GREATER BRIDGETON FAMILY SUCCESS CENTER JANUARY 2015-APRIL 2015 NA’SHA SMITH INTERNSHIP Gateway Community Action Partnership

Internship Getting Started.. Concerns: Finding a balance with work and educational responsibilities Expectations: Learning to be an effective leader and how to be assertive Excitement: Opportunities, working with families, and gaining knowledge of the organization Challenges: New programs, new staff, and Judgements

Gateway Community Action Partnership  Gateway Community Action Partnership is a private, non-profit, community-based organization that provides services to help low-to-moderate income residents identify and overcome barriers to self- sufficiency.

Greater Bridgeton Family Success Center  Family Success Centers are community-based, family- centered neighborhood gathering places where any community resident can go for family support, resources, and services. Family Success Centers aim to enrich the lives of children and adults by making families and neighborhoods stronger by helping and empowering all families to succeed.

Getting Acquainted  Agency Context Most Learned:  Policies and Procedures  Organizational Structure  Funding/Budget  Demographic Information  Governance  Interns View of the Agency:  Various Programs Offered to Low-Income Families  Beneficial to the Community  Disappointment

Developing Ethical Competence  Ethical Dilemmas in the Greater Bridgeton Family Success Center :  Lack of Professionalism  Inappropriate Professional Boundaries  Language Barrier

Supervision  Independence as a Worker  Open Communication  Developed Relationships with Employees  Clear Direction  Appropriate Time to Complete Task  Supervision  Not Micro-managed  Constructive Criticism

Integrative Processing Model Reflection of Experience  Internship Responsibilities Got Better Over Time  Balancing Work & Educational Obligations  Goal-Oriented  Utilize Decision-Making Skills

Communicating With Clients  Communicated Mostly with Gateway/Success Center Workers  Improved Communication Skills  Opportunity to Work with Individuals, Groups, Families & Communities at Family Success Center  Working with Individuals is my preferred area

Developing Cultural Competence Culturally Diverse…  Cultural Differences  Economically Challenged  Spiritual/Religious Differences  Educational Needs  Language ***Everyone regardless of cultural background is treated as an individual.

Taking Care Of Yourself Stress Management  Internal Stressors  Anxiety  Worrying  Getting assignments done  External Stressors  Full-time job  Internship  New Relationship **Listen to music, Get a massage, Take a mental health day

Ending Your Internship Enhanced Communication skills that will assist in my current position as well as future opportunities I regret with this internship that I didn’t get enough exposure to budgets and grant writing Feel relieved and anxious to move forward into an administrative/supervisory position

Planning Your Career  Short-Term Goals  Moving up to an Administrative/Supervisory Position at current employer  Applying skills/knowledge learned through internship  Seeking a master’s level position elsewhere in the Human Service Field  Long-Term Goals  Working on proposal for non-profit organization called “From a Stylish Perspective”.  Organization to help the homeless dress for their success while providing services to assist the individuals with seeking employment.