Libby, a Criminology and Sociology student at the University of Sussex, has just completed an eight-week internship here with us. Here she explains some of the things she got up to in her time here and what experiences she learned from going forward into her third and final year at university.

What did you get up to?

“It feels like I’ve done a little bit of everything!”

“My main focus in terms of social media was posting on Instagram and Facebook, I tried to curate content that was consistent and maintaining a theme, something that followers would engage with. I worked closely with the Outreach team, getting to know them all and the details of how they run things.”

What did you take away from the experience? 

“I have taken away a real behind the scenes insight into what it takes to run a charity.”

“Communications is such an important side of things, espeically for smaller charities with less funds. Because social media is a free way to reach different people, there is an increase in the need to be using different social media platforms in charities.”

What was your experience with the team? 

“When talking about St Michael’s, you can tell everyone has a real passion in their fields and what they do.”

“It is clear that their passion is what keeps the charity alive. Everyone I have spoken to has been really cooperative in participating in interviews, but also giving additional information. Sarah does an amazing job, despite being on her own, in communications.”

What will you do after this? 

“I know whatever it is I end up doing next has to have depth and meaning. This experience has opened my eyes to working in the charity sector.”

“I am really grateful for this opportunity in communications, especially working with sensitive situations. I now have a real insight into what the charity does and I will definitely never forget.”