Yoto — Educating Children and Interns Alike by Erica Felder
As a new member of the Yoto family I’ve learned that education through hands-on learning and research is one of the biggest goals of the company. The impact that Yoto has on the lives of children is amazing but I never would have guessed how much I would have learned in the short two week span that I have been here. Education isn’t just their company mission, it’s their lifestyle.
I arrived in London from the United States a few weeks ago and so far I can say coming here was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Being from the Washington, DC metropolitan area tackling the city life hasn’t been that much of an issue but overall learning about my new environment and assimilating into English culture. Although I can say that from day one, the Yoto family has hands down made this process so much smoother than I could have ever imagined. Ben, one of the co-founders of the company, has happily been answering all of my silly American questions and has been my main supervisor for my internship. Over the past two weeks he has guided me through the internship; taking me along to meet with our partners such Roald Dahl, giving me thought provoking tasks, worked on communicative skills in interactive workshops and even yesterday taking me to see how Yoto is actually made.
This “mini-business trip” that we took yesterday as I like to call it, to Rugby, was one extremely educational and interesting experience. It started off with me trying to find my way through Underground but once I figured it out I was able to meet Ben and Tom, Chief Creative Officer, at Euston Station. Then we got on the train and started our day’s journey. Once we got to the manufacturer’s office, we were greeted warmly by the staff and sat down to discuss business logistics. It was really interesting to shadow the meeting and see all the work and components that go into actually making our product. Actually getting to touch pieces of the interior of Yoto and hearing what we as company are doing to make sure our customers get the best possible product. Next, we got to tour the factory and saw parts of Yoto being made in realtime. It was amazing, almost as if we were in an episode of “How It’s Made”. You could see the skill, dedication, pride and workmanship the craftsmen put not only into their jobs but also our company. They took the time to explain how they were making the pieces of the product and what they were doing in order to make sure that our product was made to perfection. Finally, we finished our business there, got some lunch, and made our way back to London.
Working here everyday has been an eye-opening experience, teaching me something new whether it’s in the office or exploring the United Kingdom. Teaching me not only what it takes to be a successful upcoming business, but also what passion for your work looks like, how important educating our youth is, and how much work actually goes into our product. Working here has had such a great impact on my life and I can’t wait to see what else I will learn in the rest of the time that I have with the company. Their mission is truly education and it can be seen not only in their products but in how they run their company as well.
~ Sincerely, Erica Felder.
