Lily’s internship

What first interested you in the internship at It’s Time?

Well I’ve been interested in working in the charity sector for quite some time, and it seemed like a great opportunity to gain some experience. It seemed like there was a lot of space to gain insight into several areas of the charity, and that I could really tailor the experience to what I wanted to learn and gain from the internship!

What was your role?

My job title was Education Partnerships Intern, and so I was contributing to the charity’s aim to connect with different organisations and create meaningful partnerships. Specifically, I was focused on partnering with organisations related to education. So this mostly included universities and student unions, but also big organisations that cater for the student demographic. These types of partnerships are quite important for It’s Time, as bereaved students can be particularly vulnerable during this period of their lives and so reaching them is really valuable.

What did you get up to?

My overall objective was to connect and partner with as many of these organisations as possible, in order to raise awareness of the charity to students who might benefit and to develop meaningful connections with them. I spent a lot of time reaching out to wellbeing offices at universities, and organised lots of meetings between It’s Time and the important people at the Unis. But I also put effort into encouraging some universities to look at reforming their mitigating circumstances policies (which tended to be quite strict for students that have experienced bereavement). I ended up developing relationships with about 15 universities, as well as organisations like NUS and The Student Room! I even got to write an article for NUS which is published on their website!

What will you take away from the experience?

I’ve really enjoyed my experience working with It’s Time, and I feel as though I’ve learned so much. I’ve gained a lot of understanding about what it’s like to work in the charity sector, and how it operates. I also feel like I’ve improved my communication skills a lot, having had to reach out to hundreds of different organisations that I had never been in contact with before! Overall I’d say it’s been a really enjoyable experience which has taught me a lot and will be very valuable for me going forward.

What will you do after this?

I’m now preparing to finish my final year at University. I’m not entirely sure what line of work I’d like to go into afterwards, but having worked with It’s Time I would love to continue working with a charity in some capacity, either as my career or in my spare time.

Lily Hardcastle - Education Partnerships Intern, 2022