HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF YOUR INDUSTRY DIDN’T EXIST, OR IF IT WERE TO SOMEHOW DISAPPEAR?
If the industry I interned at did not exist or were to disappear, there would not be a comfortable and supportive space for homeless youths in Harvard square. Y2Y is an important place to assist homeless youths out of homelessness through their case management program, helping them with applying for jobs and housing. Y2Y is special because the workers there are youths themselves, which “bridges the gap between service provider and service recipient”(Yoseph Boku, volunteer director at Y2Y).
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WHO WERE YOU THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU STARTED YOUR INTERNSHIP? WHAT’S CHANGED?
The night before the internship, I did not really know what I was doing and what I would get out of this experience, but I expected to learn everything through this internship. After working at Y2Y, I learned that learning does not stop. I was only skimming the top of a deep matter that I still have so much to learn about. Through this experience, I learned that I want to continue to help the community and no matter where I go, I want to participate in more non-profits. If I were to go back in time to see me before this started, I would tell myself to be more organized and don’t be afraid to get help when I need it, as I did go through some personal issues during this time. Overall, even with some problems, I am proud of myself as I pushed myself to learn about something that I did not know a lot about and is an important problem that is not often talked about. Although I still have a long way to go in learning, I will continue to put my efforts into educating myself about important issues that affect our society. IS THERE AN ENDPOINT TO LEARNING AT YOUR JOB? DO YOU WANT THERE TO BE?
No, there is no end point in learning at Y2Y as this non-profit works with many different individuals to solve a very big problem that is still occurring today. Every single person walking into Y2Y has a different experience, where it is impossible to learn everything about every single experience. Also, homelessness is a very serious problem that so many people go through, but it is not talked about often. It is something that I continue to learn about, proceeding my work at Y2Y. I’m not sure how it would be possible to even have an endpoint in learning. There is always something new to learn about and I don’t see how it is possible to determine that endpoint. UPDATE:
Because of personal issues, I have not been able to go to Y2Y. WHO INSPIRES YOU AT YOUR JOB?
Every single person at Y2Y inspires me. Each volunteer brings in an inspirational, positive mindset that relates to more than just our tasks. The most inspiring aspect of the volunteers is that even with their incredibly busy college schedules, they still take time out to help the community and the non-profit because they are passionate about wanting to help make a change. WHAT IS THE GENERAL EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE AT YOUR INTERNSHIP? The volunteers and directors of the program are amazing people. They all deeply care about their role and are more than willing to be a part of this non-profit. Every interaction I have had with the people I have met at Y2Y has been incredible. The volunteers are people around my age who are driven by their goal to make a change and choose to be a part of Y2Y, therefore they happily put in all the work to help out. Everyone's attitudes are remarkably positive and the work space is very welcoming to all. Although there is a lot of socializing, it is not a negative thing. It is incredible to hear different experiences of those volunteering and finding out what led them to Y2Y. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR INDUSTRY? The ultimate goal of Y2Y is to provide a comfortable and safe environment for youths and help them out of homelessness with their many optional programs to build future paths. This week I was able to look at some workshop activities they do and the most interesting one to me was the story building dice. There was a cube with letters in it and the activity was to shake it to create a word to use to inspire a story. Although it may seem like a small activity, but this activity (and the other similar ones they had, like a grammar correcting worksheet) was to improve language/grammar in a fun and creative way. By far, the most amazing thing about Y2Y is that it is primarily student ran, meaning that thee volunteers and staff are all students (mostly from Harvard University). I cannot stress this enough, but Y2Y is truly incredible and I urge people to volunteer there (or really any place)!
WHAT WAS YOUR PRECONCEIVED NOTION OF YOUR INDUSTRY BEFORE WORKING FOR YOUR COMPANY? I honestly had no idea what to expect going into this internship. I only knew what the internet had told me about homelessness and I really could not predict what anything would be like.
Even though I did not know much, I was excited to be able to be part of Y2Y as they seemed like an amazing organization that genuinely wanted to help people, which I learned that they are! This week, I met so many intelligent and kind people that were not only enthusiastic to help, but are also incredibly hard working. We focused primarily on cooking dinner foods and when we had time, we would organize supply. Amy, a supervisor, was super helpful and talked to us a lot about what they do at Y2Y. She told us that they took in youths between 18 to about 24 that need reservations for staying the night, but even without a reservation they offer food, water, and blankets/clothing. She also talked about why they take limited youths, which has to do with the capacity and because there is a (adult) homeless shelter nearby that most people go to. Overall, It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to learn more! |
AuthorI will be documenting my experience right here! Archives |