During the summer, I had the amazing opportunity of being an SNS intern for six weeks. Despite the duration of the placement, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and helped me grow personally and professionally. I feel absolutely privileged to have been a part of this team! This experience has taught me things for a lifetime.
I did have some experience in working in an office/administrative workplace but not for an independent charity organisation, I was curious to see how SNS ran on a daily basis and had some knowledge of what SNS stood for, as they came to my school 4 years ago and left quite a good impression on me.
I entered the role with an amalgamation of emotions, excitement, curiosity, apprehension and fear of the unknown. Initially, I felt like I was thrown into the deep end, trying to make sense of how the team organised itself, the software they used, the routines and structure, I felt out of place and confused, which made it hard to grasp.
However, as time went on, my confidence, self-esteem and understanding of the work SNS carries out (from an insider perspective) improved. Plus, I realised that I was not expected to do everything entirely by myself, I could ask for support if need be and that it is ok to make mistakes.
The challenges I faced:
Although this experience was amazing, I struggled with the idea of remote work as it was not something I was familiar with, I was used to working in person and building better connections with people in real life. It was frustrating to me to communicate with my colleagues through a screen, it felt like a barrier. I did manage to navigate around this. Also because this internship was in the summer, I did not have the opportunity to accompany SNS with school visits in the Northern region of England.
This was something that I would have loved to do. Nonetheless, I overcame this challenge when attending this year's annual Bridge Builder's Programme.
Investigating Trump's involvement and the pressure on Keir Starmer to recognise Palestine:
My role included doing research for the weekly newsletter, which I have previous experience in for creating my college's newsletter. The most integral topics in my research these few weeks were about Trump's involvement in the US controlling Gaza and Sir Keir Starmer being heavily pressed to recognise Palestine, in which he finally did, it made me ask myself "is it too late? Or is there finally hope?". Also, casualties of civilians near US aid distribution sites were frequently mentioned. Carrying out this research has helped me gain a valuable insight into the severity of this conflict and educating myself on the escalation of these tumultuous events, this has intensified my emotions even more, of course I did manage to remain impartial.
The Bridge Builders Programme:
This 5-day programme in Cambridge was exceptional, aiding me to foster amazing relationships with such a diverse, intellectual and vocal assortment of people who all wanted to further evolve and educate themselves like myself. I really enjoyed the concept of dialogue as a substitute for debate, ensuring everyone is heard regardless of their opinion and there is no feeling of winning or losing. It helped me to gain an all-round view of the same narrative by hearing different viewpoints and perceptions. To me, active listening is an essential part in peace-building, because nothing is achieved if one does not want to listen.
This week was quite emotionally charged, seeing interfaith come to fruition was a beautiful sight to encounter via discussions, workshops and Q & A segments. It was amazing to see the similarities and differences in the Abrahamic religions and the fact that they are not so different after all. What made my experience more worthwhile was the relationships and bonds I created over that small period of time, enjoying the company of others, playing mafia (a game), staying up late, engrossing in deep and meaningful chats in the open spaces of Trinity Hall and educating people on my faith and what it means to me.
I am very thankful for this unique and exhilarating experience and I will cherish it dearly. Honourable mention: meeting and having dinner with Lord Khan, I have to say it was unreal!
For the future...
Despite studying a STEM related degree, this placement has opened my mind up to other career aspects and perhaps being a youth worker may be my calling. As a biomedical sciences student, gaining firsthand experience with the work carried out by SNS gave me valuable insight into the daily operations of an education charity. Being directly involved in some of their projects helped me understand the meaningful impact such organisations can have. Over the course of the two-month placement, I also learned that remote work does not suit me. I perform best in collaborative, in-person environments rather than working alone for long periods. Despite that, the experience was incredibly rewarding. It increased my confidence in professional settings and helped clarify my goals for life post graduation.
I just want to say a great big thank you to Ali and the team! :)
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The Bridge Builders Programme is Solutions Not Sides' flagship youth engagement programme, bringing together 16-19 year olds for a week to learn about interfaith dialogue, Palestine-Israel, and leadership development, while spending it with Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders.
Applications for our 2026 edition are now open, head to https://solutionsnotsides.co.uk/sns-bridge-builders-programme.