YoungMinds: Joining the intern scheme
Being a recent graduate, I have been thrust out of the security of education and into the world of reality. As great as this may appear, I immediately found I was pushing myself into finding any type of employment for the sake of not being consumed by boredom. I was not entirely sure about what to do next. I knew that being part of anything that was dedicated to the support and guidance of others was how I wanted to spend my working life. I didn’t really have to think long about what I should do – I quickly became aware of the internship opportunities with a range of different charities across London.
After applying tediously and relentlessly for any type of intern positions, I found the YoungMinds intern scheme directly through their website.
YoungMinds runs the office internship scheme every four months, so there is the opportunity for three office interns per year
It is an ideal opportunity for anyone wanting to gain experience in the voluntary sector and learn how a charity works.
I was already aware of YoungMinds’ services and was keen to show what I had to offer as well as experiencing how the organisation operated.
Initially I applied for both the role of Office Assistant and Human Resources Assistant Intern as I felt ready for either challenge of working within a voluntary sector organisation. I thought it would be an enriching experience to observe the inner workings of a charity and get a feel for how it functions and the purposes behind what it promotes. The process was rather fast – the day I had my interview I was notified a couple of hours later that I had been successful!
During my four months at YoungMinds I will get the opportunity to work closely with the HR and Training and Consultancy teams but also gain experience on the YoungMinds’ website and in the communications and fundraising departments. It is useful for someone like me who has just graduated but unsure of the exact direction I want to follow in the voluntary sector and it also gives me an insight into office life and the mechanics within an organisation.
Children and young people’s mental health is a subject that appears to be rather sidelined. Studying as an undergraduate, it was not a publicised notion and was certainly a struggle to seek out support when necessary. This is why I want to widen my knowledge and become involved in anything that assists in the recognition of poor mental health and how to improve emotional wellbeing. I want to further my interest in understanding how it is approached and tackled. As YoungMinds is the only charity dedicated to the wellbeing of children and young people, I believe this is a great place to start in involving myself in recognising the value of services that tackle mental health issues.
