Over the past 6 weeks, I have worked with Cambridge United Foundation at the Cledara Abbey Stadium (working at a football ground, what could be better?!) in an exciting and varied role as an Events, Partnerships, and Fundraising Intern. It has been a pleasure to support the delivery of community programmes, write website and newsletter articles, develop event proposals, engage with corporate partners, and organise a pub quiz fundraiser which I look forward to hosting next week at the BrewBoard Taproom in Cambridge city centre! (It has always been something of an aspiration of mine to host a pub quiz. It remains to be seen whether I will be any good...).

Stepping into an unfamiliar field of work has been intimidating. I have not always been as confident on the inside as I might have appeared to those around me. But, ultimately, my experience has been extremely rewarding, formative and, most importantly, enjoyable. Moreover, my placement has strongly reinforced my existing belief that football can unite people and create hugely positive change in communities. Working with a changemaking organisation that leverages the power of football has been a real privilege. I am grateful to have had an opportunity to support others whilst drawing on the influence of a sport that has been so significant in my own life.

I have undertaken my LiA placement during my first Laidlaw summer. I understand that this is not the case for Scholars at many other universities. Given this, I'd like to share some tips/thoughts/insights/pieces of advice that may be helpful for/strike a chord with Scholars who have yet to do their LiA placement. Keep in mind that these are based on my unique experience, so take as much or as little as is helpful! 

- Take initiative as much as possible. Lacking direction and have tried finding it yourself? Ask for guidance rather than struggling in silence. Feeling underused or not busy enough? Ask a colleague what you can do to make their job easier or take something off their (often very full) plate. You'd be surprised at the range of things you might find yourself doing! 

- Ask not what your host organisation can do for you, but what you can do for your host organisation. This is especially important when choosing which placement organisation(s) to apply for. Self-evaluate your own skills, etc, and aim to find congruity between these and an organisation's aims, methods, etc. 

- Strike a balance in your mindset between naive optimism and unhelpful pessimism. By this, I mean that you should (1) recognise that you won't be able to totally solve a widespread, deeply-rooted issue in 6 weeks whilst also (2) trusting that you can still make a valuable positive contribution to a community during your LiA, however modest it may be, and that your changemaking efforts will not be in vain. 

- Remember that you are a student a world-class university; you are capable of doing impactful work! Stay humble, and do not assume that you will know more than those around you, but trust that you can do brilliant things with determination and resilience. 

- Don't compare your placement to other people's. Focus on making your placement as valuable and impactful as your placement can be, not on making it 'better' or 'flashier' than other people's. 

- Keep a daily journal about everything you did that day. This doesn't have to be very detailed. This allows you to see how busy your days really are and will be helpful when you begin working on your eventual poster/presentation output.

- Get to know as many people as you can in the office/work environment and find our what their roles entail. Actively integrate yourself with your colleagues/team. 

- Socialise with other Scholars working in the area. If there aren't any, make time to socialise outside of work with local strangers. Rest, relaxation, and human-to-human connections are very important.

I would like to thank the CUF team who have made me feel included, supported, and trusted since my first day, and the University of Cambridge Laidlaw team for giving me this opportunity!

Sonny Hastie 

University of Cambridge