Madihah Murshed - Prevent Communication Engagement Officer - Video and audio transcripts

Hi!

My name's Madihah and I'm part of the NGP cohort 21 at Coventry City Council.

My first placement was in the Organisational Development Team in HR, which was a great

place to start as it gave me a real insight into the culture of the Council.

I was able to work on projects that focused on improving the employee experience.

These include, leading on a project to introduce a new rewards and benefits package to the Council, designing a CIPD-based Skills Matrix to map out development pathways for HR employees, rebranding the Apprenticeship Development Programme to attract more young talent to the Council, and designing the Council’s very first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion calendar.

In my next placement in the Prevent Team, I managed a project which gave me the opportunity to work with a host of external partners to organise and deliver mental and emotional wellbeing workshops in collaboration with the counselling service, Families for Life.

We delivered sessions to refugees and asylum seekers, women’s groups, parents and carers, and Children’s Services professionals, to name a few.

It was really fulfilling to be able to offer support to so many people, especially during the difficult lockdown period.

During my Prevent placement, I realised project management and community engagement are the areas I would love to pursue further, so my final placement is in the Migration Team.

The Migration Team works towards the social and economic integration of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Coventry.

Although I’m still early on in this placement, I can already see how much the team does both on the ground and strategically with a variety of local and international partners to support the city and the people living in it.

The best thing about being on the NGDP scheme at Coventry City Council is definitely the freedom I’ve been given to explore my interests and hone my skills in a supportive and forward-thinking environment.