An Eye-Opening Experience at Racine County Human Services

If you told me last year I would attend graduate school, I would have laughed. But now, because of my internship, I am attending the University of Illinois Chicago in the fall to get my master's degree in youth justice.

My internship has inspired me to go further and seek more education to be able to help youth. 

I finished my internship at Racine County Human Services, where I have been able to observe many different departments, such as Youth Justice, Foster Care, Ongoing Child Protective Services, Access, Kinship, and The Boost Program. My supervisor, Kristen Steimle, a foster care supervisor, encouraged me from day one to learn and explore every department. With Kristen's help, I was introduced to Sierra, a Youth Justice Coordinator, now a Youth and Family Support Service Worker, who took me under her wing and showed me many opportunities in youth justice. 

At my internship, I had many different opportunities, from supervising family visits, co-facilitating active parenting classes, taking Access* reports, visiting clients during school hours, learning how to become a licensed foster family, and completing youth justice intakes.

These experiences have impacted me by opening my eyes to many situations that affect individuals in the community. 

This has caused me to want to experience a variety of learning opportunities to prepare myself for the future and make a difference. With a double major in Social Work and Sociology and a double minor in Criminal Justice and Women’s & Gender Studies, many of the courses I have taken prepared me for my internship. Some classes I have taken that have helped me at my internship are Trauma Across Social Context, Criminal Justice System, Race and Racism, and Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in a Diverse World. 

My social work classes prepare us to express to our clients that we are interns, and termination** at the end of our internship is the hardest part. I am very sad to leave my colleagues and clients. Everyone has been very welcoming and amazing to work with, and I wish them all the best. I cannot wait to hear about the new youth center coming to Racine County; it is going to change many children's lives for the better. I could not have asked for a better group of clients and colleagues. I am very proud of all my colleagues, and their work has not gone unnoticed. As my time ends, I hope to come back in the future, whether it is working or volunteering at Racine Youth Center. 

I advise other social work students to step out of their comfort zone. Do not be afraid to take the first step;

everything is a learning experience

even when you do not realize it. If you don't understand something or are scared to say something, just ask someone, and you may realize something someone else missed.

BY NATALIA WOJCIK

Footnotes:

*Access:  Access is the point of entry into the human services system. The Access line is a 24-hour phone number where anyone can make a referral regarding a child in need of protection or services.

**Termination: Termination is a phase of the social worker/client relationship in which the social worker and their client work to consolidate gains from their work together and develop strategies for relapse prevention, ongoing practice of effective coping mechanisms, etc., and make a plan for clients to seek ongoing support as needed should problems re-emerge