Internship opportunities with the Charles Causley Trust
Helping you get your foot in the door
The Charles Causley Festival of Arts and Literature (image courtesy of Gavan Goulder)
Internships are an excellent way to bridge the gap between your education and your career by providing you with that initial step into the working world. Here at the University of Plymouth, we partner with a range of external partners to provide you with the best chance at gaining a career in your preferred sector.
Facilitating creative practice
The Charles Causley Trust is a literary organisation that was set up to provide access to literature and the arts, to provide space for unheard voices and to engage Charles Causley’s poetry to empower writers. Through its work, it keeps alive the memory of the late Causley, who is acknowledged as one of the finest 20th century poets. Through their mission, the Trust facilitate creative practice, helping to promote writing and the other arts through events, residencies and mentoring.
“Charles was a primary teacher for the majority of his adult career when he came back from the Second World War,” Nicola Nuttall, Director of the Trust, explains. “He was very much about supporting personal and skills-based development, and also then supporting professional creativity as well as hobbyist creativity.”
In the spirit of this, The Charles Causley Trust does lots of work with young people and creative professionals with the hope of benefitting the local community.
Charles Causley (image courtesy of John Lyne)
The value of somebody believing in you
The nurturing and supportive environment at the Trust is what makes them a such a brilliant place to complete your internship.
“I cannot underestimate the value of somebody believing in you,” Nicola says. “Someone taking the time to nurture you creates a totally different environment for you to grow than if you're always feeling a bit embarrassed or like you don't know and can't ask.”
The Charles Causley Trust has plenty of opportunities for students to gain experience across literature, arts and heritage through internships or volunteering. In particular, their annual Festival of Arts and Literature is a great place to gain a range of experience, whilst also connecting with creatives across fields.
Image courtesy of Gavan Goulder
Promoters of personal and professional development
As promoters of personal and professional development, the Trust is always looking for ways to give back to their volunteers.
“We're running a series of monthly fundraising events at the moment, and we had one the other night with David Devanny and Penny Shuttle, who are famous poets. I invited each of the volunteers who've been working very closely with us to attend the workshop for free,” Nicola explains. “I really like to help people in the early stages of their careers, so I do quite a lot of mentoring as well. So, if you do want to volunteer with us then you kind of get a bit of a package at the same time. Not only do you get it on your CV and you get experience, we nurture you and when there are opportunities that are either training related or creatively related or that might allow you to get paid for some of the work that you're doing, we just kind of glue it all together.”
Access a range of benefits
For students and creatives who want to get involved, The Charles Causley Trust also offers memberships – at just £5 per year for students – which give you access to a range of benefits, including student focused activities such as workshops, writing platforms, mentoring, internships and volunteering opportunities that will allow you to develop your creative and professional skills.
If you’re looking to work with literature in the future, then internships such as those with The Charles Causley Trust can be the perfect way for you to get your foot in the door.
This article was written by Aimee Whittle, BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing student as part of her internship with the School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences.