I've gained so much confidence from Change 100

Ray


Ray is a History and Politics student at the University of Cambridge. They recently completed an internship at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, where they worked as a Campaign Project Officer as part of our Change 100 Programme. 

I’ve learnt that people actually do care about disability and take it seriously.

Ray standing in front of the national lottery sign

I have anxiety and depression. When I’ve had part time jobs before, I would feel incredibly anxious. I couldn’t find the motivation to get out of bed and work, and generally find public transport very difficult.

Where was my internship

My Change 100 internship with the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been really useful. I’ve been able to talk to people in all sectors of the organisation in different countries, so I’ve learnt a lot about different roles and what I’d be interested in. I’ve gained so many sector specific skills, which is good because I’m hoping to go into the charity sector.

I’ve also learnt how a workplace works and the different routes you can go down to ask for help and support. My line manager is very understanding and has been so supportive of me doing things like project management and a course to get a further qualification.

Professional development days

The professional development days run by Change 100 were really useful in terms of teaching me about workplace. The Change 100 team were really lovely, and checked up on me regularly.

I really liked that they told my employer what disability I had and ensured that certain things were in place for me.

What I gained from Change 100

I’ve also learnt that people actually do care about disability and take it seriously. I always thought depression and anxiety were one of those things where people would be like ‘oh just get over it’, but my employers have been so understanding. Everyone wants to learn more and understand how they can help other people. I’ve hosted a webinar with the other Change 100 intern here about disability in the workplace.

I would recommend anyone to apply to Change 100. I’ve gained so much confidence from the programme. I’ve learnt more about what sector I want to work in, and it’s helped me find a niche to go into.