“You don’t need to have any special superpowers to make a difference – the average person can get involved by assisting non-profits and social service organisations whose main objective is youth empowerment.”
Cape Town is an incredibly popular travel destination for several reasons such as the breath-taking landscape, the vibrant culture and the flavoursome food to name a few! If i could… gives travellers another reason to visit the beautiful city – the opportunity to make a difference through immersive internship and volunteer programmes.
Michael Blue, born in Lincoln, Nebraska, is currently completing his Master’s degree in Business Administration. Among his many passions, which includes fitness, reading and current affairs, Michael is also deeply passionate about youth empowerment. It is for this reason that Michael pursued the opportunity to take part in a youth empowerment internship in Cape Town with if i could…
Here, Michael shares his story and gives insight into why he believes completing a youth empowerment internship in Cape Town has a powerful impact on making a difference.
Michael’s journey to youth empowerment in South Africa
Michael grew up in a home that encouraged the desire to make a difference. Both his father and sister made a career out of youth services. Their positive impact on the lives of youth inspired Michael to pursue an interest in the area and he decided to explore the wide range of opportunities available.
When looking into ways to make a difference, Michael stumbled across the youth empowerment internship opportunity with if i could… while looking through his university’s job board.
“From browsing their website, I could see they were well organized and had facilitated some memorable experiences for previous interns so I thought I might as well apply,” comments Michael.
Michael has not looked back since and has enjoyed taking advantage of exploring Cape Town while making an impact on local communities. Interning in Cape Town, Michael works with a non-profit organisation that help youth and parents in the Cape Flats area in a variety of ways.
“I am spending much of my time helping the organisation with a social enterprise that they developed a few years ago as a means of not having to rely solely on donor funding. We sell bath and cleaning products and are working on developing a new consultancy business aimed at strengthening non-profits in the area,” he says.
The organisation also conducts HIV testing and consulting, life skills and leadership classes, therapy, tutoring, and counselling for parents. In addition, they have a coding academy where they help train unemployed youth in coding and assist them in finding a job afterwards.
Now settled in, Michael reflects on and shares his top five reasons for choosing to take part in a youth empowerment internship in Cape Town.
1. Countless opportunities to get involved
There are a number of organisations that help the youth in a variety of ways in the broader Cape Town area.
While these organisations strive to make a difference, there is still a great need for support. Some of the main areas needing assistance are education, health, habits, opportunity, and inspiration.
2. A great need for youth empowerment in Cape Town
There is much room for improvement in educational and employment opportunities for the youth of South Africa. A large inequality gap in South Africa is debilitating youth across the country. This is very apparent in Cape Town as the majority of the city lives in poverty just outside of the more developed and “touristic” side of town.
This wealth inequality gap appears to be widening which has resulted in less opportunity for the youth to break out of the poverty cycle and the unfortunate aspects of life that typically accompany that.
3. Purposeful travel provides fulfilment
If i could… provides an opportunity for those individuals with a hunger to travel to do so while making a difference. The internship and volunteer programmes in Cape Town are intentional in creating experiences and setting up opportunities for travellers to become involved in areas that they are passionate about.
4. Things to do and see in Cape Town
Michael highly recommends Cape Town largely due to the number of things to learn and do in the city. There are so many ways to enjoy yourself and explore the city – whether it is hiking, going to the beach, going to tourist destinations, art museums. Cape Town boasts a beautiful and vibrant culture that thrives in a breath-taking landscape.
5. Anyone can get involved
Lastly, Michael reminds us that you don’t need to have any special superpowers to make a difference – the average person can get involved by assisting non-profits and social service organisations whose main objective is youth empowerment.
Many different organisations in Cape Town provide interventions in education and life skills, having an incredible impact on youth empowerment.
Plan your next trip
If i could… has more than 15 year’s worth of relationships with social development organisations to help curate the ultimate internship experience to suit your passions. Not only is travel made easier, but you can help communities in need while exploring a beautiful new country.
Apply to become a part of the if i could… family today – we can’t wait to help you on your journey!
