My internship at BB - Andrew Szoleta

I’ve spent four months now as an Intern at Beatbullying and have loved every minute of it. The team have been really welcoming from day one and never once left me making the tea, metaphorically speaking.

After finishing my degree in the summer I like so many others found myself without a job and with no real prospects of finding one. Beatbullying have helped to change that, and I’m leaving them with a new sense of positivity, not to mention a much more impressive CV.  I’m not really sure what I expected to be doing when I walked into the Beatbullying offices on my first day, but I know that I couldn’t have imagined that it would include some of the things that I’ve gotten up to over the last four months.

My last day in the office with some of the practice team

Whilst in the office I work mostly on the inevitable paper work attached to running the programme, but there was such a fantastic atmosphere that even the dreaded data entry seemed not that bad. I was given responsibility for collecting overdue evaluation forms from schools, and created a database of schools in the Liverpool area for use in the future. I’ve been included in meeting and staff away days, asked for my opinions on a wide variety of subject and in general made to feel like a valued member of the team. The most important test I was to face was if Jarvis liked me (see the picture below), I think I passed and we’ve had many a fun moment rolling around on the floor. I’m really going to miss him.

Andrew with Jarvis

The Internship really took off once my CRB Check came back and I was able to start helping with the CyberMentor workshops. This was strange at first, after all I don’t feel like it was that long ago that I was at school, but I soon got into the flow of it I had a great time.  I delivered one and two day format workshops and even did a teachers conference. I really enjoyed the conference, none of the delegates had been told I was an intern and so I felt that I was being treated with a great deal of respect by them, and was comfortable answering their questions which highlighted that I had gained knowledge to a higher level than I had imagined. The professional workshop was great fun, the teachers where a little hesitant at first, but in the end were playing the games with as much energy as any of the kids.

I’ve been involved with trips out with the Gateway programme taking the kids around the Tate modern and even a tour around Wembley Stadium. We saw the England changing room and had our picture taken with the FA Cup, walked out to the pitch through the player’s tunnel and wrote a quiz for the kids to follow on the tour.

Andrew at Wembley Stadium

I’ve really loved being an Intern at Beatbullying; I’ve learnt so much and made wonderful friends that I hope will continue on into the future. I would encourage anyone that is thinking of applying to be an Intern here to go for it. It will be one of the best things you’ll ever do.

Andrew S | 23-03.2010