My Experience of Interning with a Non-Profit

3:31pm on Tuesday the 19th of June 2015, signalled the end of two hard years spent studying for the leaving certificate exams.

When I walked out of my final chemistry exam I could nearly sense a tangible feeling of freedom.

To bridge the gap between secondary school and the start of college I decided to spend my summer interning with a charity called the Surf Project.

The Surf Project are a non-profit who are driven by a living faith and a passion for surfing, they seek to encourage, challenge, nurture and inspire people across Ireland and abroad, through innovative events, workshops, camps and cultural exchanges.

Their aim is that people can discover and experience what it really means to live life to the full.

Along with three Americans and one from Scotland, we made up a team of five summer interns. Two of the guys were trained surf instructors so they focused primarily on surf lessons, myself and the two girls spent most most of our time preparing and delivering the workshops for young people.

When compared to other internships I've done, this was definitely the most fun. From the end of June up until the end of August we travelled all across Ireland running day events, kids clubs and week long camps.

In between the times of extensive travel we got to spend our off time surfing and exploring parts of Ireland I didn't know existed - it was a refreshing change from the intense study that went into my last few months of school.

But what made it most memorable was seeing the impact that our work was having.

The Surf Project's ethos around creating a space and place where young people can experience what it means to life live to the full resulted on so many young people's lives being positively impacted.

Sometimes internships aren't about trying to advance yourself or your career, instead it can be cool to be part of something which you believe can really help other people.

So maybe you should give interning with a non-profit a try!