1. Center for Civic Learning & Community Action
Adler University
Center for Civic Learning & Community Action
Social Justice Practicum (SJP)
Orientation and Training

2. Adler’s Mission
The Mission of Adler University continues the pioneering work of psychologist Alfred Adler by graduating socially responsible practitioners, engaging communities, and advancing social justice.

3. Center for Civic Learning & Community Action (CCLCA)
Our Center is committed to Community Engagement as we believe that we can increase our capacity to develop our students with your mentorship and expertise as we consider you faculty in the field; and our students can assist you in achieving greater capacity as you strive to fulfill the mission of your respective organizations.

4. Director’s Note
Dear Community Partners, We are incredibly grateful to you! You are the faculty in the field for our SJP interns. Your mentorship, guidance, and social justice lens are an integral part of the SJP experience for our students, as they learn critical perspectives on how to be socially responsible. We value your experience and commitment to this annual practicum and want to make sure that we continue to provide an intensive learning experience. This past spring we completed an internal audit of all SJP projects. This audit included survey feedback from our students. As a result we have learned projects that allow interns to have some contact and/or immersion into community spaces with community members are the most impactful for them. We are fully aware that all projects are not community-based-nor do we require them to be. However, moving forward we would like for all projects to have an opportunity for interns to have a community-based interaction to help them connect the goals of the overall project to the SJP. As stated earlier, we are very happy to be in partnership with you to help educate our students and we want to see them learn even more from all that you have to offer. In Solidarity, Camille Williamson, LCSW

5. What do you get out of hosting an intern?
“[] was great for us in terms of bringing clear and usable research and data to us that we used in grants as well as a part of our evaluation process and program planning. This was great. She has demonstrated that she is amazingly resourceful.”
“[] has a great willingness to take on any task assigned to her, and works very well independently. She works well as a problem-solver, but also asks questions for explanation when appropriate. When in attendance, she worked diligently to see her research project through its completion.”
“[] continues to be dedicated to the SJP project. She has gone above and beyond by continuing to come in and log many more hours then what is required for the practicum. She has helped re-examine and define barriers to serving people with mental illnesses by exploring different situations and by participating in discussions around her observations. She has brought different perspective which have been helpful in thinking about working with a specific vulnerable population.”

6. What do you get out of hosting an intern?
An opportunity to impart knowledge, skills and new perspectives regarding social problems and how to address them
An extra set of hands to help with the mission of your organization
Potential volunteers beyond the SJP
A fresh set of eyes to provide a different perspective on projects and new initiatives
Grow your community engagement efforts

7. What do students get out of being an intern at your site?
Real world learning experiences
Unique lessons and skills that will shape their professional approach to progressive social change
Increased awareness about your organizations’ missions, causes, communities, and deliverables
Upcoming colleagues that will become a part of your network
Personal and professional growth

8. What do students get out of being an intern at your site?
“If it wasn't for my SJP, I would have never gone to the areas of Chicago that I did.”
”I got an inside glimpse of some of the challenges unique to individuals with legal status concerns and general immigration concerns. I ultimately satisfied the requirements of my project by maintaining and synthesizing the center's demographic data. For myself, it was good to be in an uncomfortable position. I do not speak Spanish and I also was not naturally interested in or had experience with database management, but it was good to be pushed out of the comfort zone.”
“Learned more about community activism, voting, political processes, and the mental health needs of refugees.”
“This SJP did not have one specific project, instead, we had a lot of projects big and small, so I will talk about the overall experience. I learned a lot of skills I can transfer to advocacy work. I got experience in phone banking, attending actions, and being a marshal at a rally. I also learned about organizing actions and rallies. I also got to see behind- the-scenes work that unions and other organizations do, including shaping policy and coordinating messages and actions with other organizations. I also got to speak directly with members of the population served. This site was fantastic in terms of giving us a variety of experiences and allowing us to direct some of our learning.”
“I loved working with the kids because it allowed me to learn about the community. Having my supervisor come up with the task of me creating my own program was wonderful because it made the kids extremely happy and I loved having creative means with it as well as using a variety of skills in order to make the program successful.”

9. What do students get out of being an intern at your site?
Community and civic engagement
Learning new skills, i.e. fund development, community outreach, curriculum write-ups, and organizing
Learning about social contexts and problems
Exposure to Chicago, institutions, and systems

10. Project Parameters
Site supervisors should inform and model professional expectations and standards including:
Communication standards and parameters (internal & external), reporting structure; organizational environment; dos-and don’ts; dress code
Assignment of a carefully planned, non-clinical, and non- discipline specific project approved by the Center for Civic Learning and Community Action at Adler University
Limit interns’ day-to-day clerical assignments to 15% total
Project and supervisor should teach intern(s) skills and new perspectives following SJP’s five cultural competencies
Provide interns with additional learning opportunities such as access to staff meetings, trainings, retreats, and workshops

11. Student Feedback on Supervision
“My supervisor was very friendly and open. I never had concerns about voicing my opinion or asking for more direction. Ultimately it was a good mix of involvement when needed, but not hovering so that I could try different things and make progress.”
“I think it was a great way to check-in and get feedback on the work I was doing. If something was not exactly how it needed to be done or I needed to add more details, it usually all happened through supervision.”
“My supervisor gave me a new idea of how to approach the supervision relationship. He did a good job of taking away any power differentials and making me recognize how important my project was. He provided validation, motivation, and direction.”
“Always nice and understanding of my learning style. They were very supportive of our individual journeys and conflicts that we may have had. She explained things clearly and was always open to questions. She was amazing!”
“[] is easily one of most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She treated all of us interns as equals (I cannot stress this enough). She was engaged, thoughtful, and respectful at all times, yet she gave us full autonomy to work on our assigned projects. She gave us real titles and positions within the organization and held us to the standards associated with those titles. Furthermore, the other members of the admin team in the PE office are spectacular. Students will be working side-by-side with them, so they also hold students accountable just as the students hold them accountable.”

12. Site Supervisor Expectations
Regular supervision is key for the interns’ success. Community partners must assign a site supervisor to supervise the Adler intern(s) for the duration of the SJP.
Community partners with multiple satellite sites must identify a site supervisor at each respective location that will perform supervision duties.
Partners may assign up to 3 SJP interns to report to one site supervisor.
All supervisors are required to create a Time2Track profile to enable them to review and approve SJP intern hours and complete evaluations.

13. Site Supervisor Expectations
SJP interns must receive proper supervision as outlined below.
The required 1 hour per week individual or group supervision is time spent with SJP intern(s) to:
Establish and maintain an active work-plan that includes a schedule
Track the progress of project completion
Discuss the new knowledge and skills interns are learning at your site related to the social justice cause area(s) of the organization
Conceptualize the impacts of the SJP project and its connection to social justice
Evaluate the knowledge, skills, and tools interns should be acquiring during the internship
Discuss any issues that may arise
Track and approve intern hours on a weekly basis
Complete mid-term and final evaluations by the assigned deadline

14. Completing Evaluations
High-pass
A high-pass should only be given to interns in which you’re willing to provide a letter of recommendation at their request
Fail/Remediate
4+ “Needs Improvements” will result in a remediation or fail (at the site supervisor’s discretion)
Remediation Plan
If a site supervisor determines that an intern needs remediation, the Manager of Community Partnerships will schedule an appointment to complete the Remediation Plan

15. Site Supervisor Expectations
Students thrive in a working environment with consistent and structured supervision that is:
Available
Accessible
Welcoming
Respectful
Informative
Sets clear expectations/boundaries
Recognizes a job well done

16. Intern Responsibilities
Maintain professional conduct and ethical manner at all times
Devote at least 8-10 hours each week to the SJP (over a 6 month period) to complete a minimum of 200 hours
Shall not be employed at the practicum site, nor will the student accept employment at their SJP site during the period of their practicum
Communicate any scheduling changes to the site supervisor in a timely manner and make the appropriate arrangements to make up missed hours

17. Site Supervisor Challenges
*Discussion Points:
Managing team dynamics
Managing intern dynamics
Interns that don’t take initiative
Professionalism
Intern schedule conflicts (class, work, etc.)
Inclement weather
Providing a full hour of supervision

18. Communications with CCLCA
Contact our Manager of Community Partnerships for any SJP or Adler University questions. Please also communicate any Site Supervisor changes promptly to ensure the interns are reassigned, and the site supervisor has access to Time2Track and other key communication tools for the SJP.
Manager of Community Partnerships
Francine Reed
(312)
Community events can be shared with our Community Project Coordinator to provide the Adler campus the opportunity to support and/or participate.
Community Project Coordinator
Jessica Vásquez
(312)

19. Getting Started with SJP Interns
Site on-boarding
HR requirements, backgrounds checks, finger-printing, etc.
Any HR costs are the responsibility of the host site
Initial meetings with students
Orientation to site, mission, and staff
Project review and guidance
Regular supervision day and time
Student schedule per term
Academic breaks
Deadlines for hour logs and evaluations

20. Title IX Issues
In the event that a Title IX issue comes up, such as sexual harassment, please complete and expect the following steps:
Notify Francine Reed immediately
SJP Intern will be removed
Adler University Title IX Coordinator(s) will complete investigation
Site’s need to have a sexual harassment protocol in place per their human resource guidelines
Failure to adhere to Adler and Site guidelines will result in termination of Adler partnership

21. Site Supervisor Online Tools
Submittable
Updated Site and Project information is due by July 2018 and should be uploaded to submittable.com.
Time2Track
Time2Track is our hour log and evaluation database system.
An will be sent out to you from Time2Track to join (please check Spam folder).
Every Site Supervisor is required to complete registration at no cost in order to fulfill SJP required documents.
A copy of our Time2Track User Manual will be made available.
content/uploads/2017/08/Time2Track-Manual-July-2017.pdf

22. Center Support
As a Center we are here to support our students (your interns) as well as our community partners
We will monitor student progress by reviewing hour logs and evaluations
We will conduct site visits to review the progress of projects
If you need to make changes to projects or staffing changes occur please inform us so that we can assist in any transitions that need to take place
OUR WEBSITE:

23. SJP Timeline 09/5/2017: Beginning of 2017-2018 Academic Year
09/2017: SJP Intern site selection is finalized
SJP Interns and Site Supervisors Orientation to Site & Projects (early September)
10/2017: Deadline for Internships to begin (1st week of October)
12/1/2017: SJP Interns must have a minimum of 50 hours logged and approved
12/11/2017: Mandatory Midterm Evaluations for interns due
12/18/2017: Fall Term ends/Winter Break
01/2/2018: Spring Term Begins/interns return from break
04/9/2018: Mandatory Final Evaluation for interns due
04/20/2018: Partner Appreciation Brunch
05/29/2018: SJP Symposium

24. Time for Q&A SJP General Questions New steps Project Descriptions
Placements
Time2Track
Other

25. Set-up for Partner Fair and Reception
Look for the table with your organization’s name on the list posted
Set-up at the table in which you’ve been assigned
Students will visit organizations’ tables throughout the reception
Lastly, feel free to network and enjoy refreshments