Khanya Cona left highschool in 2013 not only as a matriculate with many plans, but also as a young leader who had gone through the GOLD Peer Education programme.  A chance encounter three years later with a staff member from GOLD,  rekindled memories of being a Peer Educator and led to an opportunity to  be a volunteer intern at GOLD.

On her last day, Khanya took five minutes to reflect on her experience before heading back to her hometown to serve young people in George . This is what she had to say…

What have you learnt overall during your job experience?

Where do I start? Coming into this experience I had just graduated with a diploma in sound engineering and I could only do sound related work. After a month and a half of being here at GOLD I have gained a lot of skill set such as Admin, Graphic design , photography, filming and film editing.

This experience also challenged some of my skills such as communication and work ethics. As a young person I have learned so much about myself. This has allowed me to strengthen my leadership skills and sharpen my communication skills too.

What specific skills did you learn? 

When I first arrived I felt like I was thrown into the deep end as i I started doing admin only. I had never had any experience what so ever doing admin work or any office work for that matter. I believe admin is a skill set that’s quite important to have . I learnt so much just from doing admin such team work etc. I’ve also learned quite a bit of photography, editing, film and film editing.

What challenges did you experience and how did you overcome them?

Working under pressure and working at a fast pace. I struggled in my first week but how I overcame that was to pace myself and spread my work evenly and not try do everything all at once.

What did you enjoy the most about the experience?

I enjoyed the fun/ vibrant atmosphere. The laughs and jokes and the mini office birthday parties.

What message do you have for young people who are at cross-roads and searching for post-school opportunities ?

Before my volunteer internship I knew what I wanted to do long term but I wasn’t confident enough and I didn’t believe in myself. I felt like I didn’t have enough skills. After joining GOLD I started showing and becoming more confident in myself and my work and started believing that there is always room to learn and  improve. Always be willing to try something new, challenge yourself, if you fail get up and try again and always be confident in what you do and believe in yourself.

GOLD would like to wish Khanya all the best in her future endeavours.