Aarna Dixit | NANSEN | Brussels, Belgium
I have enjoyed working with NANSEN so far. It has been interesting to see how a grassroots human rights organization functions in the European Union Context. Learning about the differences between the US and the EU when it comes to legislation and politics has been very eye-opening. The specific legal jargon that is used in the EU has taken me a while to decipher, but I have begun to understand the system and the different bodies of governance better. Some of the projects I am working on include helping the University of Ghent’s Legal Clinic Students edit their essays. The Legal Clinic at UGhent has a partnership with NANSEN, and I have gotten the opportunity to meet with these law students, understand their journeys and what they are learning, and read their writing. I have appreciated this youth aspect of my work while at NANSEN. I am also working with a colleague, a Ph.D. student, on issues of gender stereotyping and gender-based violence in asylum procedures. This is interesting to me given my academic focus and passion for gender and sexuality studies and activism.
One thing I have realized is that so far my journey in the human rights and global social justice movement has been largely theoretical, with me learning about sociopolitical issues through a pore political and sometimes even philosophical lens. The legal, technical, and practical aspects of the human rights and refugee rights domain that I am encountering at NANSEN are new to me. As such, I have begun reflecting more on my own career goals, and my interests in the theoretical vs. the practical and vice versa. I have begun thinking about a career in academia, while also reflecting upon practical human rights careers. I am grateful for the knowledge and experience working with NANSEN is giving me, especially with respect to informing my own career goals.