My Celebrate Living History Internship.
My Public Relations
internship at Celebrate Living History Australia was a great opportunity to
develop my public relations skills as well as experiencing working in a dynamic
organisation. I worked closely with Bev Wilkinson so best developed the skills
I wanted to improve with this internship. The more I learned about the organisation I
started to develop ideas on how to get interest in the project and got to use
my creative side to collaborate ideas with Bev and other interns that I
communicated with.
One of the most
important lessons I took away from my internship was how important
communication is, especially since I worked freelance and the company with its
boss is in Melbourne. However I was surprised at how well it worked and how I
felt like I was a part of the team, even though I was in another city.
I was keen to develop
my experience in making newsletters and especially online newsletters which I
had the opportunity to do at Celebrate Living History. For me I learn better
with hands-on experience and agree with Dewey who saw theory as integral to
experience, believing experience was a key factor in knowing and rethinking
theory (Dewey, 1958). Working with real life challenges made me put everything
I have learned into use and made me remember all the theory that we learned the
previous semesters.
I had always wanted to
work for a non-for-profit organisation and I was very happy I got the
opportunity to do so, I learned how the funding process works, and how to apply
for grants and more importantly to gain support for the cause.
I was surprised at how difficult
it could be to get a good idea recognition and support, however Bev is only
just starting up with her business and it will take some time, I was happy to
help as much as I could bringing Celebrate Living History to the Gold Coast. I
visited with a group of seniors that was very interested in the project, and
this showed me the importance of raising awareness in creating brand recognition.
I agree with the notion
that hands-on experience provides students with a diversified education that
provides the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their job duties well
(Stroup & Speight, 2000). It would have been daunting to jump straight into
a work place having not had any previous experience with it.
Kolb (2005) wrote that
learners "must be able to involve themselves fully, openly, and without
bias in new experiences; they must be able to observe and reflect on these
experiences from many perspectives; they must be able to create concepts that
integrate their observations into logically sound theories; and they must be
able to use these theories to make decisions and solve problems" (p. 236).
I felt that this internship made me do these things and was an essential part
of preparing me for working life.
As always in the public
relations sphere it is essential to network, create contacts and relationships
that can help both parties. Having connections at universities helped Bev to create
a very good internship program that benefits both the interns and her.¨
Another thing that was
important for me to learn was the use of social media to connect with
supporters and others in the public. I did a lot of research on how have a
better interactive web site, and I got to see how Bev used social media to
update information, talk directly to people through Facebook, and constantly
updating the website with new and exciting stories. Social media is an increasingly prominent means of networking and communicating, both essential components of a PR career.
I feel like I made the
most of my opportunity as an intern and enjoyed learning how to first of all
start up a company, run a non-for-profit organisation and gain media awareness.
Working with so many other interns I feel like I got the same experience as if
it would have been just me and I learned a lot. I feel now like I am ready to
enter the work place, confident that I have something to contribute.
References:
Kolb, A. Y. & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning
styles and learning spaces: enhancing experiential learning in higher
education. Academy of Management Learning and Education. 4(2), pp. 193-212.
Stroup, K. &
Speight, S. (2000, Winter - Spring). Essential Elemement. ASJMC Insights,
pp. 3-6.
Dewey, J. (1958).
Experience and nature. La Salle, Ill: Open Court Pub. Co.
