Justice advocate back from the Big Apple
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When Izzy Salter’s feet touched the tarmac in New York late last year, she was nervous about the internship she was about to embark on with Mercy Global Action (MGA).
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The opportunity to work at the justice arm and United Nations office of Mercy International Association (MIA) was a big step for the 22-year-old.
“When I applied for the internship, I was really surprised that I got in and didn’t quite feel prepared or ready for it,” admits Izzy, who is a member of Adelaide’s Young Mercy Links.
“But it was an amazing experience because I had such a supportive team around me. They really trusted me with lots of responsibilities from the get-go which kind of threw me into it but helped to improve my confidence.”
From writing position statements on behalf of MGA to representing the group on UN non-government organisation working groups, she gained a wealth of experience on issues such as migration, homelessness and social development.
“It was a very, well-rounded experience working on lots of different justice issues,” she said.
A particular focus was the issue of human trafficking.
“I did an immersion trip to the Mexico/US border to bear witness to the realities of migrants and visited Mercy organisations providing support and accompaniment to them,” Izzy says.
“I also travelled to Rome as the Oceania Youth Ambassador to the Talitha Kum General Assembly, which is global Catholic organisation which works against human trafficking.”
As one of the youngest members of Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking of Humans (ACRATH), Izzy believes that young people and civic society, especially faith-based organisations, can make a difference to the lives of those trafficked and living and working in slave-like conditions.
At the end of the internship, Sister Angela Reed RSM invited Izzy to go to Dublin to support the Mercy Emerging Leaders Fellowship program.
“I got to actually go to Catherine McAuley’s first House of Mercy, which was a really nice end to my 10-month journey.”
The internship affirmed Izzy’s life path.
“I want to work in a position where I’m advocating for the rights of people and the planet,” she says.
“It was a difficult role, in a sense, because a lot of the progress at the United Nations is quite slow and incremental, but it’s very rewarding. I’m certain now that I want to be in a position where I’m advocating for justice, however that might be.”
Government roles and policy design are particularly appealing future paths due to her interest in the policy design and implementation process.
She urges other young social justice advocates to apply for future internships.
“I think it should be more highlighted and celebrated in Mercy schools,” Izzy says.
“I really wish more people knew about this opportunity because I feel like so many young people would just have no idea that Mercy has a desk and a really long, rich legacy of justice work at the UN.”
Her advice: go for it.
“You’re never going to feel quite ready for it, but it improved my confidence so much and led to more opportunities than I ever would have expected.”
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