Date published: 21 February 2017 by Anna Jackson

This Student Volunteering Week, students Emily, Katie and Amy, share their experience after they joined us for week placement last summer.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Emily: Hi, I’m Emily and I’m currently in my first years of A-Levels, studying history, government and politics, psychology, and sociology. I hope to go to university potentially studying international relations, social policy or marketing.

Katie: My name is Katie and I am 17 years old. I am studying my A-levels in physics, maths, geography and geology.

Amy: Hi my name is Amy, and similar to the rest of the girls I am also studying for my A- Levels.

Why did you want work experience?

Emily: I wanted to gain more of a feel for what a professional working environment was like, and to also learn a bit more about marketing and communications.

Katie: Volunteering is the perfect way to discover life after university and help you to decide what environment would suit you best when applying for jobs. I also wanted to improve my skills within a work environment, to be inquisitive and up for a challenge.

Amy: I decided to do work experience so that I could enhance my CV and skill set. But most importantly, I wanted to gain some invaluable experience of what it is like to get out into the workforce.

Why did you choose Rainbow Trust?

Emily: I wanted to work at Rainbow Trust as I felt that it would give me a good insight into what working within a charity was like, as well as gaining some good experience within fundraising and marketing teams. I also support the work that Rainbow Trust does, so I wanted to learn more about this.

Katie: I chose to do mine at Rainbow Trust to see what it is like to work behind the scenes for a charity. To learn, and be part of the good work that supports families.

Amy: Rainbow Trust have supported my family in the past and I know they do so much to help others. This intrigued me to the point that I wanted to gain experience of how the charity operates internally.

What have you gained from this experience?

Emily: I’ve learnt the importance of communication when it comes to fundraising, and also communicating well within a team. Overall, I have really enjoyed my it and have learnt a lot of skills that I’m sure will help me in the future.

Katie: Throughout my week here I have been in three different teams. The first was the Individual Giving Team. In this department I looked into what events are being held and made a poster of all the events for the next coming year to be able to send out to supporters to gain interest. Next I went to the Communications Team. I was researching whether Facebook ads are a good investment and had to phone up companies to find emails of people to invite to events. This was a proper office experience! On my last day I was in the Regional Team. They deal with fundraising in different areas of the country which was really interesting to see how one charity has spread out and is doing different events in different places all for the same cause. From this experience I have been immersed into office life. It was really exciting and I really felt part of the team even though I was only there for a short period of time.

Amy: Before Rainbow Trust I didn’t have much confidence talking to people, but this experience has given me the chance to join in with team activities, and improve my communication skills. I have also learnt more about digital marketing, through updating their social media pages, and making new posters using design software. This whole experience was great for me, as it has given me the confidence to be able to get a job in the future.

If you are interested in joining Rainbow Trust to do work experience get in touch or view our current volunteer opportunities.