Toronto March for LifeI had the opportunity to participate in a 4-month internship this past summer with CCBR. To be honest, I would not recommend it for most people. In hindsight, I think that the cons outweigh the pros:
1. No one actually changes their mind on abortion.
It’s true. Don’t believe the countless testimonies posted on CCBR’s social media, the hundreds more we’ve written, the stats we have on the cultural shifting due to abortion victim photography, or the widespread media coverage of our activism. Ignore all of that. CCBR is honestly very ineffective.
2. You make way too many friends.
You can’t help but get incredibly close to your teammates. It sounds cliché, but you really do go through every high and low together—laughing together, crying together, weathering heat and rain, all for mutual love of babies and parents. But now I’ve got more than two dozen extra friends that I have to keep up with. Way too many people are inviting me to visit, sending me messages to ask how I’m doing, and tagging me in memes. How am I supposed to cope with this much love? If you want to maintain a safe and manageable number of friendships, definitely do NOT intern with CCBR.
3. Too much fresh air.
If you intern with CCBR, you’ll be outside a lot. You deliver postcards in the mornings, do “Choice” Chains at lunchtime, and run the Banner Project in the afternoons. You may go for hikes and beach visits during evenings and weekends. All that sunshine and exercise can’t be good for you! You’re better off picking a summer job that keeps you sitting at a desk in a dimly-lit room.
4. You have to learn stuff.
Learning is for the school year, right? Wrong. With CCBR, they make you read books, have discussions, and attend presentations for “self-growth”. Sure, some of the books impacted me profoundly and the discussions helped me understand our culture’s past and present . . . but still. Why not keep things easy and pick a less intellectually-stimulating job?
5. You will change too much.
A summer with CCBR will take you out of your comfort zone, which is extremely dangerous. You may start believing that serving others is more important than serving yourself. You may find your heart broken for the millions of abortion victims, and for the countless women and men wounded by abortion. Your heart may be stretched with joy when you hear news that a child was saved—and another one—and another one. You may reevaluate your priorities, your beliefs, and your future, in light of these profound experiences. It’s possible that you will grow and change for the better, but it is far more comfortable to stay the same.
So, don’t apply for an internship. It’s definitely not worth it.
