Using digital tools and virtual mentorship
HEI Student Internship in NGOs - towards a functional bridge across WB (HEIntern<>NGO)
INNOVA LAB Bitola with collaboration of Inlsh Icla - Institute for Change and leadership Albania and WBAA – Western Balkan Alumni Association, continues with activities in the project "HEI Student Internship in NGOs - towards a functional bridge across WB (HEIntern<>NGO)" , under the WeB4YES program - Western Balkan Civil Society for Youth Employment Support.
The second group of interns successfully implement diverse activities.
They actively practiced digital tools and developed digital skills, teamwork, organizational skills, creativity as well as communication and public relations skills through mentorship of prof. Renata Petrevska Nechkoska (academic mentor, from WBAA). In the previous months, they actively participated in the creation and maintenance of the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EkonomistiOptimisti/, where they designed an optimistic thread of posts and events, all through the principles of adding something original, competent & creative and positive to the audience. The engagements have been diverse - from analysing the conditions for students, through making promotional videos, organising a student’s corner within the guidelines of recycle, reuse, reduce without any funding, organising guest lectures, creating posts for combining the current situation with global pandemic and its reflection on different subjects such as, business communication, change management, etc.
Interns develop competence for work with online distance learning platforms, in particular with Moodle platform, through the training and mentorship of prof. Renata and have their first online e-learning portal by creating content with information about the current project. They have an active contribution in the creation of the new Student Corner at the Faculty of Economics Prilep, where their creativity and innovation are visible at their best. They have been part of the Food Bank Roundtable, and support promotion activities for the proper and full use of food.
Interns collaboration is also great with the NGO mentor prof. Elizabeta Tosheva, working together of improving their communication skills, research skills and writing project applications. Namely, they are actively involved in the creation of international partnerships, communication with foreign partners, preparation of reports and other relevant documents of the organization, conducting research and preparation of project application, as well as active participation in the implementation of ongoing projects.
Through the use of online tools, the communication and collaboration of Interns, Macedonian mentors and Albanian mentors Enetela Kaleshi and Klaudja Koci from partner organization Inlsh Icla Albania is ongoing.
Interns during the three-month internship had the opportunity to participate in workshops and trainings for: financial management and transparency of organization, project cycle and project creation, strategic planning, advocacy, running a family business and more.
The results are evident, their confidence is increased, and their motivation and desire for work and youth activism remain even after completing formal internships. Activities to develop and improve their employability skills continue with the increased use of virtual mentoring and the use of various IT tools and online platforms for collaboration, communication and implementation of activities.
