Over the summer, Auckland Youth and Community Centre (AYCC) received funding from Santander, via the Durham University Work Project Scheme, to hire two marketing interns.
Durham University undergraduates Lauren Powdrell and Hannah Matthews were chosen from a strong field of candidates to work on projects to promote the Centre and its achievements. They wrote ‘good news stories’, posted updates on the charity’s website and social media pages and updated its fundraising strategy – crucial for planning post-Covid 19. They also created the new “Spotlight On” series, designed to shine a light on each of the many different areas of AYCC’s work. There may be no better way than to start by turning the spotlight on the interns themselves!
AYCC’s Business Development Manager, John Wiseman, who oversaw the internships’ work over the summer, had this to say:
“Incredibly, it’s a couple of years now since we began to sketch out what an internships programme might look like for AYCC. Following delays due to Covid-19, and other unforeseen events, we conducted our first recruitment drive in the summer of 2020. The resulting ‘pilot’ internship proved to be a real “win-win” with graduate Georgia, the successful candidate from an extraordinarily strong field, delivering some great work for us whilst seizing the opportunity to gain the ‘real-world’ experience she needed to progress onto her chosen career. We were also able to extend the project with Georgia through the winter 2020-21, to cover a wider range of business development work in addition to marketing, thanks to Durham University and AYCC agreeing to pool additional resources.
“This summer, we jumped at the opportunity to work with the University again, trying out a different format: two students working simultaneously but each for a shorter period of time, supported by an ‘external’ sponsor, Santander. The results have again exceeded our expectations, with two fantastic marketing projects which have really complemented each other, as Lauren and Hannah have been able to work as a team, albeit remotely (although they have since met in person and are now friends!).
“Now back at Durham, both undergraduates have very bright futures ahead of them and I’m confident that their experience with us has given them useful “real world” experience at the very start of their careers. Together with Georgia, the students were all an absolute pleasure to work with! On behalf of everyone at AYCC, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their excellent contributions to our work. We wish them all the best for the future.”
Everyone at AYCC saw the true benefits of the internships and the positive impacts of the students’ work. From their interviews, there is clear evidence that these sentiments were reciprocated by the students.
John reflects on the partnership with Durham University which made this possible:
“Sincere thanks go to the fantastic team at Durham University for helping us to turn a 2018-19 vision into really strong project outputs in 2020-21. These outputs are already helping us to achieve longer-term goals of increased profile and income. In turn, we’ll be able to help even more people through our work, whilst continuing to raise awareness of the impacts of poverty, disadvantage and isolation on communities like ours. We very much look forward to continuing this successful relationship with Durham University and its students.”
Read what our Durham University Marketing Interns had to say
Lauren Powdrell
Why did you first want to get involved with AYCC?
I really liked and respected the great work that AYCC does for the community and how active and busy the Centre is. I wanted to help AYCC to continue this, as well as learn new skills and get involved with writing news stories and using social media.
What have you been involved in during your internship – and how have you found it?
I’ve been involved in a range of things such as social media planning and posting, for instance the new ‘Spotlight On’ series’, planning next year’s Annual Review, drafting press releases, and working on the Better Connected Project. I really enjoyed all these tasks and loved that there were such a variety of creative opportunities.
What’s been your favourite part of the experience?
Working with such driven people.
How do you think the internship’s been helpful for your career after university?
This experience has given me a great understanding of community focused careers, which is really helpful because I want my future career to involve working with people, just as the Centre does.
Which three words best describe your AYCC experience?
Engaging, fun, varied.
Favourite film?
About Time.
Favourite food?
Watermelon.
Best moment of this summer?
Being able to see some beautiful UK landscapes.
What do you want to be doing after university?
A career that involves working with people.
Hannah Matthews
Why did you first want to get involved with AYCC?
I really wanted to get involved in something where I could help others and which was community focused, and AYCC’s internship was the perfect opportunity. AYCC was friendly and welcoming, and there were chances to try so many new things and learn new skills.
What have you been involved in during your internship – and how have you found it?
I’ve been doing a variety of different things, such as writing good news stories, posting on social media, maintaining the website, updating the Fundraising Strategy, working on the Better Connected Project, and editing grant applications. I’ve found this all really interesting and I enjoyed getting so involved, especially with the website because this was something completely new to me.
What’s been your favourite part of the experience?
The rewarding nature of it: being able to directly see my work on the website and in different strategy documents, and therefore knowing that I’ve been able to help AYCC.
How do you think the internship’s been helpful for your career after university?
I’ve learnt so many new skills and have such a better understanding of how a charity works, which will be really helpful because I want to work within this sector.
Which three words best describe your AYCC experience?
Rewarding, interesting, friendly.
Favourite film?
Pirates of the Caribbean.
Favourite food?
Sushi.
Best moment of this summer?
Family holiday in Whitby.
What do you want to be doing after university?
Working for a charity or NGO