Sharing our highlights, learnings & challenges of the 2021 work placement programme as Community Advocates

Community Advocates, Prisca and Sonia, look back on their experience running the recently ended 2021 work placement programme for young people and small businesses.

Our highlights of the programme..

P: One thing I found really powerful was the chance I had to celebrate all the small victories and learnings that our interns achieved throughout the six months of the programme. Often young people in junior roles are expected to "know already" many of the intricacies and nuances of the world of work - from knowing how to ask a line manager for further guidance and feedback to leading a meeting with an audience of experts. However, many aspects of work which seem immediate and unambiguous to someone who has been working for a long time, often within the same field, may not be so to someone just entering the employment world or an industry. It was great to be within an environment where we could value both the big and the smaller wins.

S: Looking back, the one thing my personal highlights have in common is how we have created spaces where different people come together and talk freely about their experiences, thoughts and ideas. Be it online, like our series of events based on our values where our team, interns and businesses, and organisations more external to CF shared so generously. Or in person, once restrictions lifted and we could meet our interns, alumni and team - Meg, Zoya, Jane, Shanice, Becky and Prisca. I think the cherry on top of this programme for me was the London celebration where some of us met and hugged for the first time after working together remotely for 6 months. The energy felt in all those spaces was wonderful, and with every conversation, I am so inspired by the people Collaborative Future brings in. Also, to add to Prisca's point about celebrating the small wins - she has been my biggest cheerleader in the last 6 months, and it's so appreciated!

Our personal learnings..

P: I learnt how important trust is and how it is the foundation of any good working relationship. I was trusted from the moment I started my role as Community Advocate in a way I had never really experienced before. Although I did not realise it at first, this gave me the confidence to both act on my own initiative and coordinate my own small projects like CF's Impact Report, but also to share my work with others openly with less fear of judgment and support interns as a mentor in a way which could make them feel heard, valued and trusted the way I did.

S: I learnt how valuable conversations about trauma, identity and "woo-woo" topics with our young women, team and wider CF community would be in my personal journey. These at first felt so out of place to be having in a working environment, simply because the "you go to work to work" idea is deeply rooted, but I know these also benefitted others massively.

Our most challenging times..

P: I struggled with placing myself on an equal footing with the professionals I created working relationships with. I am very conscious of my inexperience within the industries they work in and it can be very challenging for me to recognise what I bring to teams where everyone else can draw on their own experience to answer questions and reach solutions. It was helpful to be working with encouraging people who would ask for my thoughts on the work and were willing to give constructive feedback to help me grow and learn.

S: I think the most challenging things for me were around hearing about and growing understanding of how people's past traumas from work opportunities can impact them in the future (even for young people who have only just stepped foot into the world of work!). What helped is the transparency we've installed within our community and programme, and playing an active part both individually through mentoring but also as a team through conversations, events and such to change this narrative of a "typical workplace" for people and ensure everyone feels heard and valued.

Our thoughts on how the programme has grown..

P: In the programme I took part in, the interns were not introduced to each other as a cohort and did not do any projects together - although we did projects with the same businesses. This meant that it was difficult for us to know what others were doing and creating a sense of community among us. In this later version of the programme CF as a team invested time and effort in building a cohort that worked together in various different ways; once this was done at the start, the interns themselves took charge of developing and strengthening their own community and bonds.

S: Collaborative Future has grown SO MUCH since I took part in the 6-week pilot in 2019 it's hard to believe. There was such a sense of community and togetherness in the previous cohort, and personally, I felt a connection with not only the interns and businesses on the programme, but also with Tess and Prisca. I'm really excited that in a way, with the upcoming Creative Futures programme, we are going back to the roots with it also being based in Nottingham. Plus, with lifted restrictions, I think running this programme in person will add an additional layer of excitement and challenges.

Our thoughts on improving future programmes..

P: I'd like to see all businesses truly engage with the programme as a whole, taking part in all the different things we can offer to them. For this reason, we are slightly changing the way we approach the businesses and interns' time spent working together, focusing more on projects rather than discrete days.

S: I'd love to put more focus on face-to-face interactions both work-related and social, as there is a massive difference between talking to someone remotely and in person. Although I know that many people will value the flexibility that comes with being able to work remotely, I hope many take advantage of being able to collaborate side by side, and have more of a change to develop relationships in the process.

Sonia & Prisca, Collaborative Future Community Advocates at London Celebration event, August 2021

Sonia & Prisca, Collaborative Future Community Advocates at London Celebration event, August 2021

You can support our work by..

Sonia Tyrna