As a social work student, my interest has always been to broaden my knowledge on the relevance of Afro and Caribbean music in promoting cultural awareness especially in community outreach festivals in Finland. Last summer, I went to one of the events organized by Cultural Chameleons, Afrojazz Club goes Alppipuisto, with my friend who happens to be a frequent goer. I was really pleased with the overall atmosphere of the event along with the high level of professionalism displayed.
For this reason, i wanted to contact and requested for an internship opportunity at Cultural Chameleons which subsequently turned out to be one of the best decisions that i have ever made as far as academic internship is concerned.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Cultural Chameleons had had a host of summer events in its calendar that I had hoped would give me an opportunity to meet and interact with other people who have a shared interest in music and culture. Unfortunately, the events were called off and postponed due to the pandemic as expected. But this new reality has exposed me to new work cultures and allows me to gain project-based work experience as all the tasks at Cultural Chameleons have shifted from in-person to virtual in spring 2020. This alternative avenue to work has made my internship at Cultural Chameleons even more exciting despite coronavirus.
— Michael (trainee, Diak – Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Spring 2020)