Hello Diary,

This is weird, I’ve never written a dairy before, so you will have to bear with me. Anyway, I’ve just completed my internship at The Coexistence Trust.

For the first week I kept getting large amounts of work in a small period of time, then none at all. By the second week the office had recognised the inflow problem and solved it.  I, too, had also learnt. What had I learnt? Well, excluding the assortment of skills I had picked up, I realised that I was being treated as a staff member, and had to work like one.

The third week came and I believed by now I was fully integrated into the office, being given regular tasks. At this time I began to reflect, and I realised the sheer amount I had learnt.

Each day at The Coexistence Trust was a new learning experience. Each day was also extremely tiring, but that is always a side effect of work. Although I have learned so much during this experience.

In truth, I was shocked by amount of responsibility I was immediately given, the amount trust emplaced in me, and being treated as another member of staff.

It is by far the best way to learn, but I was shocked that the staff trusted me enough to do it. I haven’t told the Trust yet, but really I didn’t trust myself to do the tasks that I was given.

However my lack of trust in myself was easily combated by the support provided. What is so great about the Coexistence Trust is that you get to see the micro issues of the business through everyday tasks, and also the macro issues affecting everyone through meetings.

This really helps one learn and allows one to understand how a charity such as this really functions.

Just to top it all off, everything you do here is going towards helping a great team of staff, a great charity and ultimately a great cause. I could now lecture you all day about why it is important to volunteer for an internship to join The Coexistence Trust, but I won’t.

Instead I will tell you this. Three words, just three words. No less, no more, but words that can change your life forever:

Seize. Serve. Succeed.

This is an opportunity that you cannot afford to miss, so apply, no matter the odds against you, the others that doubt you or your own worries. Just do it and above all enjoy it.

Once here simply do your best, and with all the help and support provided, you are bound to surprise yourself and the others around you. Try your best at everything, and if you fail, they lock you in the cupboard. Only joking… the Trust encourages you to try and try again.

Once your experience is over you would have picked up so many new and useful skills you can implement in other areas of your life. If internships are about learning, then this must be one of the best.

In conclusion I plead with you not to waste one second here. Not one second of one day, of one week. Not a second. Every second is a new opportunity and a chance to learn.

This internship is tiring. At times it is repetitive and tedious. And at others it can be very stressful. But as with most opportunities in life, the majority is constructive, exciting and absolutely fantastic.

My experience here has been incredibly valuable, and I would like to thank any staff members reading this entry, who made this experience possible.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Kes Daood