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PIM Social Impact Internship for Fung Scholars (SIIFS), Beijing/ Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited
Background Following the success of the Good Fellow Programme last year, the Victor and William Fung Foundation worked with Philanthropy in Motion (PIM) again in 2019 to launch Social Impact Internship for Fung Scholars (SIIFS), an immersive 8-week internship from 1st July to 23rd August in Beijing, China. This internship programme is intended to provide Fung Scholars with the perspective, skills, and experience to develop into socially responsible global leaders. Applicants attended online interviews in which we got to know more about them. The recruitment started in March and the selection process ended in May. We aimed to match the strengths and expectations of the applicants with the requirements of the organizations. SIIFS started with the Social Impact Bootcamp Training, a pre-programme training on social innovation topics ranging from lean start-up methodology to social sector sustainability, impact measurement and storytelling
skills, and more. Following the training, Fung Scholars served full-time with leading social venture in Beijing to gain experience, apply their learning and building skills, and make an impact at their host social venture. Throughout the programme, the participants received mentorship for career development from cross-sector professionals. During the 8-week internship, Fung Scholars led projects within innovative social enterprises working in education, corporate social responsibility, non-project capacity building and more. Their daily work ranged from conducting data analysis to creating social media content. Leaders of organizations reported that the Fung Scholars were hardworking and uniquely committed to understanding the broader on-project sector, praising the diversity of backgrounds and experiences each Fung Scholar contributed to the organizations. Read below for Fung Scholars’ internship experience and their reflections.
