As part of the University’s BA Internship programme, where selected BA students can gain course credit as well as work experience at Wellington organisations, Lydia was placed with All Good Organics, the company behind All Good Bananas and the Karma Cola range of soft drinks.
Lydia is in her final year of a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Development Studies and Music, with a minor in English Literature.
The company’s products are either Fairtrade or sourced directly from farmers in countries such as Sierra Leone and Ecuador to ensure the growers get a fair deal and benefit from the proceeds of their efforts.
During her placement, Lydia worked on a mixture of projects, including devising principles for a new charitable foundation being set up by the company and researching new stockists for its products. In addition, the talented musician has been commissioned to write jingles for All Good Organics.
“I also got to organise events for them, including an exhibition about Boma, the village in Sierra Leone where All Good sources its cola nut.”
Lydia says while it was challenging, the rewards were worth it. “It was a bit of a shock to put what I’ve learned in Development Studies into practice, but it was really awesome at the same time. I gained quite a bit of confidence and it made me realise I actually knew more than I thought I did, which is a fantastic way to feel at the end of my degree.”
She also feels like her input was valued. “My mentor was one of the company’s directors, Matt Morrison—I feel really privileged and grateful that he could give me so much time out of his busy schedule. He really appreciated what I did as well—he said it was great to have someone who’d done Development Studies share their knowledge with All Good.
“It’s exciting that universities are heading in this direction—it’s really important for people to have opportunities like this. It’s also great that mentors in the business community are able to see what the University is doing.”
Lydia’s been offered casual work for All Good over the coming months.
She says the support of the BA Internship coordinators has been invaluable, and the class component of the scheme was enlightening too. “We talked about a different way of looking at the university experience—how to make graduates more employable but in a way that doesn’t discourage creativity and imagination,” she says. “To do that in my final year was great—I feel so much more assured that all the creative work I have done as a BA student can be of benefit in many different places. It really ties my whole degree together.
To find out more about All Good Organics, visit their website.