travel all around Europe on the weekends.”

Can you tell us more about your experiences at Caritas so far?

Claire: “Everyone that I have met at Caritas has been very welcoming and I’ve had fun conversations about language, Belgium, and comparing Brussels to Minneapolis!”

“My work at Caritas has been very rewarding, while helping with translations for the Internal/External Communications team, within the Communication and Mobilization Department. I have had the opportunity to translate articles for the website, internal communications, and publications for the advocacy team. Through my work, I have gotten to better understand responses to pertinent global issues through reading and translation, particularly the reception crisis and climate crisis going on right now.”

“I am interested in a career working in NGOs and I appreciate how I have been able to get a better sense of what types of roles, teams, and projects that Caritas has going on. Next week, I have the opportunity to join a visit to Ransart, a collective reception center in Wallonia!”

[1] Since 2015, Caritas International has partnered with the Institute for Field Education (IFE). IFE is a French non-profit educational organization that engages American university students in 5 weeks of interdisciplinary coursework, followed by a 12-week internship that correlates with their studies. At the end of the program, students write a 30-page thesis in either French or Spanish, about a topic related to their internship. For more information about IFE, see their website.