Adriana Trejtnarova, a young Czech university student from the north Bohemian town of Broumov, is starting her three-month internship at the Canadian Embassy in Prague today. The young student of Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague was selected in a competition launched in cooperation with Open Society Fund Prague last November. The internship is aimed at young people from a socially disadvantaged environment with a strong knowledge of Roma affairs. Adriana will be asked to prepare and implement the Embassy’s Roma advocacy plan as well as work on other tasks. The purpose of the internship is to provide a young person from a socially disadvantaged environment with an opportunity to obtain work experience in a diplomatic mission and to further develop the Embassy’s Roma advocacy program. Despite her young age, Adriana has already had a significant experience working on Roma issues – she spent 6 years helping in Začít Spolu NGO assisting Roma families and children.

“We look forward to having Adriana on board as she will be working on our Roma advocacy program. I believe that this opportunity will be a valuable experience for her and am sure that it will also constitute a very useful contribution to the work of our Embassy,” said Canadian Ambassador Otto Jelinek.

“I believe that Adriana will obtain many interesting experiences that will improve her job market position. I also think that she will be a benefit to the Embassy,” said Robert Basch, Executive Director of the Open Society Fund Prague Foundation.

“I am very happy that I am being given the opportunity to do the internship at the Canadian Embassy. I want to make the best use of it for myself but also to help the Roma community through some Roma advocacy projects at the Embassy,” said Adriana Trejtnarova.