Emily and Mazvita's internship experience
Emily, our Media and Communication Officer had the opportunity to host an intern in her team. She hosted Mazvita for three months at the RNIB head office in London. They share their internship experience with us.
Mazvita, External Communications intern
Why did you choose to do an internship with us?
I choose to intern with RNIB as working for a national charity would give me experience working in a large organisation and the opportunities to get involved in lots of different aspects of the organisation as well as recreational activities.
What do you feel you have gained from doing an internship with us?
I enjoyed the variety of work my role entailed and the independence that my supervisors afforded. It gave me the chance to take responsibility for my work and really throw myself into my projects.
I believe I have gained essential skills in PR and communications but more importantly, I have improved my transferable skills. The team helped nurture my organisation and interpersonal skills as well as my self-confidence. The support and guidance of everyone around me was invaluable.
How do you feel your internship has made a difference to the everyday lives of blind and partially sighted people?
Blind and partially sighted storytellers take great pride and enjoy in helping RNIB by sharing their story. Being able to be a part of this process is very rewarding as you get to see the joy that people have when their story is shared and it helps to make a difference to other blind and partially sighted people.
If you could sum your internship in one sentence, what would you say?
A journey of self-discovery and laughs.
Do you have any favourite moments, highlights or special stories about volunteering with us that you’d like to share?
My favourite moment at RNIB was filming the Glastonbury video. It was during my first month and I got to meet a lot of people that afternoon. It was the perfect introduction to the organisation as it was fun, relaxed and a little bit silly and after that, I knew I was going to truly enjoy my time at RNIB.
Emily, Communications Officer
If you could describe your experience of hosting an intern in one sentence, what would you say?
Brilliant, helpful, and a joy to work with!
How do you feel hosting an internship has made a difference to the service your team provides to people with sight loss?
Having an intern has really improved our service delivery. We’ve been able to improve the Stories Library and increase its visibility significantly, something we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without the intern. They have been a huge support in moving along many tasks that we were unable to focus on until then.
Do you have any favourite moments or highlights that you’d like to share?
I really enjoyed having a new member of the team who was very positive and eager to learn. I really liked the ideas and contributions the intern brought forward and seeing their confidence grow. It was nice to go back to basics and introduce them to RNIB which reminded me of why I started working here.