Sample cover letter for Internship position at Youth Action

Dear Ms Crier,

I have recently completed my second year at the London School of Economics, pursuing a BSc in Social Anthropology. I am writing to apply for the internship offered at Youth Action this summer, which I saw advertised on the Working for an MP website. Please find enclosed my CV as requested.

I am particularly drawn to the internship because it provides experience in three key areas in which I am interested.

First, I am eager to develop my skills in media. This year I hosted a weekly radio show that won two LSE Media Group Awards and I was an active contributor to the student newspaper, The Beaver.
I would welcome the opportunity to work with the UK Youth Magazine and learn more about online journalism. Second, I am interested in gaining a better understanding of fundraising because I believe it depends on highly polished communications skills. As you can see from my CV, I have worked on raising money for Drop the Debt, and I am currently a participant in Oxfam’s Laos Global Challenge.
I hope to build my future career in the not-for-profit sector and any chance to sharpen my abilities or knowledge of fundraising would be extremely helpful. Third, though I have considerable experience in the logistics of event management through my work as a Senior Steward in the LSE Events Office,
I am interested in gaining experience of the public relations aspect.

I am also enthusiastic about the post because of my long-standing interest in issues of social exclusion affecting young people. In high school, I was instrumental in founding and developing the Diversity Committee, which examined problems of difference and facilitated open discussions. By chairing sensitive debates in youth forums at city, state and national level, I acquired excellent communications skills. I also gained an understanding of the intricacy of issues such as under-age drug use, school- leavers, and teenage pregnancy in my diversity work.

Youth Action attracts me because it works to understand and tackle these complicated problems by connecting a wide and varied network of autonomous member organisations, consisting of both young people and adults. I am eager to contribute to Youth Action in the work of promoting and expanding its network, advocating the benefits of high quality youth work and, most importantly, in working to help realise the potential of young people. Your organisation has a long history and is a leader in its field, and the opportunity to work with such a respected charity would be invaluable to me.

I am enthusiastic about supporting the work of Youth Action and gaining the experience that this internship provides in media, fundraising and event management. Thank you for taking the time to read my application. I am available for interview at any time and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely, Enrico Smith