When I first attended Green & Away in 2009 they were just at the beginning of a little experiment, having hand-selected a small team from the many who applied, the season would see this organisation’s first interns. It is a learning experience for all who attend, from the first time to the twentieth time, but for those chosen few it would be a summer of responsibility, a test of dedication, and an education like no other. With many hundreds of delegates passing through all summer, what position would you feel most comfortable filling? At the time no one had any idea what each job might require of them – office, kitchen, light industrial, H&H…what do they even mean?
It’s been a few years now. The dust has settled, turned to mud, been kicked up and resettled. Each year a new team of interns has taken it upon themselves to help run Europe’s only tented conference centre, and each year they have done fantastic, some say magical, work. With an eye to the coming season, I asked our newest group of vivid young environmental crusaders to introduce themselves.
Ingvild
Please tell us who you are.
My name is Ingvild Hokstad, and as you can tell from the name, England is not my native country. I am born and raised in a small, cold and beautiful village in the Norwegian mountains. Although pristinely picturesque, my hometown grew a little too small a little too soon in my life, so at the age of 15 I was already looking up study abroad options. This led me to apply for United World Colleges at the age of 16, and half a year later I was on my way to a two-year stay at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales. The road from there was a short one, ending up in London for my undergraduate studies. This leads us on to my topic of study and perhaps biggest interest, which is politics; the study of the governing and the governed, the foundations of modern society, and the interactions between institutions and individuals. Under this very wide category many more of my interests and activities are derived; human rights, sustainability and political equality being some of them. Outside of university life I enjoy running, yoga and martial arts, as well as having spent a lot of time volunteering, my favourite session being teaching dyslexic children reading and writing.
Wow, that’s an impressive introduction. I wish my interests were half as interesting. Still, someone has to watch cartoons all day, right? So, tell us what you think about Green & Away.
I expect that this will be fresh take on internships with practically oriented daily tasks. As I will be working in the office I hope to gain more knowledge and skill in management and organization. I expect to be given challenges and responsibilities within the management area of things; as well I am sure we will be offered any needed support. I also envisage rain, and lots of it – it is England after all. Hence, I figure we’ll get some hands on tasks in adapting to the different changes in weather. Hopefully, we’ll also get to work with the various organizations attending the conferences. I’m also hugely motivated for the educational workshops G&A are setting up for the interns, I anticipate I’ll be trying my hand at some mild debating and opinion sharing as well. Expectations aside, I’m excited to take on any challenge headed my way and I’m very optimistic about this summer.
You’ll certainly be enjoying the summer rain, Ingvild. Remind me to stay out of your way during the debates…it sounds like you know what you’re talking about. But I’m sure our broadly intellectual trustees and volunteers can provide you with the challenges and stimulus you crave. What about your future after the summer?
I hope to gain experience in management and knowledge of the operational side of Green & Away as a conference centre. Beyond this, I hope to learn from the people around me, as I know Green & Away attracts a wide range of hugely knowledgeable and remarkable people. Since I wish to work in public policy making, I’d love to gain a further insight into environmental solutions, social enterprise and the workings of various interest groups. This will certainly be something valuable to bring with me in my future career. I think an internship at G&A will help me push some boundaries and stimulate solution-seeking ways of thinking.
As well as gaining from this experience myself, there’s another thing I’d like to gain from this summer; I’d like to walk away with a feeling that I have contributed to Green & Away positively and offered my qualities in hope that it will have helped in making this an excellent summer. Lastly, I’d love to make friends with the cats I heard occupy the G&A office.
A beautifully touching statement there. When you arrive with love and a desire to do good (and know how to safely use a sledgehammer) there’s nothing that can go wrong and nothing that you can’t achieve. Thanks, Ingvild!
Rachel
Please tell us more.
Hi, my name is Rachel and I am one of the new maintenance interns. In my free time (if I ever have any!) I love doing arty things. I also enjoy hiking and swimming and although I can’t sing to save my life, I still love to, when no-one’s listening! At the moment I am studying Mechanical Engineering at Durham University. I am really interested in renewable energy and the environment, and would like to specialise in this subject. My interest in this area sparked from my belief in God and my desire to care for the earth that He created for us.
Well, Rachel, having worked the fires that heat G&A’s showers in the morning, I can tell you that being unable to sing does not stop anyone from trying. And why should it, eh? If you’re lucky perhaps you’ll hear the confused yet manly grumblings of me and Kevin as we partake in another singing workshop – have you ever wondered what a sad bear sounds like? No that’s not the real question. How did you find out about G&A and what hijinks do you think you’ll be up to this summer?
In my search for summer internships related to renewable energy I came across the organisation. This seemed the perfect way to spend my summer – learning more about how to practically look after the world, as well as using some of the engineering knowledge that I have been studying. The thing I am most excited about is meeting new people, and learning from my experiences with them. I am hoping to discover ways to live more simply and to reduce my need to constantly rely on electricity and home comforts. I enjoy being busy and I’m sure there will be plenty of things to keep me occupied on site. The idea of spending the whole summer in a field sounds like fun – I love camping!
We certainly have a lot of camping. In fact you could say it’s our defining feature. As one clever reporter once said: it’s in tents. There’s no doubt you’ll have one of the best summers of your life. Bring it on, I say.
Amy
Please tell us of yourself and of your life.
My name is Amy Macfadyen, I am 20 years old, I love to cook, sew, dance, sing and dress up. I am a people person, I am fascinated by human beings, how they socialise and react with one another. I am currently self-unemployed and am taking myself to the university of life. Doing lots of courses, my main focus is that of becoming a Doula (birth support) and working with children and pregnant women in vulnerable situations. I have always strived for independence and although I am incredibly close to my family, I left home at 16 to spread my wings. I spent 6 months working as an au-pair in France. I then went onto India, Cambodia and Vietnam where I had time to see many different cultures and ways of life that supported my belief that I can learn all I need to know from the people I meet along my life journey. I believe that within everyone I meet there is so much untapped knowledge that I want to create a space where it can be passed on, to me or others. I live by the ideal that I want my work to work around my life rather than working to retire, which I feel a lot of people do.
Very wise words. It seems the school of life has taught you well so far. Without even realising it I think a lot of us who attend G&A, and keep coming back, think along very similar lines to you. There’s always someone new to meet, someone who can make you see the world differently and, very often, make you see yourself differently too. How did you hear about G&A?
I heard about G&A from a dear friend of mine who has visited many times and has always dreamed of doing one of the internships, but with two young children the practicalities of this make it unlikely. When she forwarded this to me I could see immediately that it would suit me and my current situation incredibly well.
So much of what happens at the site each year comes in some way from word of mouth. It’s the greatest tool we have, in my opinion. That and the mattock. Mattocks are ace.
I am very aware that the internship will require a lot of hard work, I will be doing the kitchen internship so will be creating incredible meals and become a pro at quantities. I also hope to meet lots of inspiring people and be challenged in regard to the work but also people ideals.
The kitchen internship has challenged many, but beaten none. From all that hard work comes incredible reward and it’s something you’ll carry with you forever. What about your future?
Socially I live a very communal life at the moment, but dream of living in a community outdoors and embracing the principles of sustainable living. I feel like I will learn a lot from green and away and the people who I will meet. I also believe that in the near future we will be seeing increasing food shortages and the main reason for my interest in the kitchen internship is that I want to feel confident feeding large numbers of people that I feel will be in great need of good, nutritious, locally sourced food.
Sounds like the same reason I practice with my crossbow. Who knows what apocalypse is coming? Haha. Seriously, though, G&A is one of the best places to live and learn about the issues that affect us and will continue to affect the coming generations. What I personally like most about the organisation is that it’s run on a very practical level by intelligent, forward thinking people from all walks of life. And while some of us dream and sing and dance like hippies, we’re dedicated to changing the world with economics, with science, with simple solutions. And with compost. Just wait till you see all the compost.
Well, that wraps up the first instalment of Get to Know Your Intern, with me Andy Melhuish. In the next post we’ll be talking to Yanna and a few more of this year’s studious team. Are you excited for the summer yet? It’s almost time for shorts, for grass between our toes and for the sun above our canvas heads. Until then keep dodging those raindrops.
Green and Away 