The team recently caught up with four EP students undertaking work experience with Herne Bay-based charity, Kent Enterprise Trust, and were extremely happy to hear how well they got on.
Lilyana Slavova (Politics and International Relations, stage 3) recently completed her three-week placement focused on fundraising. With the assistance of other team members, Lilyana took charge of a range of responsibilities within the charity.
‘Thanks to the Employability Points Scheme I was given the opportunity to become part of Kent Enterprise Trust as Fundraising and Event Planning Intern. My three-week work experience gave me an insight into charity fundraising and deepened my knowledge of crowdfunding. I assisted with the fundraising strategy of the charity, developed a charity profile page and a fundraising page on a crowdfunding website, monitored the progress of the campaign and stayed in touch with potential sponsors. Moreover, I created a Guide to Fundraising with dividers for Crowdfunding, Grants, Donations and Sponsorship for the use of Kent Enterprise Trust and the future Fundraising interns of the charity.’
She added: ‘I also undertook general administrative and clerical duties such as checking incoming paperwork, filling out crowdfunding forms and other grant application forms and email correspondence. These responsibilities allowed me to acquire a number of transferable skills which can be applied in any field of work in the future.’
When asked to reflect on the value of the experience, she told us:‘The people I worked with offered me constant support and guidance throughout my work placement. Therefore, I believe that this experience is not to be missed and I recommend it to everyone who is pursuing a career in the NGO sector.’
Romane Lafiteau (Politics and International Relations with a Language, stage 1) also completed a fundraising placement. She felt that the time spent with Kent Enterprise Trust had benefits both academically and personally:
‘Since the focus of the work experience was on fundraising, I started with the expectation to learn how to deal with funding, sponsorship and to organise fundraising events. In general, I was really interested to understand how a charity works. I think that KET works in order to develop a sense of community among its beneficiaries and I could definitely feel it myself although I wasn’t present for long… I think that this experience was as instructive as I wished at the beginning and that it will be helpful for my role on an academic level, but also on a personal level. Every person that I had the chance to talk to or work with made it special. I will never forget it.’
Jessica Shaw (Classical and Archaeological Studies, and English and American Literature, stage 2) undertook a mentoring placement with the charity, and reflected on her time there:
‘Overall working at KET has been so wonderful, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a variety of people and really improve my communication skills. The skills the course participants are taught really helps to set them up for life; ranging from wellbeing, to social media, to employability skills (such as writing CVs). Opportunities to reflect on their soft skills and emotions are also encouraged, which I think is really important. The garden has a wonderful impact, as it allows everyone to feel they have contributed towards something that they can really see the effects of, in a social and friendly environment. I think for me personally, mentoring has allowed me to directly help course participants.’
Temilade Olaitan (Law, stage 2) was successful in gaining a placement focusing on the environment. She commented:
‘Working at the office, as well as outside in the garden provided a good work balance which reflects the health and wellbeing goal of Kent Enterprise Trust. Being given the opportunity to network with other experts on sustainability has immensely added to the value of this experience as I have been given more insight into environmental practices, such as recycling. Researching to update the policies has also broadened my horizon as to what is currently happening in the world of Environmental Law, and this is valuable in my pursuance of a career in this field. My goal at the start of this placement was to get involved with the policy-making process and have insight into what policy making entailed, and I am grateful that I was able to see this through.’
Adele Makayi (Environmental Social Sciences, stage 4), also undertook an environmental placement with the charity, and was incredibly enthusiastic about the time she spent there:
‘Working with KET was an amazing start to the summer! The working environment and friendly staff allowed for easy settling in, as well as jumping on to tasks that needed attention. I have come away with a good understanding of management and fundraising, which I will definitely put to good use in the working world. This placement jump-started the creative side of my brain, as we put our heads together to come up with new ideas for improving the Oasis community garden, and creating new funding avenues. I would have loved to have worked for a longer time to drive my ideas and see them come to fruition!’
For more information on Kent Enterprise Trust, visit their website here.