Hi everyone! My name is Weronika and I’m a 22-year-old Polish BA graduate in Social Policy and for three intensive months, I’ve been a Projects & Communication Intern at CUMEDIAE.
Why did you apply at CUMEDIAE? What was the working environment like?
I always believed that motivation is the key. In my case, it was the willingness to gain professional experience in a culture-related field and to test myself in this environment before deciding on the next big step in my career. As a young person before choosing my master’s, I wanted to check if my intuition and vision of what I’d like to do coincided with reality. And that’s how I ended up at CUMEDIAE! But I have to say, there was another specific reason why I pressed the ” send ” button with my application. When I found out about Butterfly I just knew it was the perfect project for me. Mixing the world of opera and theatre, classical music, intergenerational and intercultural partners and sustainability aspects in one, got me from the very beginning. And guess what – I’ve been working on it my whole internship and absolutely loved it!
What I particularly valued during my stay in Brussels was our great team. We were all so different and yet cooperated well. Through all these months I felt welcomed, supported by fellow interns, and valued by the managers. Who would have expected that I liked coming to our little office so much? Even on my last day, I was just as excited for our lunch break and traditional coffee time as I’ve been for the past three months.
What part of the internship got you the most involved?
During my internship above all, I was involved in Project Butterfly. Together with my little team, we were responsible for creating and implementing new communication strategies, coordinating social media profiles, creating content, and occasionally contacting Polish-Italian-Finnish partners. And there was always something to do, believe me! I could also contribute to several other initiatives which made my tasks more diverse and allowed me to develop other skills (like, for example, designing a project’s newsletter or doing advanced research on mobility opportunities for artists).
What do you consider the biggest challenge you’ve faced while working at CUMEDIAE?
I think that one particularly challenging and stimulating at the same time was the given autonomy. I was constantly encouraged to come up with my own initiatives and ideas and work based on what I think. You can probably expect various effects with that kind of attitude but eventually, every concept was discussed in the team and provided with a form of feedback. It also turns out that to be productive and focus on project-oriented goals you really need to be “in it” and understand the whole undertaking.
What have you learned while working at CUMEDIAE?
Thinking of my experience at CUMEDIAE I can proudly say that I learned a lot, from communication work to improving my Italian (thanks to my lovely Italian friends)! I came to Brussels with the hope of developing project-marketing skills, better understanding the mechanisms behind EU-funded projects, and also widening my professional contact network. It’s extremely satisfying to see that I managed to achieve it!
What do you think about CUMEDIAE? Why would you recommend it?
I believe that CUMEDIAE is a good place to do an internship if you’re willing to work or just interested in the culture industry. The agency supports various exciting projects and cooperates with many professional partners and institutions which allows you to get to know the environment better. The atmosphere in the office is very friendly and I could feel a sense of togetherness with other interns (which became my friends and that was the best possible outcome ever!). In total, I’m very happy with this experience. It’s been a true adventure and I can say that I’m already enjoying the fruits of it!
