Reflecting on My Internship: Archie Kershaw

Meet Archie, our Winter 2024 Term Time Intern.

I joined Citymoves at the end of November to complete my winter ABDN Term Time internship through the University of Aberdeen Careers and Employability Service. I applied quite late and was very unsure of what I was getting myself into for the next seven weeks, though I knew I would come out of the office having learned some practical skills and some understanding of what the cultural sector is like.

I am in my fourth and final year of my Sociology degree, and I am uncertain about what I would like to do with my future. Helping people in small ways is important to me, and upon researching Citymoves I saw an opportunity to gain experience in a professional workplace whilst contributing to something positive. Thus, I applied and was fortunate to be accepted.

Each stage of this internship has been a learning experience from me. For example, the interview I took part in was new to me. Having never had a job which required this stage, preparing for the interview is a crucial skill I learned. Furthermore, having the confidence to apply and then accept the job despite my degree being unrelated perhaps showed me that saying yes and accepting chances is important.

I see three key learning opportunities within this internship: the chance to work in an office as part of a small team, the chance to learn about the cultural and third sector and the chance to develop research, graphic design and analytical skills. My short time here has allowed me to develop each of these sections individually and witness how they all come together to be a useful part of the team.

The people I have met and learned from will be my largest takeaway.

Seeing this seven-member team operate with fluidity to achieve goals whilst keeping a light-hearted atmosphere was inspiring. What is foremost at Citymoves is maintaining a positive atmosphere. The Christmas and January period is extremely busy, but the office remained calm and happy, despite everyone having their own battles going on. Weekly check-ins and daily laughs keep this team going and I felt honoured to be part of it. Everyone has their own individual impressive careers which has mixed perfectly, allowing Citymoves to be an efficient and successful part of the Cultural Sector of Aberdeen. This environment provided the space for me to relax and then learn.

My first large task, and new skill to learn, was to design and write Citymoves’ Giving Tuesday social media campaign. For this, I researched the campaigns of other charities for inspiration and developed a style for my own campaign. I looked back on previous posts made by Citymoves to continue the same visual theme and use of language. Through delving into analytics and donation processes, I could formulate more ideas on how this campaign should be designed. Once I felt informed about Aberdeen's cultural sector and the style of Citymoves, I began designing in Canva graphics to post alongside my text. I have no graphic design experience, so learning on the job was engaging. I enjoyed the time pressure of this, forcing me to learn and adapt quickly to meet the deadlines set. I now feel competent in basic graphic design and have the skills to research a brand and design a marketing program. I then consistently worked on small graphic design and social media projects throughout my time, sending out a Christmas card and a ‘What's on’ post.

Post-Christmas, I worked on redesigning the Support Us page of the website and wrote the January Newsletter. These were two larger tasks which required a deep understanding of the charity, most of which I learned through the weekly team meetings. Through this communication, formulating the newsletter was an enjoyable experience, and I found myself excited for what is to come at Citymoves. I greatly appreciated the teamwork on the newsletter, ensuring each event was portrayed properly. As for the Support Us page, this required a complete rewrite and redesign. A lot of the language was outdated and advertised old offerings; therefore, through studying other charities, I have rewritten the page in an attractive and contemporary tone- displaying the true aims and work that Citymoves does. Paying attention to the wording and language used when asking for donations is very important, and it was interesting to develop a style of writing that caters to websites and social media.

Throughout this work in the office, I was lucky enough to sit in and take part in meetings with small business owners and other members of the cultural sector, in which we discussed the upcoming Big Belmont Bash. This event gives local businesses the opportunity to create a party-like atmosphere on Belmont Street, displaying their goods and working with their neighbours. Months of planning go into this event, joining these Collective on the Cobbles Meetings allowed me to see the planning, effort, and time spent making a successful day. Through this, I became acquainted with lots of interesting people whom I have subtly learned a lot from. Sitting in a professional setting and the communication from person to person opened my eyes to the inner workings of how events are conceived and then executed.

Overall, I leave Citymoves feeling part of the community, recognising charities and the arts work by a group of talented people getting the most out of each other and enjoying the process. I am sure I will make use of the skills and confidence I have gained throughout this internship.

-Archie Kershaw