Ayla DiBattista was searching for a co-op opportunity that would combine her passion for international affairs, travel and social justice. A globe-trotting sophomore with family scattered across Europe, DiBattista was itching to return overseas and immerse herself in a foreign culture: “I always kind of wanted to live on my own and see if I could do it,” she said. Of the more than 20 countries she’s visited, her favorite destinations include Montenegro, Sweden, Hungary and Portugal.
So when, in 2025 and fresh off a summer Middle East Dialogue of Civilizations in Egypt, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, political science professor Denis Sullivan suggested that she look to a little-known nonprofit in the Balkans in southeastern Europe, DiBattista was taken with the idea. That organization, the Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies, or CANVAS, has equipped activists around the world with the tools to resist oppressive governments through nonviolent means. Founded in 2004, it traces its roots to Otpor!, the student movement that helped topple former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević, who was the first sitting head of state indicted for war crimes.
