Work experience profile: a fun battle of the sexes – with some serious lessons

Sixth-former Eddy Burchett gained a global perspective on work experience with a charity striving to alleviate international poverty at grassroots level.

The Jewish charity, Tzedek, gave Eddy and three fellow students a challenge: they had to select a good cause and then create and deliver a fundraising campaign, bringing in as much money as possible.

“By the end of the week, we had raised over £380 for a programme in Ghana which aims to improve education and reduce class sizes, ensuring children are receiving the best possible education.”

This, he explained, was in line with Tzedek’s philosophy of providing facilities for self-betterment, rather than simply handing over large sums of money. The charity runs a number of projects in Africa and India.

“Our fundraising activity involved visiting as many educational sights throughout central London as we could within a space of two-and-a-half hours. We shortlisted 15 locations, and were dropped in a random location, so we could not plan the route in advance.”

With the boys pitted against a girls’ team, the challenge took on a highly competitive character.  “In the end, the boys visited 11 out of the 15 locations, running 11km, whereas the girls only visited six.” 

Afterwards, Eddy found time to reflect on what he had learned through the whole experience: “The main lesson was to not take for granted the education we receive in developed countries: although I had not been to some of the locations I visited, such as the Natural History Museum, for years, they were all available to me, whilst in Ghana students struggle to have any sort of education.

“I would strongly advise work experience for a charity; it shows that you are willing to do good for the community, rather than simply looking for ways to make money,” Eddy concluded.