Letter From an Intern: What I Learnt About Impact

Hi, it’s Emma here!

I’ve been interning at We Are Mobilise for the past 2 months, helping out with the programs and learning a little about how this place functions. I’m a Melbournian born and bred, however I’m studying and running overseas in the US at the moment and just back for summer break.

For this substack, I thought I’d dip my toe in the waters and share a little bit about the personalities behind the names, and my experience working for such a vibrant, impact-driven charity.

Quick introduction over → onto reality.

Working at Mobilise is my first job in the city – I had no clue what to expect. That first day there was nothing but questions in my mind. How many employees are there? Will they like me? Are they cool people? The usual first day on the job questions.

I was also curious about Mobilise, as I imagine some of you are. I was wondering, how do the programs I’ve read about work? What does everyone do? and what will I be doing as an intern?

So, I can answer the last question for you.

As an intern I’ve extensively researched the homelessness sector in Australia and other international programs similar to our Kickstarter program. I’ve also combed through our Kickstarter data to measure the impact of receiving one-time rental assistance on people's future housing stability.

Outside of this, there’s been the usual intern tasks around the office – folding cards, colouring in blue bricks on the Mobilise house – I was dubbed “the minions’ minion” because Becky gets to tell me what to do each day :)…

What stands out from my time at Mobilise is simply how good everyone is at their jobs. I think there is a perception that charities aren’t as innovative as the private sector, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, especially when it comes to Mobilise.

There is so much intelligence in the office and I’m not just talking about the laptops.

Everyone who works here is so passionate and competitive. I rocked up on my first day and got enveloped into an ecosystem prompting progress and change and I’ve learnt so much, not just about homelessness and social impact, but about how to work effectively and get stuff done.

Everyday has a different focus. My colleagues are taking risks and trying new things, facing challenges and finding solutions. We work for a charity but we act like entrepreneurs, because solving homelessness requires creating something new, whether that’s cool materials to send to our charity partners, or a Substack to remind people how many people are out here all trying to help and make change.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do after I graduate. Working here has opened my eyes to so many types of jobs that I didn’t even know existed.

I’ve been working in the city looking out the window at all those other high rise buildings with their tinted windows obscuring the people and activities inside and wondering What are you doing in there? Are you also helping people?

I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do the work I’ve been doing and learn that a career in impact can be just as fulfilling and challenging, if not more so, than any big city job.

Perhaps working in impact is something that more people should look at doing… The more brains working to solve an issue, the quicker it’ll be solved.

There’s nothing that needs to be solved more than homelessness – this is Mobilise’s mission.