Busy busy at GGF

Hey I’m Ciara and I started my internship at the Global Good Foundation just over 2 weeks ago. Ever since I’ve begun it’s been non-stop, hence this being my first blog entry! (& also a little trouble I had signing on). I’ve found that I’ve really settled down and am well and truly stuck into my role as Events/PR Assistant, along with the 5 other interns here at GGF, 4 of which also attend Curtin!

As it has already been mentioned through some of their blog posts, the Global Good Foundation (GGF) is a non-for profit organisation dedicated to assisting those affected by domestic violence through empowerment, opportunity and education. GGF is setting up education centres beyond crisis care and establishing a global standard for the rehabilitation methods used. This short blurb I’ve learnt off by heart by now as our ‘elevator pitch’ and actually wouldn’t be surprised if I said it in my sleep! I’ve constantly used it in emails, phone calls and other forms of communication, as it is really important for GGF to get the right message across to its publics and build awareness of its relatively new existence as an NGO (since 2007).

In terms of applying for the internship, I initially showed my interest by calling up the GGF office after I saw their post on blackboard. Just as a handy tip to everyone else they really liked the personal approach of calling rather than contacting them online! By talking to them over the phone I was also able to get more of an idea of what I would be doing and my chances of getting a placement.

I have found that both my supervisor Tiffany and the founder of the organisation Tenille have been really approachable and open to communication, which has made a huge difference to my whole experience here so far. I was able to liaise with them during the Winter break before I started the internship, in which they gave me background research to do. A few days before I started I also went in for a casual meeting, where they made a note of asking what I personally wanted to get out of the internship. I think that this contact I had with Tenille and Tiffany prior to starting made a big impact on the pace at which I settled in when I started. I was able to find out more information on the projects I would be working on and felt that my position would be valued and therefore wasn’t as nervous on my first day!

So far I have found that the Global Good Foundation is a positive example of excellent communication. It just goes to show how important it is and how everything we’ve learnt so far about correct communication really is true in the real world!