“By experiencing other ways of life and working in an intercultural team, you can develop professionally and personally.”

My internship was with GEDA-Sierra Leone. Their main aim is to boost female empowerment through local networks and workshops in the areas of health education, psychosocial counselling and communication. I helped with the preparation, delivery and follow-up for a workshop phase. My chief focus was on working with the young women and girls. The important thing was to provide them with a safe space in which they could talk with peers about what were often sensitive issues and their own experiences.  

I learned a lot about the theory and practice of psychosocial counselling. The internship gave me a clearer idea of how many different low-threshold opportunities for education and contact there are, and how effective they are. That showed me how important it is to actively create a “safe space” in these situations. I learned what form empowering relationship-building in an intercultural context can take and was able to build on my own knowledge of culture and gender-sensitive work. I was also able to incorporate into the workshop the experience and expertise I’ve developed in my work with adolescents and young adults in Germany in areas such as communication, peer pressure and coping with stress at school.

Being part of a project, a team and day-to-day work processes gives you an insight into the world of work in a different country in a way which a (tourist) trip never could. Experiencing social work in a different environment gives you fresh impetus for your own work in your home country. Learning from each other, finding things you have in common and common work challenges is enriching on both a professional and a personal level.

Gaining new perspectives and finding out about different work methods, problems and solutions in one’s own field is extremely enriching but it can be really challenging too. So, it’s great to know there’s an experienced expert you can trust and who can help you find your feet. Our meetings were important to reflect on what’s been happening and to get feedback helping you in your work and in thinking about your own role, especially in an intercultural context.

1. Working with women and girls is a very important area of social work, all over the world. Emancipatory relationship-building is a key component.

2. Potentially the biggest challenge is to recognise and question yourself and the (thought) structures that you’ve learned and that are deeply rooted within you.

3. Being part of a community can give you such a lot! Strength, motivation and a sense of security and stability. Both in your work and in your team. Harness that potential.