NAVEEN HASSAN & KATHRYN FOX
<Contributors>
International Legal Partnerships (ILP) is a student-run, experiential education program at Osgoode which fosters opportunities for students to gain hands on international legal experience. ILP aims to provide global policy, legal regulatory, and research assistance in low-income countries.
Among several annual initiatives, ILP hosts Advocacy Week each year. The week aims to bring light to significant international issues. In past years, the themes for the week have included sexual and gender based violence and forced migration. This year from March 4th to 8th, we are excited to host a week full of events around freedom of expression.
Throughout the week, we hope to expose the Osgoode community to current issues related to freedom of expression both domestically and abroad. Through this exposure, we will bring our lens to focus on the role that the freedom of expression has in dictating the direction and reproduction of discourses that influence Canada, and other countries around the globe.
These discourses are important because freedom of expression has been, and continues to be, a site of oppression and manipulation around the world. The speakers will captivate your attention with discussions stemming from their experiences as exiled journalists or as survivors of the Rwandan genocide; our panelists will facilitate discussion around the contemporary state of the law with respect to freedom of expression.
In addition to our annual advocacy week campaigns, each year ILP arranges fellowships for Osgoode students throughout the global south. Students volunteer their legal knowledge and research skills to host organizations, providing legal research and assistance in exchange for valuable, hands-on legal experience. These international placements have become a centerpiece of Osgoode’s global outreach.
ILP aims to make the fellowships accessible to all Osgoode students. While the placements are currently largely self-funded, we hope to provide this year’s fellow with financial support through our inaugural silent photo auction. The photos were all taken by ILP fellows during their placements around the world, and all the funds raised from the auction will fund the summer 2013 fellowships. The event is being held at the Campbell House (160 Queen St. W) on March 8th and the photos included here are just a sneak peek at what you should expect at the event!