{"id":22302,"date":"2021-07-04T21:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T21:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/?p=22302"},"modified":"2022-02-05T00:24:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T00:24:43","slug":"na-stazi-v-adra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/en\/na-stazi-v-adra\/","title":{"rendered":"On internship at ADRA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kika and Dominique interned with us from February to June 2021. In the interview, they reveal how they stumbled into ADRA, what this internship gave them, and how it influenced their next steps in life. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Dominique, Kika, introduce yourselves to us first. Who are you, what do you do, what interests you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Hi, my name is Dominique and I study European Studies at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University. I am interested in development cooperation and helping disadvantaged groups, which is what led me to this internship. <\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> My name is Kika and I am a graduate of European Studies at the Faculty of European Studies, Charles University. During my studies, my final thesis focused on the topic of data protection. For about a year, I did factcheck, which (I hope) contributed to the fight against misinformation. In recent months, also thanks to ADRA, I have become more interested in humanitarian and development aid. My recreational hobbies mainly involve a lot of reading and painting. <\/p>\n

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Why did you decide to apply for an internship at ADRA, what were your expectations? Were they met? Did the internship maybe give you something you did not expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I applied for this internship mainly because I had been following the activities of various Slovak and international development organizations for a longer period of time and I found their work attractive, I just wasn't sure what exactly it consisted of, as usually the result is presented only. So it was important for me to have an insight into the processes that lead to those results. Honestly, this internship gave me much more than I expected.  <\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> Since I was in my final year, during the summer I already started to think about my focus and job after my studies. In our field, it's hard to find a job right after graduation without an internship. Since I had some previous experience in the non-profit sector, the internship at ADRA seemed like a good opportunity to capitalize on these experiences, but also to gain new ones and develop myself. Of course I have followed ADRA's work on social media for a long time, I have always liked their projects and also their quick adaptation to current issues, e.g. pandemics. I imagined it would be great to be part of this. But my expectations were not high, I had negative preconceptions about interning in such a well-known organization in Slovakia. At the same time, I also had a lot of respect and concerns about whether I would be able to meet the requirements. Neither of these things came true, everyone at ADRA was fully dedicated, explained and taught us. So it was not that only we were working for them, but they were also passing on their experience and knowledge to us.<\/p>\n

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Kika (left) and Dominique (right) have just joined the ADRA team and are getting acquainted with our projects.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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What did you do during your internship? Approximately how much time did you invest in the internship per week?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> The content of the internship was varied, as was the time commitment. We helped with the translation of project applications and various documents from and into English, I helped with the preparation and promotion of an online webinar, I prepared an information brochure for volunteers coming to Slovakia and merch for the project FOUR - Farming Opportunities for Uganda and Rwanda<\/em>. Of course, there was more, but these activities came to my mind first. The time was about 15 hours a week on average, but we extended the internship by 2 months and the workload was slightly reduced. But our colleagues at ADRA always reminded us that there would be something for us if we wanted it. And it's not just non-essential tasks to fill the time. <\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> I think it was like 10 hours a week on average, sometimes more and sometimes less. My tasks were varied: I worked on translating project applications, I also contributed to project reports, edited ADRA blogs, and much more. We also helped on an ad hoc basis when needed, so it was dynamic and that's what I really liked about it.<\/p>\n

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What did you like most about your internship and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> What I liked most was that at the beginning of the internship I had the opportunity to define my areas of interest and goals. These preferences were taken into account during the internship and we also had several training sessions where different topics related to projects and project applications were explained to us. Also, everyone at ADRA is very nice and friendly people.<\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> To see and experience how the non-profit sector, humanitarian and development aid works in Slovakia, how the whole process from project creation to its implementation takes place. Every Friday we met and the girls (ADRA project managers) taught us about project applications, how to make them look like, how to fill them out so that they would be successful. We also attended different webinars, trainings or even meetings with partners. I always looked forward to every single meeting, of any type, because I quickly got the feeling of being part of the ADRA team.<\/p>\n

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What did you like the least and why? Would you change, add anything to your activities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> The least I liked was that we couldn't be in personal contact because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> I didn't like the homeoffice. The anti-pandemic measures were strict to function in the office and I regret that a little bit. Nevertheless, we were able to function fully online as well, and it didn't affect the quality of our internship, but I missed the face-to-face contact.<\/p>\n

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Would you recommend a similar internship to your classmates, friends? If so, who do you think such an internship is suitable for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I would definitely recommend this internship to everyone who is interested in development cooperation and activities of ADRA Slovakia. I think that the internship is suitable for people with a sincere interest in the topics and a desire to learn.<\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> Definitely yes! I think this internship is suitable for anyone who is even slightly interested in this field and who has a desire to explore and learn new things.<\/p>\n

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How did you enrich your internship? What knowledge and skills have you gained and how do you plan to use them in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> All the meetings we had with the team were rewarding. We already know how to formulate a project idea into a project application so that we can successfully implement it in practice. We already know that working in humanitarian aid and development, while rewarding and dynamic, involves a lot of administration, bureaucracy, flexibility, time and unexpected twists and turns and challenges. And of course, we have learned how to contribute to a better world and help those who are not as well off as we are.<\/p>\n

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Was the internship a motivation for you, an inspiration to look for other opportunities in the humanitarian aid and development cooperation sector?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> It certainly does. This internship helped me to confirm that I would like to continue in this direction after graduation.<\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> Yeah. During those months I realised that even a full-time job in the sector would be fulfilling. <\/p>\n

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Kika and Dominique (middle) together with our project managers try on the new ADRA vests that the interns helped to procure.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Why do you think it is important to be involved in humanitarian aid and development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Because every single person has the right to have his or her basic needs met, regardless of which country he or she lives in. <\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> It is important to remember that, even though we are always complaining about something, Slovakia is one of the most developed countries in the world. This was not the case in the past, and it is thanks to the help we have received from others that we are where we are now. With development aid, we are contributing to building a better society and living in peace and stability. Humanitarian aid is important from an ethical and moral point of view, because it is human and civilised to help. Simply put, we make the world a better place.<\/p>\n

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What are your plans after your internship? Where will the next months lead you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I am currently applying to be a development volunteer in Serbia (so I hope to be there) and I will definitely be looking for other ways to gain the necessary experience to get a job in this sector.<\/p>\n

K:<\/strong> As I am finishing my studies at the same time as I am finishing this internship, I would like to enter the job market in the field of development and humanitarian aid. I am currently considering using my Erasmus+ graduate traineeship at another non-profit in this field abroad. I hope that in time I will build up enough confidence to graduate and volunteer as well. There are many opportunities, you just have to choose. Thank you to the whole ADRA team for a great internship. I am grateful that I could be part of a team that continues to inspire me. <\/p>\n

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For us at ADRA, Dominique and Kika's words read pleasantly. During the past months they have been a great help in our daily work and we are therefore glad that they also evaluated the internship positively and perceived our cooperation as stimulating. We see in these young people a great potential for the future of Slovak humanitarian and development aid.  <\/p>\n

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