Natasha joined People Know How as a GCAS intern in 2022 and since then has gone from strength to strength supporting children and young people, recently gaining a promotion to Youth & Family Coordinator.
Natasha’s journey with People Know How began in the second year of her degree, when she discovered our work while researching third sector organisations. Having supported children for the past 8 years, she knew she wanted to continue doing so post-university.
A big believer in helping people, Natasha continued to work with children throughout her degree until she was faced with the daunting challenge of finding a job after graduation. She applied for Graduate Careers Advantages for Scotland (GCAS), a government scheme that helps graduates get into roles that relate to the field of study that they are passionate about. Through this programme, Natasha joined People Know How an intern in May 2022.
A life-changing experience
Joining us as an intern, Natasha began to support our Positive Transitions service, contributing to our aim to support children, young people and families in the often confusing and worrying process of moving from primary to secondary school.
Her internship gave her the opportunity to support the team in running activities for children and young people across Scotland, including the Summer Programme which provides opportunities for children to experience new adventures and gives them a chance to meet other children with whom they’ll be going to secondary school.
Natasha recalls an afternoon of fun and games on a trip on our All Aboard canal boat with a group of young people, during which she saw them open up and gain confidence through playing and sharing stories. She highlighted that her team and staff at People Know How helped her feel at home so she could feel comfortable putting her skills into practice.
Finishing up her internship in November 2022, Natasha was offered a worker role within People Know How. Thanks to her hard work and dedication, she was able to continue her dream of helping children and young people in a charity she loves. In her new role she also began to hold one-to-one sessions, supporting a child who struggled with confidence issues by working on positive self-affirmation. Through their shared love of arts and crafts, they created paintings together and hung them up as a daily reminder of how amazing they both are.
Growing with the charity
Recently securing a promotion to Youth & Family Coordinator, Natasha has demonstrated the values and culture of People Know How in her work. Her willingness to try new things and challenge herself has made her a core member of the Positive Transitions team. Natasha reflects back on her People Know How journey so far:
Natasha is incredibly excited to help more children and young people through the increased responsibility of this new role. Progressing from an intern has allowed her to make suggestions and improvements that support staff and VIPs (volunteers, interns and placement students) at multiple levels. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.
We have continued to work with GCAS since Natasha joined our team, recently welcoming Eszter through the scheme. Bringing on GCAS interns allows us to let them explore areas they are interested in at the same level as a member of staff. As we continue to grow we hope we can provide more young adults with new and interesting career opportunities like Natasha and Eszter.