Olivia Barter, a second-year student studying Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol, shares her experience interning with us over the summer.
The past nine weeks with Bristol Women’s Voice (BWV) has provided me with a breadth of knowledge and skills, but most importantly I have spent time learning about the organisation’s role in supporting and campaigning for Bristol’s most marginalised women who are experiencing intersectional disadvantage in day-to-day life.
This internship has solidified my desire to enter the women’s sector in the future, whilst enhancing my interest in the local decision-making processes and the need to increase resources and funding in this extremely under-resourced, and often unprioritised, sector.
During my internship I completed some mini research projects and blog posts for BWV’s website. I really appreciated moving away from my usual academic essay style and instead writing in a more welcoming and informal way.
My first research piece was for International Women in Engineering Day 2022. This task involved contacting and interviewing individuals within the engineering field and chatting to them about their experiences in a traditionally male-dominated field. I also wrote a summary piece for the Women’s Budget Group’s Women and Employment Policy Briefing and researched existing local and national Feminist Activism Training.
I also attended some local meetings and events. I sat in a Bristol Women’s Commission meeting where Helen and some of the Disabled Women Take Action participants outlined their support for ACORN’s public toilet campaign and spoke on the importance of reopening them, due to it being a gendered issue. I also attended the Bristol Equalities Network Meeting and the Bristol Changing Futures Meeting. These events showed me the value in the collaborative relationships of Bristol’s non-profit and charity organisations, alongside the importance of continuing discussions and accountability mechanisms with decision-makers and the local council.
During my time with BWV, I have worked with Dahlia (community organiser, Women Together for Change) to plan and coordinate her Community Hubs for the Women Take Action project. My role was to research local community centres and event facilitators, then liaise and book their time to host the Hubs. This task developed my scheduling, logistical planning and communication skills, as well as learning more about the number of amazing organisations eager to support women across the city.
My work with Troy (volunteer and training coordinator) covered a variety of topics, all teaching me extremely practical skills and processes of how an organisation, such as BWV, operates. For instance, we sat down together and applied for a £10k funding bid. This is something I had no prior knowledge of, so I was eager to learn the process as securing funding is such a crucial part of the non-profit sector.
I also had the opportunity to complete a project for SARSAS. I met with multiple SARSAS employees who gave me more insight into the organisation itself and briefed me on my role. I was tasked with creating a newsletter template for their subscribers, as they have recently relaunched and rebranded. This involved learning how to use marketing software and develop design skills, whilst ensuring I consistently aligned with SARSAS’s Style Sheet. I really enjoyed this task as it was something I have never done before and I feel I will utilise these skills throughout the rest of my career.
Coming into this internship, with no experience in the non-profit women’s sector, just with a desire to contribute to change and strive to lessen existing inequalities, I have learnt so much and developed skills that I am confident will guide me in the future. Thank you to all the amazing team at BWV for making me feel so welcome and providing me with this amazing opportunity!
Olivia: Thank you from all of us for being such a brilliant member of the team over the past two months. You have been an absolute joy to work with, taken everything in your stride with enthusiasm and curiosity, brought a fresh perspective to important issues and showed the team what a well-organised document really looks like.
If you would like to find out more about our range of interning opportunities, please email Troy: vtcoordinator@bristolwomensvoice.org.uk.
