When I was in high school and decided to study environmental science, people would ask me "what do you want to do with an environmental science degree." Even then, I would say I wanted to work within an NGO supporting climate action. I have felt incredibly lucky to intern within WWF, an organization whose goals and values align with my own. Something I really appreciated about my experience at WWF is that you are introduced to the work that every individual is involved in, and encouraged to support a niche where you find interest. Therefore, one of the core tasks within my internship was co-authoring a scientific research paper on WWFs One Planet City Challenge. During my internship, I have learned so much about the interworking of an NGO, furthered my experience analyzing city climate data, and broadened my knowledge within the city sphere of environmental policy! Outside of the work itself, one of the highlights of my internship was getting to know the team and enjoying fika together! Another highlight was dressing up as a panda bear at the fall fair, taking pictures with kids and get passersby interested in the WWF booth.

I chose to apply to WWF because I aim to work in an organisation that contributes to environmental sustainability, and because WWF is a well-known and respected international organisation that I knew would provide a meaningful experience, as well as valuable connections. The internship within the Voices for Diversity program matched my interest in both environmental and social sustainability issues, focusing on human rights and participation in biodiversity conservation policy. I participated in a multitude of internal and external meetings, which provided a thorough introduction to various aspects of program management. This included tasks like contributing to technical and financial day-to-day implementation, coordination with WWF partner offices, managing donor relations, and desk-research for the development of a new area of work for the program. I also got to familiarise myself with the WWF Network by attending trainings and webinars on policy advocacy, sustainable finance, and human rights issues. One of the best parts of the internship has been to get to know all the colleagues from my team and other teams and departments - the entire office welcomes interns in a way that exceeded my expectations.

I wanted to learn what it is like to work with a larger, more established NGO, such as WWF. It is my goal to dedicate my career to the environment and I’ve been studying climate change since my bachelor's degree, so I wanted an opportunity to gain more experience within the field and put my knowledge to good use! I’ve been in the cities team, working primarily on a competition called We Love Cities. I was tasked with preparing the website for the launch of the competition and later on to communicate with cities (perhaps most notably, announcing which cities were leading each week!) and posting on social media. After the competition, my tasks were centred on organising the responses so that they can be sent to the participating cities to help them in their sustainability journeys! The internship has provided an opportunity to reflect on what I'd like my career to look like, and why. I’ve learned more about my working style, I have developed my confidence and I have got more examples of my work that I can call upon in future interviews and applications! I’ve really loved how international my internship has been. During the We Love Cities competition, it was also great to see the work of the different participating cities. On a personal level, in learning what these cities have been doing to mitigate and adapt to climate change, I have come to feel more hopeful about the future for the planet. Apart from work, I also enjoyed “Panda Rock”- dance in the office every Wednesday!

I was drawn to this internship position as I have long been curious to learn more about how transformative partnerships between NGOs and corporations work in practice. I also wanted to experience the atmosphere of a large NGO, especially one whose mission aligns with my values. As a corporate communications intern, my main task has been to conduct a stakeholder analysis, which involved qualitative research methods and analyzing the data. I’ve also had the opportunity to draft fact sheets, interview contact persons, edit articles and exposure stories, and do event work (Comic Con was amazing!). Through these experiences, I've honed my understanding of global communication dynamics, strategic thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, and team collaboration. Besides meeting driven and inspirational people who genuinely care about their work and projects, my favorite part of the internship has been partaking in the year-round swimming in the lake behind the office and being able to take walks in the nature reserve during lunch or whenever a breath of fresh air was needed.

I´ve always been interested in working in an NGO, to see how things differ compared to a regular company, this combined with my interest in the environment led me to apply for an internship at WWF. As an intern, I have mostly been conducting a review of the Baltic Sea Farmer Award, but also helping out with various communications related tasks (promoting webinars, writing articles, etc.). Generally being involved in whatever projects are happening at any given time. I have learned a lot during my internship! I´ve come to a better understanding of the role that communicators play in an organisation, but also how NGO´s function at a national and international scale. The most fun part of my internship, aside from when all interns meet for "praktikfika" (which were a highlight) it has generally been getting to know people. Everyone you bump into in the corridor has really interesting projects going on, and for the most part they are happy to talk about it. I´ve also really liked the invitations to lunch presentations where I´ve learnt a lot about all sorts of topics.

I applied to WWF to learn more about conservation photography and to find out more about the organisation’s conservation and restoration work. In my internship I was able to participate in field visits, documenting the visit and contributing photographs for the press and for WWF’s partners. I was also given the job of taking photographs of fauna and locations that weren’t already in WWF’s image bank, and of creating social media content. In my time at WWF, I’ve learned a lot about what is important for nature and wildlife in Sweden at the moment and about restoration methods. I’ve also gained an insight into what working in a large organisation is like and have learned to use collaborative communication tools. The most satisfying things in my internship are the variety of tasks, learning things all the time and the opportunity to meet fantastic people. I’ve had the privilege of feeling that I have been able to contribute while also learning a lot of things that will be valuable for my future work as a photographer and as an advocate for nature and wildlife.

I chose to apply for an internship with WWF because I’m passionate about the environment and climate issues. They are also a very well-known and respected organisation that I thought would open many more doors for me than other organisations. I’ve always known that I want to be proud of and stand up for the organisation or company I work for and doing an internship at WWF is definitely something I’m proud of. In my internship, I’ve learned practical things like using Photoshop, Wordpress and viaTT, which is a tool for publishing press releases. I’ve also learned how to write press releases and tweets. But most of all, I’ve been able to see how an organisation/workplace really works. The best thing about my internship has been getting to know all the amazing people here. It’s been inspiring to hear about everyone’s different qualifications and careers and has made me look forward even more to what’s next.