Afrocats placements: Cameron and Cornelius reflect on their experiences

Image courtesy of Pixabay

We at Afrocats are proud to offer students and young people the opportunity to support Manchester’s global majority communities by broadening their horizons and expanding on their current skillset by joining us on student and work experience placements.

Read on find out how Cameron and Cornelius's recent placements went below.

Cameron:

'Having spent several years living in South Africa witnessing how apartheid still has lasting effects even today despite having ended 30 years ago, I have a huge amount of respect for what Afrocats are doing today to break down barriers for diverse communities in Manchester.

During my placement, I had a variety of responsibilities such as creating a mood board, presenting to a small group at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, producing leaflets, meeting various employees in their various roles, and visiting Manchester city centre to record videoclips for reels on social media.

I've developed several skills during my placement, and have also learned a lot of new things - both about myself and about the city, as well as about the issues global majority communities face here.

'I learnt that it’s not just about helping people who are at a disadvantage... it's about bringing diverse communities together from across city of Manchester, and showing the world what the amazing cultures and strengths they have.'

With regards to my future, I haven't quite decided yet as I’m still in my second year of college, and will be going to university very soon.

'But when the time comes to make a choice, my placement with Afrocats will certainly help me in my decision about which path to take.'

Cornelius:

'On my placement, I worked as part of a team where I was responsible for recording a video, which Cameron then edited and made into reel. 

Then with project producer Edel, we also learnt how to create mood boards and how these are used to display useful information to help support the global majority individuals and communities that Afrocats works with.

The Afrocats teams' way of working is different to being at college, and I learnt that I often needed to take the initiative as you won't necessarily be supervised on a placement - you are expected to work independently.

Good communication skill such as listening are also a key factor when it comes to a successful work environment, along with working as a team.

On my placement, I learnt that it’s not just about helping people who are at a disadvantage, or who may not have enough resources to look after each other; it's about bringing diverse communities together from across the city of Manchester, and showing the world what the amazing cultures and strengths they have.

I also learned that Afrocats gives young people from diverse communities a platform to showcase their talents, and that they promote their performances to wider audiences across the city.

'To summarise, my placement has had a major impact on my future goals – it has helped me develop skills that I already have, and also strengthened them and shaped them in ways I need so that I'm able to be flexible and versatile in my future career, whatever field that might be in.'

Congratulations to Cameron and Cornelius on successfully completing their placements!

Take a look at their reels here:

To get in touch with us about our work placements, drop us a line at admin[at]afrocats.org.uk – and see the difference you can make for marginalised communities in Manchester.