For my LINK 2.0 internship, I volunteered with La Plata Youth Services through their mentorship program for troubled youth called Radical Possibilities. My mentor was Jennifer Turner and Miranda Day.
Throughout this day, I worked with two at risk elementary school girls, seeing them both twice a week. I applied the knowledge of therapeutic care that I learned from my weekly group training's and one on ones with my supervisor. I also attended group dinners and completed in depth case notes every time I met with my student to inform their case manager of their progress in the program.
Strengths
Struggles
Plans moving forward in the field of your internship, potential questions below
Throughout this day, I worked with two at risk elementary school girls, seeing them both twice a week. I applied the knowledge of therapeutic care that I learned from my weekly group training's and one on ones with my supervisor. I also attended group dinners and completed in depth case notes every time I met with my student to inform their case manager of their progress in the program.
Strengths
- My devotion of about 8 hours every week to this internship for 8 months showed commitment, patience, and care for this program and the children I worked with.
- Showing up with compassion and depth to this program. I cared deeply for my students and always thought of small things I could do in art activities to make their experiences better and show them how important they are to me. I have always considered myself an empath, which is a strength and a downfall in my case. Throughout this year, I grew by learning how to balance this characteristic while working so closely with troubled youth.
Struggles
- Devoting 8 hours every week to work as hard as this resulted in feeling emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. I sometimes became tired and annoyed with the constant casenotes, meetings, and drivings. At many times I wanted to quit, and felt like this program was too much.
- Caring deeply and passionately for my students. I see myself as an empath; one without emotional borders who often feels the world's pain around them. My students were faced with countless obstacles, and I felt every single one of them.
- I became extremely overwhelmed seeing the financial, and racial prejudice against one of my students. Because of my age, and lack of experience in the social work field, I felt powerless and unable to stand up against the teachers and other administrators who profiled her on a routine basis. I hated to see such a young, innocent child being bullied by adults and not having the power to do anything.
Plans moving forward in the field of your internship, potential questions below
- I loved learning about the social work field and this aspect of caring for society. It was extremely eye opening and taught me so many things. I do know, however, and knew before going into this internship, that social work will never become my field. However, I know that this was not a waste of my time. It taught me how to interact with children in a professional format and apply therapeutic strategies while working with them. It taught me how to work with schools and what to do when I encounter social injustice on a logical, professional platform. Though I am not going into social work and my heart beckons me elsewhere, I will apply many of the tools and thought processes I learned throughout this year into my future work.
- I am working at Game Time over the summer, and in my future I plan on working with as many children as I can.
- Helping others is not a hobby nor is it a career, it is a life, a mindset. It is who I want to become. This internship was one of the many steps that has started to define who I am as a person and where I want to spend my time.