Title: Second Story for Teens in Crisis Program –Internship / In-person at Gallows Rd. in Tyson’s Corner
Objective: Interns at SSTC offer a helping hand for young people in crisis and help youth improve education, life and social skills. This empowers youth to gain the self-confidence necessary to become successful and independent community members. Interns enrich the experience of the residents by engaging with them and serve as support for counseling staff.
Responsibilities, Expectations and Accountability
- Contribute to building and maintaining an equitable, inclusive, and respectful environment for all
- Answer and respond to calls on the 24-hour crisis hotline
- Initiate and participate in scheduled recreational, educational and therapeutic activities with youth
- Engage informally with residents, individually and in groups, while modeling positive social skills and behavior
- Supervise and assist youth during scheduled activities including free time, meal preparation and chores
- Listen to and engage with youth objectively, being careful not to pass judgment
- Facilitate or co-facilitate groups with staff and other volunteers
- Remain up-to-date with communication log, task calendar, and crisis hotline forms
- Conduct follow-up surveys with former residents to assess short and long-term success and referral needs
- Record volunteer hours at the end of each shift
- Perform other duties as needed that are related to residential services, including managing donations, meal preparation, and other household tasks.
Qualifications
- Ability to apply culturally competent practices in working with diverse populations
- Committed to values of diversity, inclusion, and equality
- Ability to commit to a regular schedule based upon required school hours
- Self-starter with a willingness to take initiative
- Approachable, compassionate, kind, patient, helpful, respectful personality
- Sincere interest in helping teenagers and spending time with them
- Willingness to do a variety of tasks directly and indirectly related to the youth
- Successful completion of background investigation and negative TB screening
Supervision Provided to Volunteers
- Direct supervision during shifts by the counselor on duty
- Weekly supervision by the appropriate professional as required (LPC or MSW)
- Written evaluations as required by school program
Required Training
- One orientation session covering volunteer responsibilities and shelter policies and procedures
- One training session for answering calls on the crisis hotline
Benefits
- Make a positive difference in the lives of young people
- Gain experience in the counseling, social work, and psychology fields
- Develop interpersonal communication skills
- Gain skills for working in a team environment
- Learn the dynamics of helping