Patrick: Research Intern at Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Patrick has an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, a Masters in History and a PG certification of Achievement in Political Theology for Peace. During his 5 years in Lancaster University, he was a Research Intern at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue for 2 months in London. 

 

 What is the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)? 

ISD is a ‘think-and-do-tank’, both producing extremism research and connecting leaders in government, media and the private sector to challenge long-range threats to international and communal peace. 

 

Why did you apply for this role? 

After working closely with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) at the Richardson institute, I decided to apply for a role with the organisation as an intern. As a History and Politics graduate, I thought that working at ISD would be an excellent opportunity to carry on applying concepts I had learned about as an undergraduate.  

 

How did you feel about the role? 

I was anxious about moving to London for the summer, after hearing ‘Harry Potter cupboard’-style accommodation, rip-off rents, £5 pints and the frantic 24/7 pace that sucks life out of everyone. But it turned out that by and large; I’d been hearing these things from people who had made the decision to move away from London, rather than the locals themselves.  

I managed to find a leafy Islington-based student apartment on Airbnb for £700 per month. My housemates were friendly (and clean) and FASS had been extremely helpful in bringing my wage forward to help cover living costs and provide travel expenses for my Zone 1-2 Oyster Card. Living near a Lidl, I did not pay any more on an average day than I would expect to in Lancaster and I found it impossible to get bored in London, even on a limited budget—there were plenty of free film screenings and live music venues across the city which I could attend after work.  

 

What were your duties and responsibilities? 

In the first week, I learned about the office culture, internal terminology, the structure of the organisation and the type of projects that ISD do. All of this took some time to get used to, but my supervisor (herself a Lancaster graduate) helped me find my feet, negotiating the terms of the contract and was always available to answer any questions. Where previous interns had been consigned to working on a single initiative because of the nature of their placement, I was given a great amount of freedom to choose which projects to get involved with.  

 I worked on the Strong Cities Network (SCN) 3 days per week, researching anti-extremism policies in Morocco and seeing where ISD – in conjunction with the Danish government – can help establish structures that help coordinate these efforts. Reading through leading publications, I found that many Middle-East and North Africa researchers suggested that the Moroccan government implement some variation on the Danish Model. 

 I worked on the Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI) a campaign funded by Facebook and founded as a partnership between ISD, the International Centre of the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. Additionally, I was taught how to use some industry-specific software such as the social-listening tool Crimson Hexagon which is used to analyse the online response of the UK Far-Right groups to recent events. Towards the end, I was involved in researching possible ways the project can expand and helping to develop online models to groups trying to counter extremist discourse online.  

 

Overall, how did you find your time on the internship? 

I was excited to get involved with the project as it naturally continued from the report I had produced for the Richardson Institute.  Essentially, I found my time at ISD to be a challenging yet edifying experience. I was extremely privileged to be put in this position, which provided insight into the ways in which the processes, structures and policies I had studied at university function in the real world.  

 

What do you do now? 

After working as a Research Assistant at The Richardson Institute for Peace Studies, Volunteer Coordinator at Nightline Association and KS2 Teacher, I now work as a supply teacher.