2024 Internship Programme - THE LAUNCH

The second cohort of the Summer Internship Program, by AKAYA and its newest partner Remoteli is underway and officially launched on 17th July 2024. After a rigorous selection process and round of interviews, 5 female interns have been accepted into the programme and have begun their journey towards an enhanced personal and professional experience with AKAYA.

The official start to the programme commenced with a 2-hour virtual launch event with the AKAYA team and the CEO of Remoteli - Mr Samuel Brooksworth.

The founder of AKAYA, Dr Khadija Owusu warmly welcomed the interns and reintroduced them to the foundation, reiterating the mission. She touched on the existing projects at AKAYA which are the Summer Internship Programme, the Empowered Inkwell Writing Contest, The Aya Initiative, The Like Her Project, The Afrigirl Conference and Project Esi which are all designed to empower the female child in diverse ways and contribute to their overall wellbeing and success.

The all-important night had two keynote speakers, the first of whom was Mr. Samuel Brooksworth, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Remoteli. The CEO expressed his profound gratitude to AKAYA and expressed his utmost desire to support the cause as an ardent believer and supporter of female empowerment. He had the entire audience hooked on his captivating tale of participating in an international business pitch show in the UK and how he made the best of the opportunity despite his initial resistance to venture in it.

Through his illustrations, he emphasised the importance of finding the right crowd and people to surround yourself with and chipped in the importance of a good woman he had married, a brazen call to all women at the launch to be the best versions of themselves in whatever sphere of life they are in.

In concluding his address, Mr. Brooksworth emphasised the importance of taking your chance. He said, “Don’t take it for granted, use it as an opportunity to show the world what you can do”.  The charge to make 100% use of the internship opportunity and not to perceive it as ordinary was laid heavy on all interns.

The second keynote speaker was none other than the Volunteers Lead at AKAYA and the Programme Manager for the Summer Internship programme, Maud Ewoenam Fugar.

In a colourful array of words and imagery, Ms. Fugar carried her audience through a clear path on her passion for volunteering, her motivations, the benefits derived out of it and the vast array of opportunities that are open for her today because of volunteering. She mentioned some limitations could be financial constraints, limited self-care, cultural shocks and language barrier. Yet, volunteering when pursued efficiently allows you to appreciate and embrace diverse cultures and makes you more resourceful and creative. To conclude her address, the Programme Manager with over a decade experience in volunteering, mentioned that in the quest to stay true to being a volunteer, find a buddy, start small, tell your story and of course make it a habit.

Interns from the previous cohort were also present to give their remarks of congratulations to their successors. One thing rang consistent, they all agreed the internship had been transformational and key to their present level of success in their respective roles.

The week continued with an exciting session on personal branding from the renowned Digital Marketer, PR, blogger, publicist and a host of accolades to his name, Mr. Edward Asare. There is never a dull moment with Mr. Asare, as he kick started with much enthusiasm, leaving no one unresponsive or idle. He emphasised that personal branding required deliberate effort and if it wasn’t built intentionally, it will be built by neglect. The now successful marketing guru recounted his days of joblessness, worry and a limited mindset of thinking people owed him favours. His journey to success started when he started his personal branding journey. He placed a call to interns to ignore the negative remarks often made about personal branding such as “settings, packaging or pretence.” The moment you neglect the settings, you’re setting something else, so make the effort to present the right image to others. It is imperative that you find your purpose and a mission and vision are stepping stones in that direction. Mr. Asare asked that interns level on social media, focus on announcing results and to use storytelling to communicate value across different platforms. Personal branding attracts job opportunities and opens you up to different opportunities and networks. He gave step by step procedures to optimise your LinkedIn account which include completing your profile, including a decent professional headshot and cover image and completing your about. Ever the practicalist, Edward Asare ended his session by reviewing accounts and making necessary corrections to them and set in motion, the #akayachallenge, a LinkedIn consistency challenge for interns and other members of the AKAYA family.

Overall, the 2024 AKAYA x Remoteli Summer Internship Programme has kicked off to a great start and we can't wait to witness the exceptional growth of the interns over the next couple of months!

Article written by Edna Dorgbefu (Content Writer Intern)