Starting work as the YAC Website Development Placement: Esmé
Hello! My name is Esmé, I am 18 and have just begun work with the Council for British Archaeology, (CBA) as the YAC Website Development Placement. The role is varied and involves helping to develop a new website for the YAC, to allow budding young archaeologists an accessible, inspiring, educational, and easily navigable site, which they can enjoy using and comeback to time and time again!
The CBA has been dedicated towards accessibility in history and heritage since 1944, with initiatives such as the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) and the Festival of Archaeology welcoming the public into the sector. This commitment to accessibility is a cause near to my heart.
When I was 14, I had to leave high school due to suddenly developing chronic fatigue syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. As a result, I was too unwell to sit my GCSE’s and thus haven’t had the opportunity to go to college and do A ‘Levels as I had planned. Being unwell was very isolating and a difficult experience. A big part of my recovery was spending time outdoors, either on short car journeys to look at nature, or going from bench to bench at local wildlife or national heritage sites.
I understand first-hand the benefits of engaging with heritage and the outdoors and that’s why I’m so thrilled to be working with the YAC.
I also empathise with the struggle of having to deal with inaccessibility, whether that be online or in person. It is very important to me to design a website experience that will make all users feel welcome and included, and inspire them to find a hobby, an interest or even a career in archaeology now and in the future.
I am so grateful and excited to be offered this amazing experience to work alongside and be mentored by such an inspiring team. It is amazing to feel well again, it has made me focus on doing what I really want in life, and I hope that the same fulfilment that I am getting from working in heritage is a feeling that will be imparted onto everyone who engages with the YAC and the wonders of archaeology.
Since starting my role, I have been engaged in training and meeting with different members of the CBA staff, all of whom have been very friendly and welcoming. My first task, aside from the general training, was writing this blog and completing an activity from the YAC website to go along with it, so I figured I’d take the easy route and make Anglo-Saxon honey oat cakes.
I’m a fairly novice chef so I read the instructions wrong and didn’t flatten my cakes after moulding them, and of course the oats got into crevices in my kitchen no oat has ever gone before… nevertheless, they are exceptionally good. If ever I get stuck on a desert island with nothing but oats, butter, honey and a griddling pan, I will be quite content. Thank you for reading and a big thanks to the Anglo-Saxon’s for making such a mean oat cake!
You can find the recipe for Anglo-Saxon Honey Oat Cakes here.
Esmé