Angus, Families and Communities Intern 2025

When looking for work experience over the summer and seeing the Families and Communities internship at West Suffolk, I knew that it would suit me and I would enjoy it. I looked at what people had done before, and it worked well with my prior experiences and interests. I wanted to work within a political environment and therefore the choice came naturally to me. Having gone for it, I have no regrets whatsoever.

Having volunteered in the cadets and travelled to volunteer in schools in Thailand, the work of the team was a great opportunity to do similar things and get to know the district better. There have been so many opportunities to travel around the district and network with new people to understand what is going on and work with those assets to make great things happen. It is really inspiring when you see some of the community groups and how enriching their existence can be to some people.

One of the most rewarding events that is run by the Families and Communities team is the ‘Crucial Crew’. Every year, specialists from charities, the police, the fire service, and much more come to educate Year 6 students in supporting their jump to secondary school. Being on the delivering end of this event was great; all the children have fun and receive some great advice along the way. It really highlights the team’s asset-based approach by utilising the different institutions within the district to enrich hundreds of children from all around the district.

I have completed budget reports, learnt office skills and in particular Microsoft Excel to make my work much more efficient. These are also a great way to see where council funding goes and what different groups around the district are doing. I have helped investigate external funding opportunities for a community centre, contacted schools about future engagement from the team, supported different team administrative needs, attended a variety of meetings involving a lot of different groups, and explored our Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. During the schools’ summer holiday period, I went out to monitor our funded holiday activities – a really fun and insightful opportunity, where I even got to try some freshly made food and do some axe-throwing (or rather attempt it). Looking back over the twelve weeks, I couldn’t have asked for a better internship.