I am now reaching the end of my volunteer internship at The Bishop's Palace. In a few weeks I shall return to the University of Winchester to continue studying History and the Modern World, and to take up my new role as Volunteering and Community Officer at Winchester Student Union. This blog has been set up so that future interns can write their own posts, so do keep an eye out for future updates! In the meantime, I thought I would dedicate this final post to reflect on what I have learned from the experience of being an intern, both about myself and about volunteering more generally.
1) Volunteering is a two-way street
From speaking to volunteers of all ages and backgrounds across the different departments, I found out that many people volunteer at The Bishop's Palace for a variety of different reasons, such as making new contacts, career development, or wanting to make a difference in a small measure to the local community. Collectively through good will, they sacrifice their time, energies and effort to form a major workforce that is vital to the organisation. One of the most inspiring elements of The Bishop's Palace is the way in which volunteers are genuinely cared for, whether it be through the use of a designated space for volunteers to enjoy refreshments and socialise, or through the way in which volunteers opinions are fed up to the very top of the organisation. I was able to witness this through presenting the 2018 volunteers survey analysis at a Team Meeting where every department was represented. Learning from Siobhan the Volunteer Coordinator and watching her set clear, but people-orientated expectations has also been very valuable, and something I will reflect on as I develop new ideas for volunteering at Winchester Student Union.
2) Long term planning is key, but sometimes you can still succeed without one
During my internship I served three different capacities on each of the days I worked. This meant that I had a variety of different tasks during my week involving a diverse range of skills. On my days in the office I would make a clear, defined list of the things I wanted to achieve that day, with many of these tasks being based around systematic organisation and/or data analysis (eg keeping a record each month of volunteer retention, attendance rates etc). Progress for these tasks took place gradually over a long period of time and pre-planning was essential to achieving this. My days with VOT or as a VSV were more practical however, as I would be out and about on site responding to everyday situations as and when they came about. While I often work very methodically, having the planning element removed on some occasions aided my personal development in ways I did not expect. A particularly memorable occasion early on in my internship is a great example. One day, a large party of visitors arrived with the expectation that they had booked a Palace tour guide specifically for their group, but due to a miscommunication somewhere along the line no guide had been booked on that day. The duty manager radioed to try and find somebody willing to complete the tour, and on the spur of the moment, I put myself forward. Despite having had no previous experience of conducting a Palace tour, I was able to recall what I had learned about the history of the building from my initial training a few weeks beforehand, enabling me to provide the party with just enough contextual material as they explored the rooms of the Palace for themselves. Had I known in advance that I would be conducting the tour, I would probably have made sure I had more knowledge to hand. But by staying calm and thinking clearly based on the facts in hand, I was still able to respond to a situation where pre-planning was not possible.
3) A Note On Networking
The Bishop's Palace has a team of over 200 volunteers, including many people who have witnessed the Palace grow and develop over the last several decades to where it is now as an attraction. During my internship I have had many enjoyable conversations with people who have incredible stories about the Palace over the years, adding context to my work. Being an intern has also given me the opportunity to make professional connections within areas close to my personal interest, and to receive advice for my career development as a whole.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer at The Bishop's Palace and will make sure to stay in touch with the team.