Have you ever struggled to find internship opportunities as a high schooler? Despite OECD citing that work experience is crucial to prepare learners for jobs of the future, internships rarely form a substantial element of the high school experience.
School of Humanity is flipping that narrative.
By providing termly micro-internship opportunities for our learners, every single learner at School of Humanity has the opportunity to participate in a guaranteed micro-internship every term for their entire High School period.
By the time our learners graduate, they will have worked with around 12 different organizations, in some of the most upcoming innovative and progressive industries to ensure they are prepared for life after High School. We source all of our learner’s internships through our extensive network of partnerships and connections, ensuring that our learners work with innovative and leading organizations from around the world.
Curious to find out what kinds of internships our learners have been participating in recently? Read on to learn about Cohort Jupiter’s experiences at Lemu and Life Project 4 Youth.
Half the learners tackling the Our Common Humanity Challenge were paired with Lemu. Lemu is a data-based digital platform where technology and nature co-exist. They have designed an app for individuals to explore, connect and invest in nature. Lemu bridge organizations that protect biodiversity with individuals & companies enabling them to comprehensively support local conservation initiatives globally, making a positive, verifiable impact on the planet.
Given the scope of the climate crisis, it is imperative that as many people get involved as possible. Whether this is through education, sharing content, or funding, all of these outcomes can be achieved through Lemu. Lemu is particularly interested in attracting younger users, due to the fact that such individuals are likely to be more engaged with similar initiatives and projects.
Here’s where our learners came in!
Their challenge: Attracting more Gen Zs and Millennials to Lemu, developing its visibility among young users, and ensuring a real impact against climate change.
Our learners immediately got busy! Keep scrolling to learn about their solution.
Through taking a deep dive into Lemu’s social media presence, our learners found that interest from the target demographic, ie. Gen Z and Millennials, could be boosted.
Their first solution? Expanding the reach of Lemu through the popular social media platform TikTok. Our learners identified TikTok as a key actor in galvanizing younger climate activists. By conducting research into the ways in which TikTok can be utilized to spread the word about Lemu, our learners proposed the following avenues:
Prototype Video
Our learners created this video to showcase Lemu, and attract young users. The video takes the form of an advert, and can also be extended to other social media platforms:
TikTok Trends
Alongside this, our learners identified the power of online trends, and their ability to quickly send companies viral. By using popular trends, our learners created this video to spread the word about Lemu in a way that is relatable to younger activists:
Hashtags
Finally, our learners researched the relevant hashtags which could help improve Lemu’s visibility on TikTok:
#naturecommunications #nature #naturecaptures
With guidance from our learners, Lemu is now ready to take on TikTok!
Another suggestion from our learners was adapting the app’s sign-up page. Our learners highlighted that upon downloading the app, there was little information explaining the purpose or goal of Lemu. Our learners proposed inserting an information carousel to combat this issue, and to spread the word about Lemu:
To complement the TikTok campaign and app information carousel, our learners also prepared a detailed report evidencing the findings from their research around Lemu’s visibility to younger audiences.
Over the course of the two weeks, our learners developed their market research, social media strategizing, and design skills, all whilst promoting sustainability!
The second group of learners on the Our Common Humanity challenge were partnered with Life Project 4 Youth. Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y) Alliance is a federation of 17 organizations in 14 countries, whose mission is to develop innovative solutions for the professional and social inclusion of young people from extreme poverty and victims of exclusion. LP4Y supports the inclusion of thousands of young people and their families in 48 programs, 19 Training Development Centers, 6 Little Angels Academies, 6 Green Villages, 2LP4Y Labs, in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and America.
With half of the 1.2 billion youth globally today facing exclusion, LP4Y’s mission is more important now than ever. As the job market is closed to so many of today’s youth, raising awareness surrounding this social exclusion is crucial for global development.
The challenge proposed to our learners related to creativity: How can LP4Y create simple and efficient messages to spread through social networks?
Following a delve into LP4Y’s social media content, our learners identified a number of gaps. As a result, the solution our learners proposed took the form of a social media strategy, and the suggestion of adding a social media intern to LP4Y’s team.
Our learners reviewed LP4Ys current social strategy and found that there were certain areas which could be improved upon and that this, consequently, would generate more activity, more followers and more engagement. Accordingly, they developed a social media strategy to propel LP4Y’s social media to reach a wider global audience.
Their recommendations included:
To carry out the social media recommendations, our learners also proposed the opening of a new role to the LP4Y team – a social media intern. Our learners prepared a job description and outline of the role’s responsibilities.
The social media policy report & intern job description were well received by the LP4Y team, who said they were 100% satisfied with the work done by the School of Humanity learners!
After only one term at School of Humanity, our learners are already growing their skills and experience through real-world internships. With feedback from the intern partners highlighting their satisfaction with the work produced, it is clear these micro-internships are powerful for harnessing the youth perspective for innovative organizations. We can’t wait to see what our learners develop next…
Want to partner with our learners? Get in touch via hello@sofhumanity.com to learn more.
