2016 saw the Eurasian Creative Guild conduct two internships. The first internship was held in Bishkek, from February until April, where eight interns gained experience in the following roles; office manager, specialist in marketing and book promotion, editor-journalist, event coordinator, publisher’s assistant, SMM/PR specialist and project-manager.
The second internship took place in Minsk and the selection process lasted two months, with four hundred candidates required to pass various tests. The first task was to write a review in Russian and English language on a book published by Hertfordshire Press. Only one hundred candidates managed that task. The second step towards the internship was an interview. Representatives of the Eurasian Creative Guild asked candidates professional questions, as well as general ones, in order to determine the most ideal interns. Fifteen candidates passed the interview successfully, but there were only six spaces available. The last task remaining for them was to write a fundraising letter to a potential partner company of the 5th Open Eurasian Literature Festival & Book Forum held in London from the 25th – 28th November 2016.
On August 15th, six interns started their internship. Over three months they were responsible for differing tasks such as; arranging meetings, publicly representing the ECG at international events, organizing events, communicating with outstanding people from the world of art, literature, business and politics. Interns were also involved in the production of Open Central Asia magazine, as well as the Literature Festival & Book Forum.
Margarita Batygina, a graduate in International Relations from Belarussian State University, said that her internship was “a great opportunity to get new professional experience in an international company, allowing me to try my hands in a variety of fields. I wanted to learn new things for my own personal development, and also contribute to the ECG’s projects”. Anzhelika Levandovskaya, student of the Belarusian State Economic University, also expressed similar thoughts, stating that “it was a great opportunity to get acquainted with lots of talented creative people both from Europe and Asia; writers and poets, musicians and dancers, actors and producers. I cannot even find words to describe this wonderful feeling when you realize that you are making a personal contribution to the development of modern Eurasian culture, and literature in particular. I am proud of being a member of the Eurasian Creative Guild’s team”.
Daria Antonovich, who coordinated the volunteers in Minsk, said that one of the most memorable roles for her was working as a publisher’s assistant and “learning how to communicate in a business environment, writing reports on the meetings, and getting acquainted with many interesting people.”
Maria Batz, who has worked in the media department for the World Hockey Championship (Belarus), Minsk International Film Festival and Belteleradiocompany, said that her motivations for the internship were because “I wanted to combine all previous skills and to force myself out of my comfort zone to learn new skills. From the very first day, when I started as an event-coordinator, the internship lived up to my expectations. Every day I was receiving new applications from the authors who wanted to participate in the contest/festival… and every day I further appreciated the uniqueness of Eurasian cultures. I remember how I worried about my first business trip to Astana where I was to present books published by the Hertfordshire Press. Everything that I learned during these weeks of internships, thanks to the Eurasian Creative Guild, is perhaps the most fast-paced learning experience of my life. It’s awesome that ECG gave me such an opportunity to realize myself in new projects and to learn more about Central Asia”.
In April 2017, the third internship began in Astana and saw 800 applicants vying for just four positions. Aigerim Alimkulova was one of them. As an International Journalism and Mass Communication graduate, as well as holding an MA in Cultural Management, Aigerim said her desire to apply for an internship with the ECG was because she “wanted to work in the field of culture and art. Through the internship I wanted to gain practical experience as a marketing manager, PR specialist, to improve my presentation skills, and to meet other creative individuals”.
If you’d like to find out about future internship opportunities with the ECG, please contact guild@ocamagazine.com.