Arcadia England

Every Future Foundation: An Internship for Every Future

Growing up in Vietnam as a person of color meant that diversity has always played a large role in my life, eventually leading me to Arcadia University. With initiatives around justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) & combating anti-black racism (CABR), and a strong study abroad program, I knew Arcadia was the right place for me. 

Despite being a public health major, I really didn’t know what it was like to work in the public health field, especially in a different country. When I heard about the London Internship Program, I jumped at the opportunity, and was placed with a local non-profit organization called Breakfast Clubs Against Racism.

Unfortunately, I joined at a time of substantial change, having just flown across the pond to find the royal family passing the crown down to His Majesty, and Breakfast Clubs Against Racism changing their name to Every Future Foundation. Their mission? To make every future free from racism.

Having just landed in London, I was immediately tasked with promoting our new brand. The first couple of weeks were very hectic setting up our social media accounts and changing everything to reflect the name change. In addition to marketing, I also helped set up our new Activism Academy programme, aimed to give secondary school children the necessary tools and platform to make the radical change they want to see in the world. I helped convince schools to provide this opportunity for their students, and set up promotional materials to convince students to join the programme with great success. As an anti-racist charity, I also worked on informational blogs about BLM month (October is BLM month in the UK), and attempted to secure funding through grant research and applications.

Working in a hybrid placement, I worked Mondays and Fridays online, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the office. Like a good employee working from home, I woke up an hour early, ate a healthy breakfast, and settled down in one of the study rooms at the Princess Elizabeth House (PEH). At least, I tried, at least for the first few weeks of the semester. I’ll admit that I was not able to keep this up throughout the semester and spent most of my online days working on my bed. However, this did not keep me from putting out my best work, and allowed me time to explore the immediate area during my lunch breaks (I figured I should make the most of the free time). 

Spending some days in the office meant I developed better working habits. On these days, I would wake up around 7:30 (later changed my alarm to 8), and catch the tube to Camden Town by 8:30. A couple minutes walk from the tube, I would end up at the Camden Collective, just across from Camden Market. Statistically speaking, this was where I was most productive (according to my INPR 310 research). By 12:30, I would grab a quick kebab and Dutch pancake at Camden Market, and head to class. 

Spending my semester in an internship placement allowed me to gain valuable experience in the public health field all while developing my work habits and an appreciation for the London area. Working with Every Future Foundation has opened my eyes to the comparable racial disparities the UK and US face today, and has enabled me to do my part to help make a change for our future generations.

Every future is equal. Every future is powerful. Every future matters. Every future free from racism. This semester, I worked with Every Future Foundation, and I’m proud to have been part of the movement.