As my time as Digital Support Intern comes to an end, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been such a rewarding experience.
My Role
Across the placement I’ve been involved in running digital support sessions, whether that was sitting with someone to work through a confusing phone setting, helping get a new tablet up and running, or sharing little tips that make using a device a bit easier. Every session felt different and always ended up being a bit of a chat about the weekend ahead, which I loved.
Alongside the sessions, I’ve been working on social media and creating marketing materials, like making flyers and putting together content for upcoming events, as well as managing the communications aspect of our online classes. It’s been a brilliant creative outlet alongside the more hands-on support work and has pushed me to think differently about how we reach people and communicate what’s going on, especially when the target audience isn’t always reached best through social media.
My Professional Development
One of the things I’ll take away most from this placement is how closely I got to work alongside the director, Tony. Being involved at that level meant I felt genuinely trusted and valued, as I had a real say and importance in what we were doing rather than just completing tasks on the sidelines. That kind of trust has done so much for my confidence and has given me a much clearer sense of how organisations actually operate day to day behind the scenes.
It wasn’t always plain sailing, and there were times where things didn’t quite go the way we’d hoped. But working through those moments, coming up with plan B’s, and adapting to what we were faced with rather than what we’d planned for has made me far more resilient than I was when I started. I feel much more comfortable now taking initiative and following my own instincts when something needs to shift, which is something I’ll carry into whatever comes next.
Working at Your Back Yard
Towards the end of the placement the focus shifted to thinking about the future of Your Back Yard, finding ways to bring in more exercise classes, host events and offer new incentives to grow the community. Getting to be part of those conversations and contribute ideas was a really nice way to round off the internship and left me feeling like the work we were doing genuinely mattered. I’d recommend a placement like this to anyone looking for somewhere you’re given responsibility and room to grow, as well as feeling like you are consistently working towards helping others.
