Huhh!! Exams were over and a 2-month long vacation had already knocked my door. The first evening of that vacation was there and it was a day when even my coffee was demanding a coffee. Suddenly, a notification popped up on my Gmail Account from YES Foundation with an Internship Opportunity therein.
I was delighted. Finally, I had something to do that vacation. I applied. And to my surprise, I was selected. We were called for 5 day Induction program. The induction had various sessions, seminars, games and activities. It had mix of everything, some which didn’t generate excitement at all and some which excited me to the core. Still I held on with this opportunity as social work is something that I am passionate about. On the 5th day, we were finally placed in the
respective NGOs for a 7 Week Internship period.
Thanks to my great fortune, I got placed in ComMutiny – The Youth Collective. I was really excited for the time ahead. To my great enthusiasm, I reached office 10 minutes before the reporting time on the first day not knowing what to expect.
I couldn’t believe it!! It was a complete corporate office where even I was given a separate desk to work on. The project that I was given did the icing on the cake. I was given a task to map a list of Newspapers, Journalists and Media Organisations to help enrich the database for the organisation . Media and I always had a great love for each other. And I got an opportunity to chase my passion once again.
ComMutiny has an environment where no one is judging you, where you are always greeted by a smile and where you are allowed to work comfortably and happily.
I started my first day with a cup of green tea in one hand and a list of things to be done in the other. While I was shivering sitting right in front of the AC, I was having a look at its official website, Films, Articles, pages and what not. I read everything about CYC and felt lucky to have been placed with an organisation where I was a volunteer and a part of the team both.
Transcription of audios and working on the social media post was a part of my role that day. It was truly one of the most memorable days of work I have ever had. I won’t be able to forget that first day of my work at CYC.
Now talking about my experience with ComMutiny, it was something which I believe that I won’t be getting anywhere else.
Coming to the office at 10 and reading those E-Papers along with a green tea always gave me a homely feel. I also worked on social media posts and came to know about a lot of social media ethics that a developmental sector organisation needs to take care of. Learning & Making posters for our social media posts on an online software was the most enjoyable part of my internship.
Oh! Not to forget those awesome interviews that I took. Yes, that was also something that I enjoyed a lot. Those awesome people or I should say those awesome #voyagers have a lot to say about their journeys and thus, a lot to learn for me as well. Everyone has a new and different story of his/her experience of the same concept which itself talks about the versatility i.e. #5thSpace.
Oh!! But what’s 5th Space? It’s one of the most interesting concept that I lived being an intern of this youth centric organisation. For me 5th space is a special feeling where we can do anything without being judged. We can be our real self. We get to interact with so many people from diverse background and gain from their experience. Its an out of the world feeling being in such kind of space. So, I not only understood it but along with living it I applied it in my own life. And it has left an impression on me.
I have one more important thing to share. I promise it will be the last one. In one of my weekly meetings with my mentor, I told her about my wish to do field work and attend outside meetings. Although ComMutiny doesn’t do a lot of it , but it was taken care by them that I have an on ground experience
I went to a govt. school in Noida for an interactive session with its students along with Pravah, one of the partners of ComMutiny. We organised three corners in that session so that students could involve a lot more in it. I was a part of the Sports & Games Corner where we played different games with children. It went for almost 3-4 hours and I could hardly remember how those 4 hours passed. Those children were over enthusiastic and that happiness on their faces could be the biggest takeaway that I could have from that session.
Now the most privileged one. I attended a United Nations meeting. Yes, you read it right. A UN meeting at UN office as a ComMutiny representative. There were several UN delegates in that meeting and I learnt a lot from that discussion. The way everybody put forward their ideas for the event, the way I represented ComMutiny and the way we closed the meeting. And I feel that it was the best ComMutiny could have done for me. It was seriously something more than what I wished.
But…. It’s going to end now. Yes, my internship with ComMutiny that I was so excited for in the initial days is finally going to end in 1 week.
I have those mixed feelings that are too difficult to handle. I am happy that I would be again joining my college, living those most enjoying days of my life and meeting my friends after a long. But I am equally sad to feel that I am going to leave this small yet efficient group of people soon from whom I learnt a lot.
I really enjoyed my 1.5 month long internship with ComMutiny where I was looking for a great opportunity to learn and live the sentiments of the society and youth together. ComMutiny consistently make efforts to build confidence, companionship, self-reliance, courage, hard work, passion and what not in everyone who becomes part of this family.
This was my first internship in the development sector world and I was really willing to involve a lot more in this social inclusion process of CYC and the whole team helped me to do that. I feel myself fortunate enough to be a part of this organisation. I couldn’t personally thank everyone in the team but would like to thank this collective for one last time,
THANK YOU EVERYONE.
ComMutiny – The Youth Collective is a coalition of 35 (& rising) youth led and youth engaging organizations across India working towards promoting empowering spaces for youth leadership. CYC aims to be one of the key youth workers’ associations in India. People for Change and Deeksha are members of this collective.
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