My Experience as a JPC with UNICEF Tunisia

By Alicia Dyck

Disclaimer: The views are those of the author's alone and do not represent the views of UNA-Canada.

Image 1: Alicia Dyck

My name is Alicia Dyck and I am currently working as a remote Junior Professional Consultant (JPC) with UNICEF Tunisia. Specifically, I am working within UNICEF Tunisia’s Child Protection Unit. After graduating with my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022, it was unclear to me what I should be looking for in a job. I am very passionate about global development (I studied global development and French during my undergraduate degree), and I wanted to find a job that would be a perfect stepping stone into this sector. I was also going to be applying to law school in September, and I wanted a job that would also cater to my interests in international law. Like many young people, I had always dreamed about a career within the United Nations system, but I was unsure of what that would look like. When I first discovered the United Nations Association of Canada’s International Youth Internship (IYIP) Programme, I immediately knew that I wanted to apply, and swiftly sent in an application.

I was extremely excited once I learned that I got the job as a JPC, specifically with UNICEF Tunisia. From the very early interviews for this position, the UNICEF Tunisia team has been extremely welcoming and kind, which only makes me want to visit Tunisia someday! I was very curious about the child protection sector and was motivated to learn as much as I could about it as my internship went on. I have learned that the child protection se