Active as an intern with fresh ideas
Hey! My name is Anika Syrzisko and I was lucky enough to stumble across an internship advert from the steps for children foundation at the Leuphana Career Fair, just in time for the completion of my bachelor's degree (cultural studies, political science)! I have now been working for steps for a month and a half and am happy to report on my internship experience.
Completing an internship at a foundation like steps for children was particularly important to me because I am sensitive to the unequal opportunities that people have when they enter the world. I think the foundation's holistic approach - opening up opportunities through education, training and starting a business, thereby creating prospects for people of different ages - is very worthy of support. In addition, for me personally, the historical and political context in which steps for children operates is a particular motivation for the internship. It is not without reason that the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development states in its country profile of Namibia that the extraordinary poverty of parts of the population stems from the country's past, which was shaped by apartheid policy and German colonial power.* I am therefore taking the internship at steps for children as an opportunity to learn a lot about German-Namibian history and present.
My work at steps could be described in the broadest sense as “boosting networking”. For example, I create a range of materials that make it easier for schools to the Spendenaktion and to contextualize the foundation's work for students. The project to set up a junior ambassador program for steps for children is also in the starting blocks - stay tuned! Otherwise, I create communication materials such as roll-ups and posters - although it is important to me to plan new material with a focus on information and language rather than images.
The part-time internship at steps is an ideal practical addition and change to my very theoretical master's degree - because all the joy and inspiration that academic work gives me is only rounded off by being able to make a difference with the skills I learned during my studies.
The steps team in the Hamburg office offers me a really nice environment in which I can ask and learn everything about the foundation's work - I am very grateful for that! 😊
Dear Anika, we thank you very much for your work and active support. Your commitment and creative thinking have enriched our team and advanced many projects. We wish you all the best for your future and hope that you can take the experience with us as a valuable part of your career.