nEbO, the Labour Movement’s junior arm, recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of interns’ workplace rights and encourage appreciation of interns among employers.
‘Thank Your Intern Day’ (TYID) is a month-long campaign which culminated in an outreach event that took place at the Raffles Place Square on 10 October 2013.
TYID sprung from a simple belief that internships are beneficial for both the students and the employers. nEbO activists were motivated to help their peers transit to working life through meaningful internships.
The first of a series of online videos created by the nEbO youths were also released on 18 November 2013.
Updated weekly on the TYID website and Facebook page, the light-hearted and humourous videos depict both ideal and undesirable attitudes of interns.
These videos aim to help them understand the purpose of an internship and gain basic knowledge on employment protection rights.
Ryan Teo, leader of the TYID Team, mentioned that a recent viral video of an abused intern motivated their team to find ways to bridge the gap between employers and interns.
"A win-win situation is possible when the employers provide a conducive learning environment with mentorship, while interns remain open to challenges to contribute to the organisation and their own growth," the 20-year-old added.
National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Alignment Director (nEbO) Lim Eng Lee supported Teo’s advocacy.
"While we seek the support from all companies out there to appreciate the contribution of their interns, we hope to bring this youth movement to greater heights by exploring partnerships with unionised companies," Mr Lim urged.
nEbO's Senior Manager for Community Engagement & Programme Development Gigi Low shared that the Labour Movement’s junior arm hopes TYID can be on the yearly calendar, just like Childrens' Day and Teachers' Day.
Original article written by Nicholas Lee, and can be found in NTUC This Week (8 November 2013)
