10,000 Black Interns
10,000 black interns is a programme designed to give a flying start to young black people or young people of black heritage in building a career. They match young people with a paid internship in a sector of their interest ranging across 25+ sectors. The aim of the program is to give internship opportunities to over 10,000 black young people by 2025.
“Dallaglio RugbyWorks is delighted to be a part of this ground breaking initiative, we are passionate about diversity and inclusion so this scene was a natural fit for us. We have been blown away by the quality of the candidates we interviewed and by the two interns we took on. For us it was a extra bonus that we have been able to employ Sumayyah on a permanent basis. I cannot recommend 10K black interns more highly”
Sumayyah’s Story
I decided to apply to 10,000 Black Interns (10KBI) because of its dedication to enabling wider participation in underrepresented industries for students and graduates like myself from African and Caribbean communities. During my studies, I undertook an internship where I reviewed EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) policies for multiple public sector graduate schemes under the Transform Society Network umbrella. What became apparent to me before during that internship and before graduating were the difficulties particularly faced by Black graduates (especially in comparison to other non-Black BAME and White graduates) and how little tangible policy was geared towards remedying this issue. 10KBI is incredibly vital as they offer quantitative action across a wide variety of sectors, including the public/not-for-profit sector which is the space I wanted to get into after graduation.
I currently work at Dallaglio RugbyWorks as the Events & Partnership Assistant after finishing a three-month summer internship via 10KBI. The work that the charity does mirrors that of 10KBI in terms of addressing inequality in the UK and I am deeply grateful to continue working in such a purpose-driven environment with such talented and inspiring individuals. This year’s theme for Black History Month is ‘Time for Change: Action Not Words’. I believe both organisations are the embodiment of this as it manifests in their commitment to resolving the underrepresentation of Black people and their voices within the sector.
While there are innumerable highlights to mention, I am particularly proud of the annual Dallaglio RugbyWorks Awards and the Tackling Twickenham abseiling event I helped organise. Both events massively aided me in gaining my bearings as I settled into the organisation all while having the extra bonus of witnessing the direct impact of these events on the young people we support. I look forward to organising future events and continue my professional development at Dallaglio RugbyWorks.
The applications for 10,000 black interns 2023 are open now! To register your interest in the program visit https://10kbi.pinpointhq.com/register-your-interest/new