There’s no better place to spend a summer than by the beach and although I only braved the sea once, Whitehead was the perfect backdrop for the third and final placement of my Master’s in Leadership for Sustainable Development at Queen’s.

This eight-week placement at GIRAFFE Associates felt like the culmination of everything I’ve learned this year: research methods, putting the SDGs into practice, stakeholder engagement, and understanding the many ways organisations can make a positive impact, to name just a few. It followed on from my earlier placements with FareShare and Business in the Community Northern Ireland and, like Gillian before me, I found myself on a path that led from BITCNI to GIRAFFE Associates. It was a chance to put the skills and learning from class into practice, especially project management, and apply them to real-world projects.

My Project

My main project was an impact assessment of Belfast Harbour’s community engagement. The Harbour is both a symbol of Belfast and central to the city’s history, so this was an exciting and meaningful assignment. I engaged with stakeholders, created surveys, and conducted interviews with charities to understand the impact of the Harbour’s funding on the local community. This fed directly into my placement research project — Does more money equal more impact? — exploring corporate charitable giving and how it can be optimised to deliver the greatest benefit in achieving the SDGs.

Beyond the Harbour work, I experienced the variety and pace of sustainability consulting first-hand,  it really keeps you on your toes. One day I could be running a focus group with young people or visiting biodiversity gardens, and the next I might be supporting strategy creation, learning about B Corp certification, or celebrating the adoption and naming of a giraffe (pictured above). From ports, construction and manufacturing to charities, media, and more, I saw how agile you have to be in this field and how important it is to understand the challenges of all three pillars of sustainability.

And beyond the project…

I also learned to navigate the world of acronyms and certifications, from ISO standards to CSR and ESG reporting. As someone who has a bachelors in Russian and French, I thought I was good with languages, but sustainability has a jargon all of its own! One of the most valuable parts of my placement was the opportunity to sit in boardrooms and senior leadership meetings, where the big strategic changes are made, and to see how these decisions take shape across different industries. It reinforced the need for constant improvement and for each of us to play our part in reducing our impact. I was encouraged to see how many businesses here in Northern Ireland are genuinely stepping up to the challenge.

This was the perfect way to close my year in Belfast,  a year of growth, learning, and seeing sustainability in action across so many sectors. I can’t wait to take these skills, insights, and experiences into my future career.

A huge thank you to Gillian for your guidance, encouragement, and for making my final placement such a rewarding experience.