SkillCraft invites public support for $45,000 youth funding drive
SkillCraft hopes to raise $45,000 in four weeks through a campaign to support its youth programmes. The charity, which bridges the gap between education and employment through internships, training and mentorship, is inviting people to contribute between $100 and $1,000 to expand hands-on learning experiences that build confidence and workplace skills for young Bermudians, according to cofounder Margot Shane.
Q: How will the campaign work and what are you hoping it will achieve?
A: The purpose of the individual campaign is to raise $45,000 towards SkillCraft programming. We are centring the campaign on a donor’s ability to choose how they contribute to our mission — whether that be through a certification, a training experience [or] a week's stipend. There will be a giving ladder associated with the campaign, with gift amounts ranging from $100 to $1,000.
Q: Who are you hoping will support the campaign — individuals, businesses, government or a mix of all three?
A: We are seeking individual support.
Q: How has the organisation evolved over the past few years?
A: We started this organisation in 2022 as two friends who had experienced challenges navigating our transitions into the world of work — it was what we called a “fun project”. More than four years later, we are honoured to have served over 50 young people, recruited a board who is passionate about our work to help us formalise our governance processes and developed and piloted a second programme.
Q: What lessons have you learnt?
A: I think the thing I take away every year is just how eager and willing young people are to learn if you give them a chance and make the lessons explicit.
Q: What kinds of partnerships with businesses have been most impactful?
A: We have several long-term partnerships with social-media host businesses who have come back again and again — BUEI is on to its fourth year; Westmeath, KBB and ABIC their third. These partnerships are impactful in that the mentors within these organisations have developed insights into what works when giving a young person authentic responsibility and accountability, and keep showing up and digging in no matter the outcome. They are just committed to the objective of helping young people develop their self and career knowledge. This willingness to return and serve with their time is super special. Having said that, anyone who invests their time by having an intern and meeting them where they are is having an impact — it's not a light commitment. We are super grateful to all our hosts over the years.
Camryn Tyrrell already had a clear academic direction when she joined SkillCraft four years ago. She heard about the charity through a school presentation and as she was to head to university that year thought an internship could be helpful.
“I already had plans to do television production,” she said. “My interests were along those lines — video creation, editing, that type of stuff.”
SkillCraft placed her at Buna Gallery, a Sandys coffee shop with a creative edge. There, she was tasked with managing social-media content — producing graphics, editing videos and creating promotional material for events.
But the experience extended beyond what she expected. As her host, Dana Selassie, was also a film-maker, Camryn had the opportunity to contribute to documentary research, combing through historical newspaper archives and gaining insight into the film-making process.
“It was cool that she let me do a few things for her documentary,” she said. “She taught me about what she does in film, even though I was technically working for the coffee shop.”
Some of the most important lessons came in less obvious ways. Her schedule often shifted depending on circumstances — some days were spent at the café, others working from SkillCraft’s base in Hamilton.
“I had to go back and forth and make myself available whenever I could,” she said. “I had to learn how to adapt to different spaces.”
That adaptability has since proved essential in university life.
“You have no choice but to be flexible,” she said. “I’ve done my homework in the cafeteria, in the car on the way somewhere — you just have to get it done. SkillCraft really prepared me for that. It was my first experience with work and it kind of shaped what I look for in other internships.”
Perhaps most significantly, the experience broadened her career outlook. While she entered the programme focused on television production, her time at SkillCraft introduced her to the creative and strategic side of marketing.
“It made me realise that marketing can be fun,” said Camryn, who will begin a master’s degree in marketing and digital communications at Falmouth University in September.
For young Bermudians preparing to enter higher education or the workforce, she has simple advice: apply to SkillCraft.
“Do it. It’s just a really fun experience and you get to meet so many new people,” she said. “I’ve met people from so many different schools that I still talk to to this day and it gave me the confidence to create, design and develop an eye for social media content.”
She added that the programme also helped her grow more comfortable communicating with others.
“I had to talk to a lot of people and I wasn’t used to that,” she said. “We had guest speakers, other interns and then at my host business, especially during events, I had to interact with even more people.”
Q: What changes do you tend to see in young people between the start and end of the programme?
A: In the social-media programme, we see young people come in very tentative and unsure how their voice fits into the world and doubtful they have anything to offer. Over the course of the six weeks, we watch as their confidence grows and they start believing that their voice matters and they do have something that is valuable to contribute. We also see their social skills and ability to talk to people develop. Our alumni talk about the fact that they get to meet so many different people, make new friends and learn from their experiences, and how valuable that is.
Q: Why do you believe experiential learning and mentorship are so important for teenagers entering the workforce?
A: Experiential learning is important because it allows a young person to test the behaviours, attributes and skills they have but perhaps haven’t consciously recognised against the behaviours, attributes and skills required for the career they are exploring in a low-stakes way. It is their opportunity to gain some self-awareness in the workplace without relying on the income for survival. It provides a platform for self-reflection and growth.
Mentorship is important because it provides an opportunity for a young person to receive guidance from a more experienced professional and someone who is not related to them.
Q: Can you think of a past intern whose success captures what SkillCraft is trying to achieve?
A: Success can be three different things within SkillCraft. It can be a young person realising that marketing is a career for them and pursuing it. We have one alumni who launched her own social-media consultancy; we have one who found a full-time marketing job in a corporate organisation. Many young people simply learnt that marketing was not for them and went on to pursue something else, but that is success too — figuring out what you don’t like is often as important as figuring out what you do. Other young people developed their professional network, social and workplace behaviour skills — learning how to take initiative is something that many interns reference as a particularly powerful takeaway.
Q: Years from now, what would you like to be able to say SkillCraft has given to the community?
A: I want to say SkillCraft has given Bermudian young people an opportunity to shine, to highlight the work ethic and talent that exists on this island if we just look a little closer and a little deeper. I want to give Bermuda the gift of a generation of young people who come into the workplace with self-assurance and confidence; who are ready, willing and able to use their voices to contribute effectively.
• To donate, or for more information on SkillCraft, visitwww.skillcraft.bm
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