Ever since I began my journey as a student at The University of Scranton, I have searched for opportunities to work with children in a mental health capacity. The chance to work as a Children and Youth Programming Intern at Church World Service (CWS) is nothing short of spectacular and fulfills this desire perfectly. I am working with children of newly arrived refugees in the United States. My clients come from a wide range of countries and have experienced many hardships in their young lives thus far. I am so excited to provide an empathetic, kind, and professional presence in the lives of these children.
I began my role as an intern with CWS this week, and I have been welcomed with open arms. So far, my responsibilities have been discussing programming and service provisions with members of the Children and Youth Programming team, completing sensitivity training, and planning for the start of my in-person supervision next week. Upon beginning my in-person training, I will start observing the provision of services to children and their families, provide support through companionship and activities while children are waiting for services, and help with administrative services and data cleaning/analysis. At the start of July, I will be leading a group of interns and volunteers in creating and implementing programming for the Children and Youth Program, which provides psychological services to children of refugee families.
This experience is sure to be one of the most valuable of my undergraduate career and will enrich my education as a Psychology major deeply. I cannot wait to meet my clients in-person and gain the leadership experience of leading the summer program. I am immensely grateful to the Royal Experience Summer Internship Program and the Center for Career Development for their continued support in this amazing endeavor!
Madeline Williams, Psychology & Philosophy
This is going to be a great experience, Madeline! My uncle worked at CWS, and this organization provides such valuable services! Looking forward to hearing more about your work as the summer progresses!
Your enthusiasm for providing mental health services to children is incredibly motivating. Church World Service’s looks like a perfect match for your goals and a demonstration of your commitment and empathy. It is amazing to learn that you have had such a warm welcome in your new position. Your work with recently arrived refugee children is really significant and meaningful. Without a doubt, your empathetic, kind, and professional presence will have a profound impact on their lives. Your duties and forthcoming assignments seem both demanding and fulfilling. You will have a great chance to develop your leadership abilities and leave a lasting impression on the community you’re serving by leading a team to develop and implement programming for the Children and Youth Program. I wish you the best of luck during your internship and look forward to hearing about your experiences this summer!
This is such important work and will be a rewarding experience for you! I can’t wait to see what more comes from your experience.
–Melissa Przewlocki, Assistant Director of Career Development
Wow Madeline! It is so cool to work with children that haven’t had the luckiest lives so far. I hope you can be a factor in their continued lives here. I hope you are excited to do great things for these young individuals!!
Madeline, this sounds like such a rewarding experience and I’m sure you’ll learn a lot through your internship. That’s great it will give you some leadership experience as well!
Madeline, this sounds like a very rewarding experience that will allow you to meet people from all walks of life! I am excited for you to start working with children and being someone that they can count on. Mental health is not talked about enough and it is imperative to have resources like CWS available! Very good work.
Madeline, your post is very inspiring! I love how you have a passion for offering mental health services to children. The work that you do during your internship will be incredibly valuable and rewarding. It is remarkable how you can positively impact the lives of countless children and I am excited to hear more about your experiences as the summer goes on. Keep up the good work and best of luck!
Madeline, this is awesome! It sounds like you are really going to be able to make a positive difference through this internship. Children’s mental health is SO important, and I’m sure you’ll be able to see the impact of your work. Good luck and can’t wait to hear more about your experience!
Madeline,
I am so proud of you, and best of luck at your second internship this year! It sounds like you will have great opportunities to show your leadership skills, such as leading a group of interns and volunteers later this summer. I know you have the potential to do amazing things in the mental health field, and I am excited to see where life takes you. Continue working hard because it will pay off. Your fellow psych major wishes you well!
Madeline, this is incredible! That sounds like such a life-changing experience, and I’m sure you had lots of opportunities to use the skills you have learned through studying Psych. Best of luck with everything going forward!