Program Reviews

My experience interning with Greenpop through Roots Interns was nothing short of an amazing adventure. Not only was I given the oppertunity to enhance my creative writing skills in a positive and supporting environment, I truly felt like I was part of an incredibly important movement that brings about positive change to undergreened areas of the Western Cape, one tree at a time. Living in such a diverse city with a wonderful group of people from all corners of the world is an experience you can't let pass you by! Join the #Treevolution!

My internship in Marketing and Communications for Roots Interns in Cape Town has been an exceptional amazing and unique experience. Honestly, I wasn't really excited to do another internship, since I've done a lot already. However, this time it was different. At Roots, I had the freedom to work independently and focus on the kind of tasks that I prefer. I liked to be in charge of the Social Media channels and learned a lot about content strategies, Wordpress, writing styles, project management, engaging with followers, Marketing, nonprofit organizations etc. Cape Town is a vibrant city and the place to be and chose for an international work experience. I learned so much about African cultures and diversity in humans. I am enormously happy with this experience and definitely a lucky one!

With my internship at Greenpop being my first internship abroad, I was extremely nervous and excited. When choosing my internship, what I hoped for was an experience to push me outside of my comfort zone, help me grow my personal and marketing skills, and give me the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures. I can safely say that my internship at Greenpop gave me all three of these. Working and living in Cape Town was an incredible experience that pushed me to immerse myself in another culture. The city is stunning, with lots to do in your free time. The provided housing is very central with many restaurants to eat at. The living circumstances made it very easy to make friends as all of the other roommates were interns working at other local organizations. If you're looking for an internship where you can make long-lasting friendships with people from different backgrounds, develop your marketing acumen while working for a social enterprise, and make timeless memories living in a stunning city, I'd recommend you apply to this internship.

I thoroughly enjoyed my writing and communications internship. There were endless opportunities to write and I learned a lot about SEO writing. This internship provided a lot of creative freedom. That said, there was also guidance available when I needed it. My supervisor provided plenty of one-on-one attention and was very conscious of creating an internship that suited me and my goals. There were opportunities to get involved in projects in the community, as well.
The office culture is friendly, energetic and innovative. And there is no better place to enjoy an internship abroad than in Cape Town, it is a beautiful city, full of life.

Talitha is a dream of a coordinator. She is the only reason I was given the opportunity to work as a fundraising intern at Greenpop in Cape Town. She hurried my resume through to give me a chance at the position I was ultimately offered. She truly cared about my experience, and proved it time and time again. From beginning to end, she was always checking in to make sure I was enjoying with my time at Greenpop. From beginning to end my experience Cape Town was the best experience of my life and it was all possible because of Talitha!

Working at Greenpop was a TREEmendous experience! I loved being surrounded by such driven and passionate people. The small office is a ton of fun and allows interns to learn about all the components needed to make nonprofits run efficiently. I appreciated being able to work in the fundraising department and was able to help write two grants while I was an intern. I found the interdisciplinary approach to grant writing a great learning experience and collaborated with colleagues in the finance and ecology departments to draft the grants. As a student looking to get more involved in the nonprofit world, I found the experience to be truly beneficial. I was able to enhance my writing, communication, and creative thinking. Along with working on the grants, I participated in the marketing of larger fundraising campaigns. In these campaigns, the goal was to get individuals to purchase trees for various celebrations and holidays. Learning about the different funding approaches Greenpop utilized helped me develop practical skills and gain a better understanding of how nonprofits operate on a whole.

Now that is over, I can say being an intern in Cape Town is without doubt a life-changing experience. Working in a very small team puts you in front of great opportunities and some challenges, the best situation if you are looking for an internship that gives you a high level of autonomy and the chance to see your ideas become amazing projects. Marleen and Greg are amazing human beings and beautiful supervisors, they make you feel truly appreciated and heard. There every encounter becomes an opportunity to learn about the other, and indirectly about yourself. Personally, I think sometimes it feels good to give something back for all the beauty you can experience living in incredible places such as Cape Town. Being far from home in a new completely different reality may make you feel smaller, but working in an enterprise like this can show you it's possible to become part of something bigger and world-changing, day after day.

My experience working in Cape Town was amazing. The small enterprise is run by passionate and sincere individuals who are willing to give you as much responsibility as you want to handle. Marleen is such an inspiring and straight-forward leader in office. One of the best aspects of content writing for Penda was that Marleen never forced me to write about anything. We would sit down together, have coffee and brainstorm five topics that could be useful, then I would choose which to write. I learned so much about SEO, marketing and social media management all while having an amazing cultural experience of living in South Africa.

I've studied literature and I have my own blog, but I've never had the experience to write on a professional level for an organisation. I could definitely recommend the writing and communication internship because it's the perfect way to gain experience in writing skills, SEO, and it's ideal to learn how to express the values of the organisation you work for but still to maintain your own personal style. I would also recommend to get an internship in an organisation you really believe in. The more you canq support their values and what they stand for, the more you'll enjoy your internship, since you're not only learning but you're also part of something bigger you really believe in and want to add value to.

Roots Interns organized a five months voluntary job at Greenpop in PR/Communications in Cape Town for me. The experience was life changing.

Greenpop is an organization that plants trees and is active for our planet. At the same time it is all about having fun and a positive attitude. As a volunteer you can really make a difference. I supported the Communications team and handled the PR for different festivals that Greenpop organizes every year. For example, at the Reforest Fest hundreds of people plant trees during the day and at night you are all dancing under the stars.

We also started a donor program and there are tree planting days every week. These tree planting days are amazing: you go to public schools in townships and together with the kids you will plant trees at their school in a super fun way.

Not only do you make a difference for the planet, it is life changing for yourself as well. I became much more conscious about the environment and how to live more sustainable.

And last but definitely not least, the people I met at Greenpop, the schools, the festivals and everywhere in Cape Town are super inspiring and amazing!