Our 2024 interns

It’s been a few weeks since we said goodbye to our amazing summer interns so we thought we’d share some insight into their 6 week experience with us - from their perspectives:  Oscar After graduating from the University of Cambridge in June, I dived straight into a 6-week internship at Humankind Research, thanks to the incredible 10k Able Interns programme. My time at Humankind has exposed me to an entirely new side of research that I hadn’t experienced before.  Prior to applying to the 10k Interns programme, I had quite a limited perception of market research, so I had never considered it a career option for myself. Yet the opportunity to work with Humankind has made it clear to me that there is not only one way to do research. Having already completed an internship in social research last year, I imagined a career in research to involve projects spanning multiple years, research funding, journal publications, and the worry that said publications might not be read or acted upon. I still wanted to pursue a career in research, believing in its capacity to challenge inequalities and fuel positive change, but these worries still sat in the back of my mind.  Despite 6-weeks being a relatively short amount of time to be exposed to a whole new side of research, having worked across multiple projects at different stages of the life cycle, I now understand what ‘people-first’ market research looks like. The projects the team undertake have a much quicker turnaround than academic research, respond to an incredibly specific need, and provide immediately actionable results, whilst (crucially) also prioritising safeguarding, utilising participatory approaches, and ultimately, doing good. Immersing myself in focus group data, Field Notes submissions, analysis grids, and learning about a diverse range of methodologies spanning segmentations and ethnographies has been such a valuable experience for me.  My time at Humankind has expanded and enriched my understanding of research, just in time for me to begin my MPhil in October. I hope to bring some of Humankind’s ‘bilingualism’ - combining the strengths of both market and social research - with me as I explore health research for my masters.  Carmel I am so pleased to have had the privilege of working with Humankind research via 10,000 Black interns. It has truly been an amazing experience. At the beginning of my internship, I never imagined I would have the chance to work on such a diversity of projects.  From healthcare to sports to exploring deep poverty, there have been boundless opportunities to gain insights from a variety of industries.    My studies had a greater focus on quantitative research, so I was genuinely curious about where it would be most appropriate to take a qualitative approach to research and the value of this.  I quickly learned how powerful it can be, especially when trying to understand the complexities of human behaviour. It has been enriching to gain a nuanced understanding of people’s real-life experiences.  My favourite thing about this internship was having the opportunity to contribute to analysis sessions. It was lovely knowing my ideas and opinions were acknowledged, despite being an intern with very little experience in the research industry - this definitely boosted my confidence. Also everyone at Humankind was friendly and passionate about the work they do, the team were genuinely supportive and wanted to help me learn. As a result, I feel like I have learnt so much in such a short period of time.  My internship with Humankind has even influenced the way I think about my career choices, reinforcing how important it is to me that I do work that is challenging and making a positive impact in the world. It has been fulfilling being part of a team that uses powerful insights to affect positive change in society.  Finally, I want to say a massive thank you to my buddy Makaila and my mentor Joanne for looking after me for the last 6 weeks. I truly appreciate your support.   Sarah After finishing my first year of my BSc Sociology Degree at the London School of Economics I thought I had a strong grasp on both quantitative and qualitative research. I quickly learnt there was more to it as I observed the way quantitative data - which always seemed so static and statistically heavy to me - was transformed into engaging and digestible narratives for clients.   Alongside soaking up quantitative expertise, I also worked on various qual projects - from in depth interviews to ethnographies. While familiar with these methods from an academic level, it was eye opening to put this knowledge into practice and engage with them on a more human level.  I learnt the art of active listening while listening to interviews and how important thoughtful questioning is to prompt the most insightful responses. These experiences have enriched my appreciation for the human stories behind the data. Overall, this experience has been invaluable to me from many angles - with a secure buddy and mentor network I was provided with a strong base of support. I was also given space to grow on individual tasks whilst absorbing the team’s expertise on collective projects. I can confidently say finishing this internship that I have bloomed both as a person and a potential researcher.