Meet our Intern: Jordan Brebner

Meet our intern, Jordan Brebner. Jordan has been studying International Studies at RMIT & is working with the team until the early June.

QVWC: Tell us a bit about yourself, your studies & what inspired you to do your internship here at QVWC?

Jordan: Hi everyone! My name is Jordan and I’ve almost got a degree in International Studies. Outside of my studies and internship, I coach gymnastics and my favourite hobby is doing paint-by-numbers.

My degree can be hard to explain, since it’s a little bit broad, but essentially, we look at global intercultural, social, and political issues and try to understand how we might address them. I chose to take every gender and feminist focused elective on offer to me, as my interest in the development of women’s rights is what drew me to this field. This interest is also what motivated me to reach out to the QVWC about completing an internship with them, as I’m most inspired by grassroots and community-based work.

I also love art and creative hobbies, so I was excited about the idea of surrounding myself with creative experiences and art-based projects. The QVWC seemed to be doing exactly the kind of work I wanted to explore and could see myself enjoying, so I’m lucky they agreed to have me.

What have you been working on while at QVWC? Can you tell us some of the highlights or things you have learnt?

I have been working mostly with 3 members of the team, across their relevant departments. I work with Piper in Programs and Venues, and I have been able to see what kind of behind-the-scenes work goes on to run events, such as the comedy festival, out of the Centre. I’ve also been looking at ways we can promote the spaces the centre has for hire, as well as updating some resources for clients.

I’ve also had the opportunity to work in the QVWC SHOP with Marianne. I’ve been learning a lot about how the online store works and have been updating some maker and product info. I’ve also been doing some back-end work to set up a new organisation/shopping system on the site. I’ve really enjoyed learning about all of the products the QVWC SHOP stocks from all the different local makers and have gotten to chat to a few artists that have come into the store.

Last, but not least, I’ve been working with Natalie in Communications. I’ve learnt about how the Centre schedules EDMs and plans out content to coincide with events throughout the year, which I’ve found very interesting and didn’t realise was so intensive. I’ve also had the chance to look through archived artwork from past exhibits and look into displaying them around the Centre.  

What are your plans once you complete your internship?

As soon as I’m finished my internship, I will have done all my course requirements and will be able to graduate! So, I’m taking off and travelling for the rest of the year. I had planned to go to Mexico on exchange before COVID got in the way, so now I’m finally able to go practice my Spanish, and then I’ll head to Europe with some friends.

Long-term, I don’t have very defined plans, but I do hope that whatever career I start to build next year centres around working with and for women. My internship with QVWC has only cemented that passion for me.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing women, non-binary & gender diverse people right now?

There are a lot of conceptual and intellectual issues facing women, non-binary & gender diverse people in the current age, but I think I am most concerned about the way politics and governance is progressing, or more accurately, regressing.

The recent move to overturn Roe vs Wade in the US really shook me because it so clearly signifies how real the threat to women and their safety is. When I consider our own country as well, and not only the horrific power dynamics that exist in parliament, but how poorly the government handled Brittany Higgins’ case, I’m only further concerned. The patriarchy is built into our institutions. The systems and people we give power to, that we entrust the responsibility of care to, have no interest in looking after us at all.

Women, non-binary & gender diverse people aren’t represented and protected on a fundamental level, and I can’t imagine addressing all the other issues we need to before we first address that (as well as the intersecting issues of race and sexual orientation, but I’ll get overwhelmed if I think about it all at once). Rolling back progressive legislation or failing to implement adequate policy that speaks to the concerns of women only leaves us more exposed and vulnerable to harmful gender discrimination.

Finally, what have you been reading, doing, loving around Melbourne now we’ve opened up again?

A friend and I have a little book club (that we’re honestly not very good at keeping up with sometimes) and we’ve recently read ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’ by Ottessa Moshfegh after seeing it for months on TikTok. I’m still not really sure if I liked it but I was definitely engaged, and we had a lot to discuss about it. In the background, I read a lot of trashy romance books. They are my guilty pleasure except I don’t feel guilty at all.

I’ve been going out with my friends a lot more now that Melbourne is really open again, and I think I’ve done more than my fair share to stimulate the economy. It’s been really fun to go to some places we haven’t been in years, as well as find new spots, and it’s nice that the city looks full again. I hope the eager energy survives through the colder months.

 Interview: Natalie Forde