I applied for the Event and Office Intern position with Edinburgh Food Social (EFS), funded by Inclusion Scotland, and I remember being over the moon when I received the opportunity at the end of March 2024. I applied for many reasons. I deeply want to see, and contribute to, a better society. I love food and was raised celebrating fresh ingredients and imaginative dishes. From vegetables to unusual flavours, nothing excites me more than new food and experimental recipe ideas. I believe that nature, which provides the sustenance for our wellbeing, is sacred. Having lived in Scotland for several years, I absolutely love what it offers—both on a plate and for our overall health. This internship seemed like the perfect opportunity to align my values and skill set.
Bo and some summer salads
Like many other neurodivergent people who are trying to grow, I often felt stuck in a loop—needing experience to prove I had the essential skills, while employers wanted to see those skills demonstrated before giving me the chance to develop them. EFS, however, has been confident in who I am and extremely supportive of my neurodivergent condition. They offered various adjustments to suit my needs, such as using headphones when it gets noisy and distracting, having flexible working hours, and regular check-ins to help me manage my workflow and adapt when things don’t go to plan. I knew EFS would be open to listening to my needs and opinions; I’ve learned so much about understanding and communicating what I need and what I want to learn in a workplace, thanks to the team’s openness and innovative mindset.
My tasks have ranged from helping coordinate community and catering events, to doing some front-of-house work, creating content for EFS projects, assisting with administrative duties, and prying into what’s being cooked in our kitchen every 15 minutes. I have learned so much about food, cooking, events and the back of house work involved in running a social enterprise. However, the biggest takeaway from all the work I’ve done is the importance of meeting people where they are—and building programmes around the interests and needs of participants and the wider community.
Community chefs and trainers at Edinburgh Food Social always encourage participants in cooking classes to engage in active learning and set their own goals. It’s particularly meaningful to see young people from our Good Food Youth Club design their own classes, which motivates them to explore and pursue their own interests. Some have been inspired to cook more with fresh produce, while others have taken their newfound passion further by joining our apprenticeship programme. There’s no better feeling than watching participants gain confidence as they cook with our chefs, explore local ingredients, and enjoy the food they’ve made.
Bo and Andrew at Craigmillar Festival
While I was learning the ropes at a relaxed pace, it meant a lot to be welcomed so warmly by everyone at the organisation—and to be seen as a trustworthy team member. Among all the people I’ve met in the Craigmillar and Niddrie area, I feel I’ve gained a lot from engaging in so many community events over the past year: meeting new people, building meaningful friendships, and developing a more sustainable mindset to create work that moves society forward. As everyone took something valuable from our cooking classes and events, I too have grown—my thinking has been reshaped, and I now see connections in a new light. I’ve also developed more resilience and self-confidence thanks to everyone I’ve met. It’s been an honour to work alongside such open, beautiful, and inspiring people.
My internship may have ended, but my pursuit of creating social impact within community settings is far from over.
If you, like Bo, would like to help Edinburgh Food Social continue to help people in the community learn new cookery skills, please consider donating to our organisation. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Bluesky to keep up to date with our programs, classes and news.
