My internship at StepEurope ry

Hello! My name is Ianthe. I’m studying Community Education at Humak Turku. This spring I get to be part of the StepEurope ry team, doing my final internship and thesis at StepEurope ry. 
During my studies, I have gained experience in youth work and event organizing. My focus has been multicultural youth work and non-formal and artistic learning methods. StepEurope ry has given me the opportunity to develop new skills and broaden my network.

Ronja and Elias warmly welcomed me as part of the team at the beginning of February. Together we have organized events, attended meetings and networking events, made a new marketing plan and marketing materials. I gained experience in using handy marketing tools as Canva and MailChimp and got some updates on my social media marketing skills as well.

When planning for this internship, I set the goal for myself to get experience in writing funding applications before I graduate. I want to be able to apply for funding and create innovative projects in the years to come. This is a valuable skill when working in the NGO sector. With Finnish not being my native language, I also wanted to gain confidence in my own abilities to write important texts in Finnish. 

My internship kicked off in February with an approaching deadline for an Erasmus+ funding application, so I got to practice right away! The application was a team effort, working with the international cooperating organizations and StepEurope ry’s volunteers. I was happy to see how StepEurope ry’s projects are planned and implemented with its young adult volunteers, creating youth work together. It was a thrill to work on such an inspiring project and I was happy to be able to bring some of my own experience and network to the project.

During the month of March, a big part of our working hours went into writing a more extensive STEA (Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations) funding application. I had the chance to attend a workshop organized by STEA to prepare for this task. Now, after the deadline, the process continues with the waiting for the funding decision! 

The most fun moments of my internship were definitely the local events we organized. I like to help create a nice atmosphere for people to come together, celebrating differences as well as what we have in common. With my own background as an immigrant, I have enjoyed meeting young people from many different countries. During the Newbies evening, Afternoon Coffee, the panel discussions, the Week against Racism, the Lost in Turku mystery path and other events, we received feedback about how people like to hear each other’s stories and make new connections. This is one thing I like about StepEurope ry very much. It gives a platform for young adults to meet each other in a relaxed, international atmosphere.

At this moment Ronja, Lisa and I are enjoying the sun coming through the roof windows from the Logomo Byrå. It’s a pleasant working environment and a wonderful team. Ronja has been my mentor during the past months and has made this internship such a wonderful experience. A big thank you to her for the help, the guidance and the excellent company!

I have another week to go in my internship and will focus on my thesis during the rest of the spring and summer. I’m also looking forward to being actively involved in StepEurope’s upcoming activities. During the summer I will be part of the Gardening Project. You can still join us if you want! We will meet Saturday 28.4 for the first time here in Logomo Byrå. Check the event here if you want more info! 

I’m hoping to meet many of you in the time to come. Maybe in the garden, or at another StepEurope ry event!

Ianthe