March 25, 2021, by abrierley

Placement with Fearless Youth Association

by Saffron Dusanjh  2nd year Ecomonics

Whilst in my first term of my second year of my economics degree, I decided to undertake a placement with Fearless Youth Association, a non-profit organisation that focuses on assisting young people with developing valuable skills. Their goal is to expand the horizon of opportunities available to young people, encouraging them to refrain from crime and develop a positive attitude to education and employment which is what drew me to this particular placement. 

Through the careers page at the University of Nottingham I was able to fill out an application for the role of website content creator. I researched the organisation and had a genuine interest in what their goals and motivations were which I believe was clear throughout my application and interview process. The interview process was an enjoyable experience where I was able to display my enthusiasm for the role.

The role involved writing an article on a topic of my choice which was to be posted to the website. I was eager to do this because it enabled me to discuss something that I was passionate about. I chose to write about mental health in the South Asian community and focused on British Asians. This was a subject that seemed to have little research around it and my biggest challenge was finding sources that I could use to support my article. To overcome this, I created my own survey and distributed it electronically and was glad to receive a substantial number of responses that I was then able to include within my article. The responses were intriguing, and I was happy that I was able to, in a sense, include first-hand research into this article as it felt more personal. Alongside this, I created an informative social media post which was posted to the organisation’s social media page to promote the article. It is rewarding to think that the article I wrote may have increased awareness of the issue and this was the task I most enjoyed whilst doing the placement. Furthermore, I was involved in communications such as having to distribute emails promoting courses provided by FYA.

Overall, the benefits of completing this placement at FYA include developing my time-management skills and my communication skills. Despite the fact that the placement was remote, I was in regular contact with my mentor and the project manager, having to keep them informed of my progress and ideas. They were very understanding in regard to having to consider my university work; however, I was still able to work on my strategies of managing a heavy workload. I also appreciated the fact I was able to complete creative work, which is something I enjoy, and it contrasts with the type of work involved in my university course, bringing variety to my work life.

The positive impact that this non-profit organisation has on the community should encourage others to embark on a placement here and the most important aspect to remember throughout the application process is to display a keen interest in the goals and purpose of the organisation.

To read my article, follow this link: https://fyaonline.com/mh-british-asian-community/

Title: Mental Health in the British Asian Community

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