By Caitlin Bourke, Justice and Legal Thought
For me, the most important part of my internship was the mission statement of the Boys and Girls Club of America: “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” The mission statement alone showed me the importance of the work I was doing and it inspired me to see how many people around the country were working for this goal.
For me, the most important part of my internship was the mission statement of the Boys and Girls Club of America: “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” The mission statement alone showed me the importance of the work I was doing and it inspired me to see how many people around the country were working for this goal. It also reminded me of my internship’s connection to Justice and Legal Thought since the organization works to provide all children with equal access to opportunities. As learned throughout the program, the education system is based off of property taxes so lower income children do not always have the same access as higher income children. BGCA works to accomplish justice both within and outside of the legal system. I got the chance to work on these efforts when I researched legislative policies, contacted representatives to ask for their support, and helped with our advocacy events throughout the semester.
I would recommend this internship to any future JLT students because it will give you a chance to work for an incredible cause and meet lots of passionate people.
One of my favorite things to work on was blog posts summarizing different events I had helped with such as our National Day of Advocacy. As I mentioned above, a lot of my internship consisted of research for the GR team. I also tracked legislation, covered Congressional hearings, and worked on our appropriations submissions as well. With all of the changes due to COVID19, as our clubs had to adjust, I researched different policies within the CARES Act, relief funding opportunities, and federal officials who would be willing to help us. I would recommend this internship to any future JLT students because it will give you a chance to work for an incredible cause and meet lots of passionate people.
I enjoyed hearing about your experience working with the Boys and Girls Club of America. What stood out to me was your ability to do and learn about many things. From working closely with internal people, to writing blog posts, to learning about non-profit work - it sounds like you got a lot out of it! I am happy to hear that you want to continue to apply for positions with organizations you are passionate about and find valuable to your community. I was wondering how much of this internship were you able to continue once at home and how that worked out for you?
What stood out to me about this poster was the large impact that this organization had, and how you played a meaningful role in its work. The combination of service and working with legislation also stood out to me. I learned about different advocacy programs from this poster, and how these programs can directly help a lot of people especially with COVID 19. A question I have is how did COVID 19 effect the other advocacy programs you were working on and were you able to adapt?
I think that your work at The Boys and Girls Club is so important because you’re focusing your efforts on an, oftentimes, overlooked demographic. I think what really stood out to me the most about this internship is the preventative method The Boys and Girls Club is implementing to try and deter children and teens from crime by simply providing them a place to be outside of school. I’m curious to see how programs like this will affect the juvenile delinquency rates, although I’m almost certain the results will only be positive.
In my internship I recommended many people to research and look into joining the Boys and Girls club (like for my clients children). I love the opportunity of working with non-profits as well because it can feel rewarding to work on causes that are helping those who may not have many other ways to get help. I loved how you touched on that in your poster. I also found it interesting how you touched on the impact COVID 19 had on your functions as an intern and the organization itself's functioning.
It's admirable that you were able to intern for an organization that provides after-school programs for young people. I find these programs essential. This project stood out to me because I did service work for a smaller similar organization like this in Chicago called By the Hand Club. I learned the vast impact that these programs have on children and their learning. After reading your project I learned that your internship opportunity also provided you with research experience. I was wondering if you knew any specific internships that you would consider that tend to your passion for writing legislation.