We were delighted to host two interns from the University of Sheffield as part of Workplace Insights this Easter. Terence and Paddy each worked 70 hours, working on events, meeting our community, supporting marketing and communications, and analysing evaluation data. Paddy wrote this blog to mark the end of his internship:
Over Easter I have completed a 70–hour internship with RivelinCo in a Workplace Insight scheme provided by the University of Sheffield.
Throughout my time working at RivelinCo, I have been working on ‘Spreading the Word’ by creating several social media posts as well as getting engaged with the Hillsborough community to promote the brilliant events that go on at RivelinCo.
Since I am a Politics student, I was eager to learn the importance of not-for-profit organisations such as RivelinCo, who provide accessible and affordable events to build a better sense of community. Seeing first-hand the positive effects RivelinCo’s work has on the community gave me an insight into how this is valuable politically, socially, and economically.
I helped out at some of the many activities RivelinCo run for all ages, providing social media content for Egg Hunts and Easter Discos for children, as well as a Maker’s Market and Craftnoon workshops for a wide range of ages. Partaking in these events helped me truly appreciate how beneficial small, not-for-profit organisations are- it is easy to forget their importance as it is overlooked in politics, but what I have learnt from my time at RivelinCo is that these organisations are essential for the community, mental health, and even the environment.
I was able to make the effect RivelinCo has on the community clear, looking through lots of feedback to create a social media post incentivising members of the community to get involved.
Working with RivelinCo has been a valuable experience, improving my confidence as well as opening my eyes to the importance of community. I have worked alongside a hard-working and inspirational group, who face several challenges which have been exacerbated by austerity, funding cuts, and even theft. I have a lot of admiration for RivelinCo, and my time here has been extremely beneficial.
Patrick Beresford
University of Sheffield
