Marissa Kosanke

Agency: Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson

Term: Spring - 2002

I am doing my internship at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson, at the Steve Daru Clubhouse. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is to provide an environment for youth that is safe and staffed with quality professional people who will help youth develop self- esteem, values and skills. The Boys & Girls Club strives to provide an environment that will build youth up so they can become capable and valuable members of society. To do this, the Boys & Girls Club maintains four clubhouses in Tucson to which youth between the ages of 6 and 19 may come and participate in recreational sports, arts and crafts, computer classes, community service projects, and youth development programs.

My main responsibilities include supervising the games room, supervising and leading group games in the gymnasium when needed, and tutoring members in math and English. I also help to lead the Smart Moves program, which seeks to help members build self-esteem, and make healthy decisions regarding drugs, alcohol, and early sexual activity.

I decided to do the internship because one can only learn so much from sitting in lectures and reading books about the issues regarding children. The real learning happens outside of the classroom. I wanted the interaction with children to see the reality of the things I am learning about in class, and to find out if I want to pursue working with that age group.

Following my graduation in the fall of 2002, I am considering a position working as a program director at a camp in the Midwest. I ultimately want to return to school to obtain a Master's degree in counseling and become a Christian family counselor.

One of the things I am learning through my internship is that no matter how much book knowledge I have about children and how they develop biologically, cognitively, and socially, the actual interaction with them is ten times more meaningful and ten times more challenging. I thought I knew how to talk with kids and interact with them well, but this internship is challenging that notion. I have been brought into the lives of youth that come from backgrounds and experiences, often negative ones, that I have never known. My preconceived ideas about what children can understand and at what level of maturity they are able to attain are being changed. I am learning about the lives of these youth I am working with, and how I can better communicate with them.

Doing an internship is essential no matter what field you are pursuing, especially in the social sciences. It gives you real world knowledge about the things you are learning in class. You will be challenged, but what a rewarding experience it is. You will be involved in making positive changes and/or experiences for other people in this community, and your life will be touched in the process. It may change your previous ideas or touch your heart. Either way you will come away from doing an internship with much more knowledge and experience than when you entered.

The other day at the club, I learned something about myself and about the youth I am working with in a challenging experience. I was supervising the gym area for an hour in which all the members were invited to come and play whatever they wanted There was a member who seemed to be having a bad day because he was fighting with whomever was closest to him. He would take equipment away from others, say degrading things, and eventually began to wrestle other kids to the ground. He would not listen to a word from any of the staff members when told to be a good sport and be nice to others around him After this continued for a bit longer I told him he had to leave the gym for a bit to "cool off." He was not happy with me for making him leave and would not allow me to explain why I had done that. I did not expect to see him for the rest of the day. Shortly thereafter, I led group games for the youngest members of the club, and then it was time for the older members to come in the gym for group games. We started playing a game, and the member I had told to leave came in and asked to participate. He was calmed down and ready to play with the other members in the club, even the ones he had hurt. It made me realize that the youth I work for respect what I say even though I am only an intern, and I am capable of disciplining children in a gentle way. I look forward to more challenges as the semester progresses.

University of Arizona | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
School of Family and Consumer Sciences | Family Studies and Human Development

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