Update from Chuck Aoki, Master's of Public Policy Candidate 2018, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities:
I've been interning this summer at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), based in Washington, D.C. I received this internship as part of the United States International Council on Disability (USICD) internship program, who placed me at NDI. I am part of the Citizen Participation team, which serves as a functional team within NDI, supporting our regional teams across the world. We work to ensure and support the inclusion of marginalized groups, which includes persons with disabilities, LGBTI populations, ethnic and religious minorities, and youth. My work has primary focused on assisting in the creation of several different resources on disability and youth inclusion. I have also conducted considerable research on countering violent extremism (CVE) programs, including what drives people towards violent extremism, how CVE programs are created and evaluated, and understanding the methodology behind CVE programming. I am incredibly grateful to NDI and USICD for the opportunity to work here this summer, but I look forward to returning to Minnesota this fall.
