The End of an Era (or internship…!)

Marketing Intern, Bernie, shows off her artsy hands after block printing for World Fair Trade Day.

Our celebration of World Fair Trade day marked my last day as an intern at Ten Thousand Villages. Despite these last few weeks, it still feels weird not going in every week to this store I’ve come to love so much and not getting to see the absolutely amazing people I’ve met in my time there.

That’s definitely what I will miss (and have been missing these past several weeks) the most: the people. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every person I came into contact with at the store were some of the kindest people. I can barely put into words how amazing the people I got to work with and be around on a daily basis were/ are. If I was still in Austin, I’d make sure to give all of them a hug—maybe next time? I found the passion these people had for Fair Trade inspiring.  How hard they worked to spread its mission and to the effort they put into something much bigger than themselves to make the world a better place was humbling.

If that last paragraph was too sentimental, let me offer something a bit more concrete about what I enjoyed here at my time at Ten Thousand Villages:

By far one of the most memorable experiences was for one of our volunteer “social hours” where we had a few guys from the Multicultural Refugee Coalition talk to us. The guys’ stories were amazing, and one of them Daniel, played the thumb piano he inherited from his father and sang. Even though I didn’t understand a word he was saying,  I was in awe of him the entire time and it was one of the most incredible things I had seen or heard. Maybe it was the purity of it all: it was simply his voice and his plucking the metal, but it was so beautiful. Just proof that music transcends language barriers. This evening will definitely stick with me… I honestly don’t think I would have had this opportunity to witness this anywhere else.

I also photographed 2 of our major in-store events and naturally, I loved doing this simply because it involved me taking pictures! For our International Women’s Day Celebration, just being surrounded by so many incredible women in one place was so amazing, it was almost overwhelming.  For World Fair Trade Day, just getting to hang out and talk to everyone (especially Nisha from Henna Arts) was great.

Looking back upon this insane semester, this internship was one of the best parts. It was a perfect platform for me to get experience I needed in a nurturing environment. It was also a place where my ideas were valued. I met some of the most genuine people. Interning with Ten Thousand Villages was truly a blessing, and even as I move on to other things, this place… this experience, will always be special.

Until next time,
Bernie

One door closes…

…and another opens.  It is sad to say, but the time has arrived for us to say goodbye to our Marketing and Social Media interns.  However, despite our sadness at letting them go, we are so excited for their future endeavors and to work with our new intern in the summer!

Alyssa bids us farewell after nearly a year working as our Social Media Intern.  We are sad to lose her, but alas we must as she will be heading to Uruguay to study for the Fall semester!  Alyssa started at Ten Thousand Villages almost two years ago as a volunteer during her freshman year just down the road at St. Edward’s University.  She is studying Sociology and Spanish.

During her time here, Alyssa produced several videos, wrote about 20 blog posts, and scheduled countless facebook posts and tweets.  She also helped to organize and promote several events, such as One Reason Why and International Women’s Week. She also coordinated several online and in-store competitions–her favorite competition was the Favorite Things Competition.  Her final project has been to create a three part Social Media Report with information on our progress and ideas for the future on Facebook, WordPress, and Twitter.

Volunteer Coordinator, Alice May Berthelsen, says that “Alyssa has certainly taken our Social Media efforts ‘to the next level’ and has created a wonderful platform for us to use in our future endeavors… and that’s no small feat!”

Bernie leaves us after working hard for a semester as our Marketing Intern.  She will be returning home for the summer to work and, of course, continue photography.  Bernie also attends St. Edward’s University and is studying Photography and Communications.

While with us, Bernie has helped us develop marketing strategies for e-mail and for events such as World Fair Trade Day.  She also created the adorable scrapbook you might have seen in the store documenting Kitty’s adventures through India.

As Store Manager, Kitty Bird, says:

“I really enjoyed Bernie’s passion and excitement–it was easy to see how dedicated she was to the cause.  She always came to the store with great ideas and ready to work.”

 We look forward to seeing all the wonderful things Bernie will do with her life–don’t forget about us when you are a famous band promoter/photographer!

The Social Media Internship and the Marketing Internship will be combined after this semester to create one super awesome position–the Communications Internship.  This position will be filled by Baillee for the summer.  NOTE: keep posted for a blog post introducing Baillee, a super fun and quirky girl and also a St. Edward’s student (where y’all at, UT students?!)   However, the Communications Internship as well as the Education Internship will be available for the Fall semesters.  If you are interested, read below for more information on these two positions. If you’re not interested, then use the extra time to go sign-up for our Fair Trade Challenge!

COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP:

Role: Maintain Facebook and Twitter accounts, assist with planning and strategizing our major events, send out store/ product related emails to customer base, write occasional blog posts, assemble calendar for blog post and major events, and create signage to display around the store advertising new items, sale items, etc. Engage with customer base on sales floor, be an assertive advocate for Ten Thousand Villages of Austin in networking with other organizations, and nurture and poster partnerships with other organizations.

Skills needed: email marketing/ social media, customer service, fundraising, assertive work style. Graphic design a plus!

EDUCATION INTERNSHIP:

Role: Assist the Volunteer Coordinator and the Education Group in training and educating volunteers, customers, and the Austin Community about Fair Trade

Skills needed: Passion for the learning process, enjoy engaging in meaningful discussions with others, and drive to learn more about Fair Trade.

Interested? Email Alice May at volunteers.austin@tenthousandvillages.com

Celebrate Earth Day, Shop Fair Trade!

Earth Day is April 22…but why wait until then? Celebrate Earth Day by shopping with us TOMORROW APRIL 21.  5% of our sales this day will go to 6 regional non-profits:

Clean Water Fund

Sierra Club

Friends of Barton Springs Pool

Hill Country Conservancy

Texas Land Conservancy

TreeFolks

Also, Earth Day is the perfect time to sign-up for fresh, local veggies & flowers from Green Gate Farms CSA.  Ten Thousand Villages of Austin is now a pick-up spot every Wednesday, so make sure to sign up here.

(To learn more about 5% Day throughout Austin, click the logo below)

Help better our community, environment, and world by shopping fair trade!

New Marketing Intern

Welcome aboard to our new Marketing intern, Bernie!

Bernie is joining us during her fourth semester at St. Edward’s University just up the road on South Congress. She is a music lover and self-proclaimed “film nerd”.  She also has a passion and talent for photography and writing that she will be sharing with us during her time here at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin-keep an eye out for these awesome skills in our upcoming blogs!

One of her favorite hobbies is going to shows and taking pictures…

                                 

During her time here, Bernie’s main tasks will be promoting Ten Thousand Villages offsite sales and events and developing an e-mail marketing strategy.

We are sure that her fun-loving spirit will fit right in here at Ten Thousand Villages, and we are so excited to work with her over the next few months!

Austin Fair Trade Film Festival News!

2nd Annual Fair Trade Film Festival Gets a Makeover!

Thanks to Alan Bird Graphic Design, the AFTFF ’11 has a sweet new look!

Check out our beautiful new flyer for the 2011 Film Festival!

Film Fest T-Shirts Arrive Just In Time!

 It’s always good to “talk the talk,” but it’s even better to “walk the walk”!

This year, the Film Fest t-shirts are ethically sourced and FAIRLY TRADED

by Maquiladora Dignidad y Justicia presented by North Country!

We know you want to be a trendsetter at the Film Fest on Saturday, so come and buy yours at the store ASAP!

Fair Trade Film Festival 2011

“TTV Volunteers Show Support, But Still Need More!”

A HUGE thanks to everyone who has already donated and contacted Alice May about volunteering at the Film Fest!

We still need at least 22 more volunteers and have $5,700 to go for donations.

With your help, we can get there!  If you would like to donate, check out our donation packages!)

“Film Fest Makes Friends With Social Media!”

Are you on Facebook? Check out the event invitation page and be sure to invite all of your friends.

Word of mouth will be a huge key to the success of this event!

For those of you on Twitter, the event has it’s own account!

Follow @FT_FilmFest for minute-to-minute updates on what’s going on with the event.

Did Your Dog Eat Your Groupon?

Got expired Ten Thousand Villages of Austin Groupons, Givshop, or any other kind of coupons?

Have you day dreamed about which sob story you’d tell one of our volunteers to try and get an extension?

Well… for tomorrow (April 1st) ONLY, we will honor ALL coupons issued by Ten Thousand Villages of Austin in the spirit of April Fools’ Day. But don’t worry, the joke isn’t on you… only on our Book Keeper! So drop by the store tomorrow, Friday April 1st 10AM -7PM and redeem YOUR expired coupons. No sob story necessary!