Why interning at a small charity is great for development

We were very sad to see our Intern Miriam finish her placement with us. We've learnt so much from her and here she reflects on her time with us.

When summer was fast approaching, I was looking for something to do that was more worthwhile than unlocking every single achievement on Mario Kart 8 or working at a call centre. I set my heart on working at a local charity. I thought that by working in a part of the voluntary sector that is often underfunded, understaffed or overstretched that makes a tangible impact in my community, I could make a real impact on the work going on and learn a lot about how charities work.

Luckily my university, the University of Sussex, offers a programme to let local organisations who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to afford an intern hire one of their students from low-income backgrounds. Through this I got an internship at one of the South East’s biggest provider of music making opportunities for young people - Rhythmix.

As a charity who primarily works with freelancers and on a project-by-project basis, but makes a massive impact on the young people they work with, Rhythmix are punching above their weight in terms of staffing considering the massive positive impact their organisation has. They provide therapeutic music opportunities to children, young people and people with dementia in hospital through their Wishing Well programme, and opportunities for young people from groups including the traveller community, SEN students and young people with mental health issues.

By interning at Rhythmix, in a small office of usually 1 or 2 other people around, I got to overhear and be part of discussions that went well beyond my remit as a lowly social media intern. When discussions were going on or tasks allocated, I was encouraged to ask questions that allowed me to fully understand what was going on through the whole organisation - not just at my desk. If I was sick of spreadsheets, I was encouraged to try something new as long as it was beneficial for the charity that day.

My manager also took great steps to explain her work to me and what processes the charity had to do for things like funding, staffing or organising a project. By being so close to the action I learnt far more than I believe I would have if the boss took a corner office. Now I am aware of what really helps these vital organisations like Rhythmix keep moving towards progress for their cause.

When I had an idea I thought may be helpful, I was either explained fully why it would not be, or allowed to go full steam ahead. I was asked to rewrite the fundraising pack used, and instead suggested I would fully research the variety and features of fundraising packs and then rewriting the  Rhythmix pack to be more effective. This was encouraged despite it not being something they initially had in mind for me to do, and meant I felt that my contributions are actually making a difference to the senior member of staff’s work.

Working somewhere small but impactful means I was given the opportunities to push myself and the organisation more than I ever hoped. It also meant they had the time to sit down with me, my experiences, and see what they could utilise in the ten weeks I was employed.

Big charities offer interns a big name for their CV and a foot in the door to the organisation, and they do completely vital and amazing work. But at aged 19, in a break between university years, working somewhere small has given me the ability to have an impact on the vital, local work Rhythmix do in the short term, make connections with their partners, and really learn about what skills I need to develop to get ahead in the charity sector. If there is a choice between interning at big and small charities, I pick learning and making a difference over a CV highlight every time.

I also blogged about what I learnt from Interning at Rhythmix here:

http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/learning/blogs/rhythmix/four-lessons-in...