Joining the team...

Chas - My first month as a student Intern on the fabulous Glasgow Doors Open Days team

Let me begin by introducing myself: I'm Chas, a student in my final year of studying French and Spanish at the University of Glasgow. Now approaching the last few months of my degree I had been looking for an exciting part-time job in Glasgow, and helping organise Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival seemed like the perfect balance between a fun, creative outlet and something good for my CV. ​

 Since the beginning of my Internship in March, I have been settling in and learning more about Glasgow Doors Open Days. So far this has involved a good variety of tasks, so I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to.
After my first day was held off by the Beast from the East, I starting by assisting with an events workshop, hosted by the Pearce Institute in Govan (one of our participants), where I got to meet some of the people taking part in the upcoming festival, and brainstorm ideas for events - accompanied by lots of coffee and pastries!
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I have also been able to attend the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards, where I was particularly impressed by some great photography from children and teens, and got a glimpse at some of the community building projects going on across Scotland. Perfectly timed on the first sunny day of the year, I was able to enjoy the great view from the top of the Lighthouse (another building participating in the festival) where this event took place. Apart from this I have mostly been working in the office, compiling information from participants in preparation for the release of the 2018 Glasgow Doors Open Days brochure, and getting to know more about the event.

I was keen to apply for this internship as, having lived in Glasgow for 5 years now, I hope to get to know the city in a bit more depth as well as looking forward to taking part in such a community based event, and I am particularly looking forward to the next few months of work when my University exams will finally be over and the festival countdown will have begun. I think the best part of this internship will be seeing all the hard work come together during the festival itself, as well as building relationships with the many participants and volunteers who bring this event to life. Some places I hope to see more of during my internship are the Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha, which has caught my eye before as I walk past it daily, and the Necropolis, where there will be a guided walk around the graves of some important historical characters.  

From the huge variety of applications that I have seen, a couple that I think look particularly enticing are the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland Offices, where visitors will get the chance to enjoy Classical and Jazz music performed by some of Scotland's best young musicians. Another exciting event is the Glasgow Photography Walking Tour, a chance to get some photography tips and lessons whilst visiting some particularly photogenic sights around Glasgow. This is, however, just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to buildings, guided walks and events, so stay tuned for more updates and info on what to expect from this year's Glasgow Doors Open Days!

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