My internship: Sophia Month 5

Month 5: October 2014
YAY!!! (Satisfaction 5 / 5)

Best news this month - we finally have the keys to the shop! Just holding the keys in my hand I felt more excited that I ever thought I would.

After the location being top secret for the past few months I felt very special and excited to be able to go and look around. It is a building site of course, but I can envision everything that I had been seeing in branding meetings and hearing from discussions with Sonia and Amanda. The space is much bigger than I had imagined and I can't wait to see it once it's decorated and furnished. I'm glad that I got to see it when it was empty and bare as it's quite exciting to be able to see and document the transformation from beginning to end.

As part of the run up to the opening of the new shop, I have been asked to put together a stakeholder analysis which will help us identify and manage the people involved and interested in CCK. This was the first time I had done anything like this and I enjoyed working on it, and the support I got. Doing this task myself helped me understand how important evaluating stakeholders is, and how each group of people (from landlords to customers) involved and interested in CCK needs to be managed and communicated with in a different way. It also made me realise how many different groups make up our stakeholders - even the local council or investors (groups I wouldn't have previously included) - need to be considered and analysed as their support and satisfaction is important to our success.

I also got press passes and attended the Transgender Film Festival at The Cinema Museum in Kennington with Amanda for Coffee, Cake and Kink. I am so glad that I was able to go as it was a fantastic event with a diverse and well presented screening programme. We were able to see a variety of award winning documentaries, shorts and feature films all touching on different aspects of life for trans people. I felt a mixture of emotions as I left the event as I found some of the films very moving to watch and felt strongly about characters and people featured in them. It was difficult to see some of the unjust struggles and discrimination which trans people face on a daily basis, however equally it was inspiring and empowering to watch some of the other films which showed people overcoming these struggles and being accepted by others for who they are.

I feel like I am becoming quite attached to CCK as I'm watching it develop and grow. I feel passionate about wanting it to succeed and making a difference to people in positive ways, I am so excited and can't wait to invite my friends and family to come for a brew!