Meet William – our new digital marketing trainee – who started with us just over a month ago thanks to Kickstarter funding. It is so great to have him on board – he really gets us.

William was set the challenge of writing 400 words on his time so far….so we encourage you to enjoy! It certainly put a smile on our faces. And all credit for squeezing in Eminem lyrics!

“Hello, my name is William. I have been at Yellow Jigsaw for just over a month now. 400 words is not enough time to reflect on my experience and what it means to me, but here is a snapshot of my time so far as a Digital Marketing Trainee…

“On November 15, I received an email from Grace to come to Bloc in Manchester city centre.

“Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, it had just reached 11am and I was standing in front of my new bosses Grace and Kirsty, my God what kind, beautiful people (if you’re reading this). I scanned top to bottom and realised I had no idea what smart formal means and that I had overdressed for the occasion. 

“Sitting down, we started by introducing ourselves followed by learning more about what my job would entail at YJ. I was amazed to find Grace and Kirsty cared about people and giving back and that it wasn’t all for PR, this was very different to how many of my fellow business graduates felt, as many have rushed off to London and started their cutthroat business careers pushing each other down to be the last one standing.  

“Personally, I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go, and let me tell you it could have gone in any direction from artisanal bread maker to heartless HR person, however I ended up at YJ, in the sector of social enterprise which I knew very little about.

“In truth I found that social enterprises are more than just businesses, it’s about the people we meet and help. In my third week working for YJ, I met with the My Generation news team, I felt a deep connection to their way of thinking and their concerns on navigating the current socio-political landscape, which my generation also struggles with. One thing that comes to mind in the meeting is how much personality, energy and humour everyone has – nothing like the way typical news stories portray anyone over 60, which is frail and sick.  Towards the end of the meeting, I knew Grace and Kirsty were worth working for, as we held a toast for the YJ bosses, I looked around into each member’s eyes and found the purest form of gratitude, showing me the reality of what YJ stood for, A BETTER TOMORROW.

“Currently I am being trained on all things digital marketing-related which is almost like my marketing essay for university, in terms of time and research, however posting stories on Hootsuite and creating posts on Canva is very different, but enjoyable. I feel like no matter what I do in the future I will be able to carry these skills with me.

“I don’t go to sleep dreading the next day. I like the people I work with, I’ve learnt more about what being a social enterprise means, and most importantly my bosses brought me ramen at a Christmas meetup at Mackie Mayor – feeding me has always been the way to my heart and happiness!

“I will look forward to working with YJ in the future, especially now that the YJ project, Media Cubs, has started delivering clubs in my former primary school, Holy Family! I would love to have a nostalgic trip and see Media Cubs in action. Joking aside, it would be great to lighten the workload for Jodie, Grace, Kirsty and continue to be a valuable member of the team.”