Work Experience

Lucy Conway, work experience student, July 2024

I have always had an interest in human rights and I am looking to study a politics degree at university, which is what strived my original desire to do work experience with René Cassin. I was recommended this opportunity by my school and would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone else that is interested in human rights and wants to learn more about how they can get involved.

Throughout my week with René Cassin, I have taken on a number of different tasks that have given me insight into how the world of human rights advocating works in the UK and the pure urgency of the issues that René Cassin deals with. Whilst I had strong knowledge of some of the issues beforehand, it was enrichening (although saddening) to learn about the different human rights issues in the UK and all the different elements that come into play when trying to help and protect human rights in the UK.

From taking my first step into the office, René Cassin has been such a welcoming environment and all the people that I got to work with provided me with the appropriate support to be able to use my week work experience to my full potential. From my first day, I was welcomed into the world of human rights in the UK and any questions I had were eagerly answered, which enable me to feel like I was already becoming a part of the incredible team at René Cassin. The tasks I was set throughout the week have allowed me to step my foot into the world of human rights and begin to understand what a vital role charities like René Cassin play in the world of human rights and the incredible work that they do.

An area which I have found particularly interesting over my week work experience  was the ‘right to food’ campaign. This is of particular interest to me as for my Bat Mitzvah in 2019 I delivered a bake sale in which people would bring food to which was to be donated to the Trussell Trust. Learning about the depth of the issue at just twelve years old was horrific. Throughout my week’s work experience I have learnt how the issue has become even more severe with more people experiencing food poverty each year, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.

As part of my time at René Cassin, I have created an informative presentation on the right to food in the UK ,which explains what this actually means, why it becomes important and what the relevance is to the Jewish community. I hope to use this resource to showcase, not only to the Jewish community at JFS but in the whole of the UK, the importance of the ‘right to food’ campaign and the tragic impact that it has on so many communities in the UK.

My week at René Cassin has provided me with invaluable skills that I will carry with me throughout my life and into my future career later in life. It has allowed to me to gain a deeper understanding of the human rights sector of work in the UK and given me knowledge to be able to educate others about the most important issues and challenges that those work in the sector are dealing with and those who they are helping. This experience has positively exceeded my expectations and I am beyond grateful that I got this opportunity at René Cassin.