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Annika Dhariwal | International Relations

International Relations

My interest in International Relations, and in particular the refugee crisis in the Middle East, was sparked by reading several books like “The Lightless Sky:My Journey to Safety as a Child Refugee” by Gulwali Passarlay, and innumerable documentaries I watched since an early age. Reading about these stories, I wanted to go volunteer at a refugee camp either in Jordan or Lebanon. However, it was not feasible due to the pandemic and school commitments. I subsequently, decided to look for a local opportunity to help out, and learnt about a local charity called Cheltenham Welcome’s Refugees in Cheltenham, UK, where I attend boarding school.

Image Credit: Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees, Cheltenham UK

Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees(CWR), Cheltenham, UK - Volunteer

  • The opportunity to volunteer at CWR, allowed me to contribute in raising awareness and understanding of the many challenges faced by refugees in the UK and world over.
  • This volunteer led charity ensures support to refugees and asylum seekers from the moment they enter Cheltenham, by integrating them into the local community and sensitizing them to the local culture and vice-versa.
  • Fundraised to help support the organisation, through Bake sales held over the year at my school. This year our main focus with the bakesales was to raise 300 pounds for the charity to help buy Christmas presents for all the refugee kids, who have been living in a hotel with their families since the past few years.
  • Another heartening and eye opening experience for me has been volunteering at the monthly Welcome Cafes, which happen during the first week of every month. I have tried my hand at various different roles at the Cafe. Usually at the start of the Cafe, I help take care of the toddlers, and run the craft activity for the children. I help to set out the all the dishes that have been brought in by the volunteers. Typically post dinner, I tend to socialize with adults with whom I have forged a close bond while volunteering at these meets. Tidying up post the events and packing the leftovers into boxes, for the families to take back with them has also been a part of my volunteering e pyar CWR.
  • Volunteering at weekend picnics which are held at different parks to integrate refugee families into Cheltenham and the local community.
  • Working for their social media campaign.
  • I have also been able to lend my empathy to some of the refugees, who have recently escaped Afghanistan. I have been able to support some of these families due to the common language we share. Acting as a translator for some of the Sikh families who recently escaped, and the other volunteers who are attempting to help them get their documents ready, as many barely speak english.

The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Sovereignty controversy: A historical case study analysis.

2022

International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (ijsser.org)

  • This interest in International Relations and world affairs, was further fueled by the opportunity to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India.
  • This culminated in me writing a research paper which was published International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume:07, Issue:09 "September 2022"
  • It is the exploration of the underlying dynamics driving the coexistence of the two irreconcilable stances of the global community towards the Tibetan sovereignty.
  • I collected primary data from the monastery in Dharamshala, by interviewing over 20+ monks

“Moral Foundations of Politics,” Yale University

June 2022
  • An online 8 week program on Utilitarianism, Marxism, Theory and Democracy.

International Women's Health and Human Rights

November 2022

Shadow Intern of Mr. Sudhir Rajpal (IAS), Chief of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority

2022
  • Shadowed him for three weeks and gained exposure into the workings of a municipality responsible for all civic activities like maintaining sanitation, roads, public spaces.
  • Assisted in organizing and presenting demographic and developmental data of Gurugram for a policy memo.

Shadow Intern of Mr. Rajesh Khullar, Executive Director of the World Bank, Washington, USA

2021
  • Shadowed him for two weeks and gained insight into the working of the World Bank with a special focus on Southeast Asia, culminated in a published interview, which discussed the country partnership framework in the Indian context, Priority leading sectors and the dealing of humanitarian crisis.
  • Used tools and techniques of economic analysis on publicly available datasets pertaining to growth, global trade, and development in South East Asia.

Co-Founder, First Public Policy Think Tank, Cheltenham Ladies College

2021-present
  • Conducted policy analysis on economics, political science, public administration and International affairs. - Identified potential solutions through published policy memos

International Committee Mentor, Cheltenham Ladies College

2020-present
  • Supervised 30 people and facilitated communication between the international mentors and the mentors committee. - Organised cultural events for pupils from over 40 different nationalities