All-in-one opportunity: environmental management in a non-profit environment while exploring a new city
The Urban Greening Internship with Greenpop offered exactly what she was looking for. An exciting opportunity, the possibility to experience a new city and being involved in what she increasingly thinks she wants to do in her career. “Urban greening is crucial in today’s society and I was keen to learn more about it.”
Visiting planting sites as part of the Urban Greening Internship
Greenpop plants trees in the under-greened areas of Cape Town, so Katie went along on several plant days to assist. But that’s not all; Greenpop also monitors all the sites where they planted. “I regularly went out on monitoring trips to see how the trees were doing after plant days; seeing the program afterward. It was one of my favorite things to see positive sites during monitoring! It was great to see when the trees were being utilized, and to hear the enthusiasm of certain staff members. I enjoyed doing the survival rate reports and other documentation. It’s stressful and takes time, but learning about those topics and seeing the patterns of the trees was very enjoyable.”
Communication to beneficiaries
Besides monitoring, Katie assisted with beneficiary communications. This included Facebook posts, newsletters, and green tips or facts via SMS. Of course, she also spent some time at the Greenpop nursery with the rest of the team. “I’ve learned a lot about this organization, and a lot more about the amount of work that goes into running this. I’ve learned tonnes about trees! I think this Urban Greening Internship has given me a lot of relevant experience and has definitely helped me build a basis for what I would like to do going forward.”
Amazing atmosphere in and outside the Greenpop office
“I’d encourage anyone who is keen on this internship to do it. It’s been great, and I’m glad I did this. I’ve learned a lot and had cool experiences with great people. The most surprising thing, for me, was the atmosphere within the office and outside of it. It’s much more relaxed, which facilitates productivity. The contact with the team and supervisor was largely very relaxed and encouraging. Everyone is very supportive and willing to help. Personally, I don’t think I’ve been very exceptional, but I’ve definitely been part of a team that has impacted some spaces.”
