Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub internship programme delivers career-boosting opportunities for students
DCCH aims to foster innovative research and partnership working, particularly in the arts and humanities
The University of Leeds' Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub (DCCH) is celebrating the success of its inaugural internship programme, launched in 2023 with support from the alumni-funded Footsteps Fund. The programme, designed to enhance undergraduate students' confidence and capacity in using digital tools and methodologies, has already made a tangible impact on participants' career trajectories.
Jointly funded by LAHRI (Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute) and the University of Leeds Library, DCCH aims to foster innovative research and partnership working, particularly in the arts and humanities. Its internship programme is a cornerstone of this mission, offering students unique opportunities to engage with digital creativity, cultural heritage, and community-driven projects.
In the 2024/24 academic year, the programme supported 10 undergraduate interns to work in pairs on 5 library and cultural collections-based projects. The interns were drawn from schools across the University of Leeds’ faculties of Arts, Humanities and Cultures and Engineering and Physical Sciences, bringing together diverse knowledge and skills from across their disciplines.
New career pathways
Participants have shared how the experience has opened new career pathways and contributed to their professional achievements.
Madalena Teague (Art and Design) and Roseline Zhang (Architecture) worked with the Galleries team to open up the University’s art collections to migrant communities, refugees and asylum seekers as part of the ‘Welcoming Migrants Project’. Subsequently, Madalena has secured an exciting 12-month 'Year in Industry' placement with Leeds-based homelessness charity St. George’s Crypt, which helps find permanent accommodation for those in uncertain housing situations and runs a rehabilitation programme for those dealing with substance abuse issues.
Madalena Teague
As the marketing assistant, Madalena has been putting her digital and creative skills to great use, running the charity’s social media platforms, creating graphics – newsletters, posters, and flyers – and conducting interviews with, and writing case studies about, those who use the service.
“Helping vulnerable and marginalised people has always been important to me, and the charity has given me a brilliant platform to do so,” Madalena explains. “My role is creative and has a direct positive impact on drawing in supporters and donors. I have also been able to modernise the charity's brand image, bringing its design into the modern day, allowing me to establish myself within the organisation.”
As a result, St. George’s Crypt have invited Madalena to stay on part-time when she returns to university in September 2025.
Describing her experience of the DCCH internship, Madalena says: “The internship helped me massively. My self-confidence has greatly improved thanks to my time in the DCCH, while also opening my eyes to the ways in which I can use my abilities for the greater good by looking through a creative lens to help solve real-life, large-scale issues within a community.”
Meanwhile, Maia Hutton Mackay’s (Classics) and Harith Ibrahim’s (Engineering) work on heritage imaging has to a range of opportunities. Together they have created the Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub podcast, in which they discuss their project in more detail and expand on the value of the internship programme more broadly. Both also attended the Digital Humanities Congress in Sheffield in September 2024. This followed a competitive scholarship for Maia to present at the 2024 International Image Interoperability Format (IIIF) conference in Los Angeles, while Harith is currently taking an MA at Leeds and exploring postgraduate schemes in Digital Preservation for Cultural Heritage.
Simon Popple, Academic lead for the Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub (DCCH) at the University of Leeds and Senior Lecturer in Photography and Digital Culture, said:
"The DCCH internship programme has been an inspiring initiative, showcasing the incredible talent and creativity of our students. It has been deeply rewarding to see how the programme has not only supported their academic development but also opened up new career opportunities. From exploring digital preservation to engaging with cultural heritage projects, our interns have demonstrated the transformative power of combining digital innovation with the arts and humanities. We are proud of their achievements and excited to see where their journeys take them next."
In September 2024 DCCH showcased its work at the University of Cambridge’s ‘Encountering Digital Collections’ event, earning praise from William Nixon, Research Libraries UK’s Deputy Executive Director, for its “fantastic intersection of collections, civic & student engagement and digital tech.” The team is also collaborating with the Library at Amsterdam Free University to develop a similar programme.
The internship blog features reflections from participants on their projects, offering a deeper insight into their transformative experiences. Explore their stories here.
