We were delighted to welcome Griffin to the Knights of the Shed team this week for his work experience placement! As an organisation deeply committed to supporting our community and the development of future pathways, we value these opportunities. During his time here, Griffin jumped right into various tasks and quickly found his footing, turning initial nerves into confident engagement with our sessions and behind-the-scenes work. Here is Griffin performing some updates to our website, below is an interview with Griffin.
Reflecting on the Placement
Q: How would you describe your week of work experience at Knights of the Shed in one word?
Griffin: Inspirational.
Q: What kind of tasks or activities did you get involved in during your placement?
Griffin: I started the week relatively nervous about not being able to help very much, as well as not knowing what I could and couldn’t do. So, I mostly tidied the shelves and organised the stationary, as well as helping out during the Monday Kids session. As I got more confident, I started doing larger tasks, such as taking some photos and adding them to the website, organising the miniatures, and coming up with magic items for the Kids group.
Q: What was the most surprising or unexpected thing you learned about working in a psychology and support service environment?
Griffin: I got to see what goes on behind the scenes in this kind of environment, as well as picking up a few ways to engage with young people.
Aspirations and Future Pathways
Q: You are interested in a career in psychology. How did seeing the team here work with young people influence or confirm that goal?
Griffin: Seeing what went on from the perspective of a volunteer rather than a participant helped me appreciate what it would be like to work in this environment. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be the best at working with younger people, but I loved the entire process and had so much fun helping with their activities. This experience has definitely solidified my ambition to work in psychology, most likely in an area that involves helping younger people.
Q: What area of psychology (e.g., counselling, educational, clinical) are you now most interested in pursuing, and why?
Griffin: I really love the idea of helping someone identify, minimise or even solve any problems they have, and I feel like the counselling side of things might work well for that.
Q: What was the single most valuable skill or piece of insight you will take away from this week, and how do you think it will help you in your future studies?
Griffin: The greatest insight I’ve had over my week here would be witnessing what happens when a session isn’t on. Everyone is so organised and skilful, while still being friendly and welcoming the entire time.
About Knights of the Shed
Q: What positive things did you observe about the way Knights of the Shed supports young people and their development?
Griffin: I really admire the way that Knights of the Shed allows everyone to feel safe and included. In other psychological institutes, it’s easy for the human element to be lost due to the official air of everything, but at Knights of the shed, you walk in and there’s a knight riding a horse while wielding a pride flag, as well as a bunch of really nice and inclusive people.
Q: Do you now feel more confident about pursuing a career in the helping professions after completing this placement?
Griffin: I feel a career in psychology is more attainable now I’ve seen a tiny part of what goes on in this kind of environment.
Thank you for all of your work, Griffin, we wish you all the best for your future study and career endeavours.