Roles & Responsibilities at NSI

My First Placement: Engaging with Never Such Innocence

My first placement began with Never Such Innocence, where I currently work as an Engagement Manager. Never Such Innocence (NSI) is a creative charity that provides a platform for children and young people (aged 9-18) to reflect and express their views on war, conflict, and peace through various creative forms. I officially started on September 19th, working on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This position will last until the end of June.

Responsibilities Overview

✤ Creating and Digital Marketing: I manage the Facebook and Instagram accounts for NSI, creating content, images, and captions. I plan content for social media posts that are published on Thursdays and Fridays. This helps promote the charity’s activities and attract more potential participants. Thursday’s content focuses on current relevant submissions (for example, I chose a poem commemorating soldiers for Remembrance Day), while Friday’s content features NSI Young Ambassadors promoting the competition. At other times, I post event updates and promotional posts occasionally.

✤ Branding and Graphic Design: I proposed to use a simpler, more youthful design to strengthen the charity’s impression among young people, which was well received. As part of this effort, I designed several origami dove icons for NSI, some of which are tailored to current events (such as a dove with a poppy for Remembrance Day) and others that are classic versions for long-term use. Other than that, I design and layout the images for the weekly social media posts.

✤ Illustration Design: NSI had a branch competition with the theme of “Month of the Military Child.” I created illustrations for this theme, which will be used for promotion and printed on certificates. I also created a black-and-white version of the illustration, which will be printed and distributed to younger children in schools as colouring pages to help them engage with the theme.

✤ Assisting with Workshops: One of my primary tasks is to assist in organising workshops for refugee children at the London Hotel. To better participate and help with these workshops, I attend an online “Healing Classroom” workshop every Thursday.

✤ Managing Emails and Competition Entries: On Mondays I reply to emails, log new entries into the entries archive and manage contributor information.

✤ Planning the February Roadshow: The charity will be hosting a major roadshow in Birmingham in February 2025. We will be responsible for running the event and will start preparing for it in early November. Children’s artwork will be displayed at this event to promote awareness of the charity’s mission.

✤ Archiving: I also organise and utilise past competition entries to create themed documents that can be shared with collaborators and funders to get a better understanding about us and help in the planning of new activities.

———————————————— • —————————————————

Through these responsibilities, I have been able to develop a wide range of skills, from project management to creative design, and have gained invaluable experience in engaging with both the community and the broader public. Each task brings its own set of challenges, but also a sense of accomplishment and growth. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continuing to contribute to NSI’s mission.