“I never thought I’d ever have a role in the environmental sector, but now I have a range of new skills and a much greater understanding of the state of the natural world.”
Jessica Birabil came to Synchronicity Earth originally on a paid two-week work experience placement through our partner Voyage Youth. Her enthusiasm to learn and interest in how her growing skills could be used to counter the biodiversity crisis led to her being offered an extended internship in the Communications team.
As Jessica prepares for her law degree to begin this September, she reflects on what she has learned from her time working in wildlife conservation.
I never realised how endangered biodiversity is around the world. Not that I had thought birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, and deep-sea creatures were high in numbers, but it never occurred to me how many types of species, on land, inland waters, and the ocean, are in danger of extinction.
My journey in conservation began in August 2022 through Voyage Youth, a social justice charity based in Hackney that aims to empower young black people and help them reach their full potential, which was offering two-week paid summer work experience placements.
Seeing Synchronicity Earth as one of the options, I felt inclined to try something new in a field that’s all around me—nature conservation. This placement was then extended into a nine-month internship.
As my gap year is now coming to an end, I’ll be starting a new chapter studying Law at City University of London come September.
Taking on different skills
One of my first tasks when I started the internship was to publish a write-up of a webinar featuring four incredible marine conservationists: Our connection with the ocean
I began my initial placement with a foot in every team. I was given the opportunity to explore operating systems; learn about finance and due diligence; and research various potential partner organisations.
With a good balance of tasks and training sessions, I already began feeling like a member of the team rather than just a young person on a placement. I began to understand how different roles and skills within the organisation piece together for effective support to the organisation’s global partners.
I also found out that I have an affinity for communications.
Communications is the first step to creating any type of action, either locally or globally, because with issues such as the biodiversity crisis, if we can’t communicate them, how will people know or care about them?
By telling people not only about the threats, but also the solutions, people don’t have to feel helpless when it comes to conservation. It is crucial to convey messages of hope, so people care and want to act to save a species. Once anxious about using social media such as Instagram and Twitter, I learned how to adapt messages for different audiences, experimenting to find out what works best to engage them.
Being able to delve into different partner stories and projects around the world whilst sitting at my desk was really rewarding. Working in Communications, you become a filter, learning about the partner organisations, picking out the most interesting stories, and creating a window for everyone outside the organisation to see what our partners are doing on the ground.
Affirming my place outside my comfort zone
I really enjoyed spending time with the team, not just in the office but also at team socials and informal get-togethers.
Before Synchronicity Earth, I had worked as a youth leadership coordinator at Voyage Youth, so office environments were not new to me. But here, I was one of the few people from a BAME background and the youngest person on the team.
Ethnic diversity is hugely under-represented in the environment sector. The findings from last year’s RACE Report, using data from 94 environmental charities, trusts and foundations, was that the proportion of staff and trustees who identify as a person of colour and are part of racially or ethnically marginalised groups is only 7% (this figure is 14% for the UK