My Internship Is Through Services Of The Underserved

My internship takes place in Youth Service America (YSA), a non-profit organization based in Washington DC. Since it was established in 1989, YSA’s mission has been to encourage youth to make a positive impact in this world. Furthermore, YSA also focuses on educating youth about global issues and celebrates young people that are already facilitating change. For my internship, I work twenty hours a week; these hours are split among three days.

What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?

I completed my internship at Saint Agnes Home, Inc (SAH) located in West Hartford Connecticut. I was assigned to single Teenage Mothers. The Saint Agnes is a non-profit program licensed group home run by the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families for pregnant and/or parenting adolescents and their babies. The mission of the Saint Agnes program is to provide residential care and support services to single pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their babies. The Saint Agnes Home program emphasis values, respects life, and recognizes the unique dignity and optimum potential of each person served. The program is staffed by licensed clinical social workers, registered nurse, and other college prepares professionals.

Throughout my undergraduate career at the University of South Carolina, I continually found myself drawn to internship opportunities

During the Fall 2016 semester I had the opportunity to intern with Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, Inc in Fresno, California. Centro La Familia is one of a few organizations/agencies in Fresno County that not only provides social services, educational programs, but they also have advocacy and intervention services in rural and urban areas in Fresno County. I was allowed to intern within the victim services department of Centro La Familia, which is responsible in assisting victims of all crimes.My primary task as an intern was to learn and to help the victim advocates of Centro La Familia.Over the course of my internship I have participated in community outreach and attended meetings. In addition, I have done numerous filings, copies, translations, interpretations and filling out forms for clients. I worked closely with two very experienced victim advocates that help me transition to working in this environment, but also worked with other victim advocates to gain even more insight about the victim services they provide.

The process of finding an internship was very stressful for me. I honestly had no idea where to start or even what I was interested in. It took me many weeks to do research into different facilities that had internships available. After calling tons of organizations I finally interviewed at one that felt right for me. The interview took place with Laura Crain, who I also interviewed for this essay. The internship is at the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition.

These homes were created to provide a caring family environment for children whom Truett Cathy described as "victims of circumstances.”

The Starfish Family Services internship is a perfect fit for me. Their mission “Strengthening families to create brighter futures for children” compliments my belief that all kids should be given as much support, resources and love as possible in order for them to reach their highest potential. Working for Starfish Family Services would allow me to apply the skills I have learned at Wayne State University into real world applications, while being a part of something that supports the community around me. As a parent of two children, ages 3 and under, it’s a great opportunity for me to showcase to them the importance of giving back and hopefully become a role model to them when they’re

concerns for her. She expressed wanting to live in a small building but not a

Over the past few months, I have been interning at the Berkshire County Kid’s Place in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The Berkshire County Kid’s Place is a Child Advocacy Center that addresses the needs of children who have witnessed violence or have been victims of violence. The Kid’s Place coordinates law enforcement, social service, medical, prosecutorial, and mental health agencies to ensure an effective response to childhood trauma. Interning at the Kids’ Place has been a great opportunity as I have joined a group mentoring group, attend the monthly Systems of Care Meetings of Berkshire County, privately work with individual clients in which I see every other week along with many other learning groups and opportunities. As of now I have a

Battered women and abused children become dependent on these residential setting because they see it as a place of comfort. They may encounter issues but due to their situation they try to contend and manage the situation. Four care issues applicable to them are:

My internship at Damascus Outreach Association in Gates County, North Carolina where I worked five days a week for an average of thirty to forty hours a week, took place between May and August 2016. Established in 2008, Damascus Outreach Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization that has served over one hundred children and families through intensive academic tutoring enrichment, and mentoring activities (Damascus Outreach, 2016). It is considered the only free program available in Gates County that creates an environment where children from low-income families who are vulnerable to develop risky behaviors can engage in activities that help them develop into productive citizens and look at themselves as constructive members of the community. In order to serve children better in the community, the organization

We are devoted to providing substance abuse, behavioral health services, housing services, and financial services that provide women and their children, that are strength-based, outcome-oriented and accessible. The transitional housing program for substance abuse for women and children is focused on assisting women and children– especially those who are most at risk –of losing their children or have lost their children to the state foster care system to build upon their inner strengths in order to care for themselves and overcome the challenge of substance abuse and barriers that caused them to lose their children effectively as

The agency where I am completing my internship is called Center for Family Services. This organization provides a wide range of services. I am working in their Family First program. This program is a substance abuse program just for mothers who must attend drug court or have an open case with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. These women are ordered to complete a substance abuse program. This program serves a diverse cultural and ethnic population who may have experienced trauma in their life. Many times, trauma and post traumatic stress can lead to substance abuse.

My placement is at Gateway Youth in Elmont. Gateway is a prevention program specializing in working with youth between the ages of 5-17 who are in conflict with their family, in need of academic or emotional support, or who are involved in the juvenile court system. Services provided include case management, crisis intervention, and advocacy with the schools, court, and community. As a social work intern, I am placed at Gotham Ave Elementary School working with third graders. At this school, Gateway Youth provides an after-school program for students that need supervision with their homework and inclusion in activities before their parents can pick them up.