Reflections from our wonderful intern—Will Kochel

"I will take NWCN’s values to heart wherever I end up in life"

Will Kochel—from Macalester College, St. Paul, USA—at The Grianán of Aileach, County Donegal, Ireland.

Hello! My name is Will, and for the past two months, I’ve interned with the North West Community Network. I am a Political Science student at Macalester College in the United States, specializing in democracy, law and international relations. I came to Derry with the CGEE Conflict, Peace & Transition Study Abroad program to learn about the history of Northern Ireland and the peace process, and the program includes a short placement in the community sector.

I was drawn to NWCN because I wanted to develop a greater understanding of the Community & Voluntary sector and immerse myself in the center of Derry. Their role as an intermediary and capacity builder within the sector seemed like a perfect place to learn, grow, and meet many different community organisations. Throughout my internship, I’ve had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects and meeting a ton of different people and organisations. I have really enjoyed my time here, and I am excited to take what I have learned back to the United States.

Throughout my internship, I have assisted with organizing and promoting many of NWCN’s initiatives. I’ve designed flyers for the Coffee Morning supporting DEEDS, the Strabane Funding Fair, the Foyle Racial Equality Forum re-launch and NWCN’s Annual General Meeting. I also re-designed a government document of services for new migrants in Derry to increase its accessibility and highlight essential services. I didn’t have much prior design experience, but I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to gain new skills and apply them in a professional context.

My proudest accomplishment has been producing NWCN’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan. Working on it not only gave me valuable experience writing and designing but also let me dive into all of NWCN’s different initiatives and future plans, while learning about the important issues facing Derry and the sector. One of my goals coming into the internship was to take on a large, independent project, and I am happy that I successfully kept myself on track and finished everything in time.

"Their [NWCN's] relationship-focused, participatory model of community development has expanded my horizons about how community work ought to be done."

Above all, watching Kevin and Roisin’s daily work as community practitioners has given me irreplaceable knowledge about the community and voluntary sector. Their relationship-focused, participatory model of community development has expanded my horizons about how community work ought to be done. Sitting in and writing up notes on meetings has taught me all about the ins and outs of community development. Through my attendance at the Strabane Funding Fair and work on the Strategic Plan, I’ve engaged with the challenges of community development and governmental funding. Taking part in events with Ideas Fund practitioners and University Ethics board members has introduced new ways of conducting academic research with the community sector to make it non-exploitative or parasitic, which I will take with me whenever I conduct research at my home university.

The culture at NWCN has been fantastic. From the beginning, I’ve always been treated with respect, and my co-workers have done everything they can to make my internship as successful as possible. The team is welcoming and friendly, and it’s been an excellent place to learn and grow. I’ve enjoyed having the flexibility with the projects I’ve taken on to approach them how I want, while still having tons of support.

I will miss Derry deeply when I return to the United States. I’ve had a wonderful time studying here, and I am sad that I must leave so soon. I will always be immensely grateful to North West Community Network for helping me immerse myself in the community. I will take NWCN’s values to heart wherever I end up in life and will always be thankful for the wonderful opportunity to intern here.