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During the year-end months, we usually get quite a number of interns joining us in our everyday work at Make The Change. From October 2023 to January 2024, we had a total of more than 40 interns, some even as young as 14 years old, from more than 10 schools!
Our youngest interns from Nanyang Girls' High School (left) and Raffles Girls' School (right)
We are very honoured to have given them a taste of working life in a social enterprise, and
are grateful for all the support they have given us through their time and effort here.
As we wrap up our intern season, we would like to share with you words of reflections by our interns about their experiences with us!
Many of them had expectations and found that they had lots to gain:
"This internship experience was extremely meaningful. At the start of this internship programme, we were asked why we joined this internship programme. Over the course of the first three days, I discovered why I wanted to intern at MTC and that was to not only gain real life working experience but to experience working in a social enterprise with a mission to help disadvantaged people such as persons with disabilities (PWDs ) who we were working with."
Tricia, Dunearn Secondary
"I had always wanted to experience what it would be like to work in an office setting since young. This internship not only gave me such an experience but also enhanced my passion for learning, my spirit of helping others and taught me how to use technology for the greater good."
Aahana, Raffles Girls' School
"The friendly atmosphere and kind mentors allowed me to learn and grow together with my fellow interns over the course of this week."
Ruixin, Raffles Girls' School
"On top of sharpening our skill sets, the internship allowed us to reach out to and play a role, albeit a simple one, in helping out local marginalised communities, an insightful learning experience that could not have been received from the typical rote learning in schools."
Wayne, Temasek Junior College
They gained a sense of what it's like working in a social enterprise, a glimpse of working life in general, and even a better understanding of themselves:
"Make The Change has given me the invaluable first-hand experience of working in a social enterprise, and directly see the tangible positive impact that I can have on the beneficiaries in the community."
Shannon, Raffles Girls' School
"Through this internship, we have gained many new insights into what a social enterprise job environment is like"
Yihan and Huang An, Nanyang Girls' School
“Surprisingly, for work, our mentors are not with us all the time. We do have to depend on ourselves to solve problems so we have to be more self-driven… I have learnt to be responsible, and to complete tasks on time.”
Deon, Serangoon Garden Secondary
"Gaining real-world experience seemed an infinitely more useful prospect compared to lying in bed all day. I’m pleased to say that after working here, I learnt early that admin work was not for me, but the gentle pressure from the environment served as motivation to complete what was essential."
Adara, Nan Hua High School
During their time with us, we ran workshops for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and interacting with people different from themselves was an eye-opening experience for our interns:
”On the last two days, we participated in a workshop for video with people with disabilities. Through the workshop, I was able to learn about empathy especially when working with PWDs, but I was also able to learn more about videography which was really interesting.”
Adine, Zhenghua Secondary School
"I helped a deaf person and it was quite hard trying to communicate as we needed to write down everything instead of just talking which I was so used to…She was very nice and was patient with me trying to communicate with her as I was not experienced."
Erica, Zhenghua Secondary School
"I managed to empathise with the needs of beneficiaries as well as I got the opportunity to interact with someone who is autistic and got to learn more about his struggles when his dad shared that with me."
Janelle, Raffles Girls' School
"I feel that guiding the PWDs during the workshop was impactful as we [got] to create a greater sense of empathy and get to know them a little more since they might be neglected in the eyes of society at times."
Kai Xin, Serangoon Garden Secondary School
"Another particularly enjoyable experience included our visit to the Muscular Dystrophy Association at Bishan. It was particularly heartwarming to see how the administration work could translate into the tangible impacts of MTC’s social work on disadvantaged communities we were seeing at MDAS."
Ern Xin, Temasek Junior College
Through the various tasks assigned them, these youth developed both hard skills
”MTC has given me the opportunity to learn how to edit professionally using Canva. Before this, I had never done editing seriously for a project other than creating slides for school.”
Wei Xiong, Dunearn Secondary School
"Through the process of making the social media posters, I learned practical skills in graphic design and marketing that I firmly believe will help me in my future career."
Edward, Serangoon Garden Secondary School
"I really enjoyed the time in Make The Change (MTC) as I learnt a lot on how to plot tables to" organize data using sheets and numbers."
Ziling, Nan Hua High School
"I acquired proficiency in working with the Numbers app, crafting timesheets, making slides and creating engaging blog posts on Wix."
Raahila, Temasek Junior College
and soft skills:
"...improve our communication and interpersonal skills and understanding of the code of conduct in a professional setting through communication with the staff and the opportunity to listen in on interviews."
Afreen, Temasek Junior College
"...during this work attachment, while doing my task given by the company to my best ability, I also learnt alot from the company about the industry and many soft skills such as creative thinking and teamwork."
Randall, Zhenghua Secondary School
”My internship in MTC was a unique experience that taught me the value of independence.
Gavin, Zhenghua Secondary School
“I learned to approach challenges with resilience"
Faris, Zhenghua Secondary School
"Communication was also an essential skill that we found important, both amongst the interns and with our mentors. By checking in with one another, it ensures that everyone is on the same page and encourages new ideas/perspectives that could benefit the entire team."
Belinda, Temasek Junior College
Overall, the interns enjoyed their time with us and we are so glad to have been a safe space for them to explore and experience a slice of what we do!
"I got to work on multiple small projects while still having the opportunity to understand how it contributes to the bigger picture. I could work on the websites, improve on my excel skills while still volunteering to help disabled people and presenting as part of a workshop. I don’t think I could’ve done such a huge array of tasks anywhere else."
Andrea, DPS International School
"Throughout these 5 days, I have made new friends. Furthermore, the workshop that I attended has taught me new things. I am super grateful for this amazing opportunity to be able to work as an internship in Make the Change and I will definitely look forward for more internship activities in the future."
Ashlynn, Dunearn Secondary School
"I've thoroughly enjoyed my 2 weeks of interning at Make The Change as I was able to make new friends and learn new skills. I'm very grateful to have received guidance from Mr Pedro and Ms Ruth, they were extremely patient and kind in teaching us when we were unfamiliar with the work required. It's been so fun working together with students from other schools and I feel very fulfilled from this experience.
Kimberly, Raffles Girls' School
"It was overall an enriching experience that enabled us to learn more about what a social enterprise does and how it is able to make a impact in society. We were given a great opportunity to collaborate with students from various schools, which improved our teamwork and communication skills."
Nathan, Keyon and Jun yi; Victoria School
"Overall, the internship has been quite an enriching experience for me, and I am very thankful for the kindness that I have received throughout the programme. I would recommend this internship to those looking for a taste of what it is like to work in a social enterprise, and look forward to possibly participating in it again!"
Jaanvi, Raffles Girls' School
Students from Raffles Girls' School, DPS International School (left) and Serangoon Garden Secondary School, Zhenghua Secondary School (middle) and Temasek Junior College (right)
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the interns for their invaluable contributions. We trust that your tenure at Make The Change was both enriching and memorable. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!
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