LINK (Learning Internships for New Knowledge)
Link is a three week internship where juniors learn more about what kind of work they want to do, and how to attain that. During these internships, students are able to immerse themselves into work that they feel strongly about, and with the help of a mentor, they discover more about themselves and who they want to become.
I worked mostly at Planned Parenthood and worked for a few days at the Women's Resource during my internship.
The Women's Resource Center mostly provides resources and referrals, for women in need, they also put on different events throughout the year, including the Keys to High School Success conference for eighth grade girls in their transition to high school.
Planned Parenthood offers medical services, family planning, and education. The education department offers sex education for schools, information for the community, and has a text line where people can send in any sexual health related questions.
The Women's Resource Center mostly provides resources and referrals, for women in need, they also put on different events throughout the year, including the Keys to High School Success conference for eighth grade girls in their transition to high school.
Planned Parenthood offers medical services, family planning, and education. The education department offers sex education for schools, information for the community, and has a text line where people can send in any sexual health related questions.
LINK Preparation
In preparation for my internship, I contacted people that I knew I could work well with, and where I would have the freedom to work on what I care about. I contacted three different organizations, and ended up working for two of them, and will work with the other one in the future. I chose to work mainly with Planned Parenthood because I believe that the organization does a lot of good for communities across this country, and I wanted to be part of that. I decided to work with education because I believe that our community needs to learn about the needs that we have, including supporting the LGBTQ+ youth in this area.
I hoped to learn more about what the non-profit organizations in Durango. I wanted to become more involved with these organizations and our community as a whole. I thought that this internship was a great way to do that because I would have the opportunity to immerse myself into the different organizations in our community. I wanted to contribute to my community by working with the people who do so much for it.
I have a lot of knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community, and I feel like I was able to bring that to the organizations I worked for. I provided a unique perspective to issues in our community by being both a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and as a youth in this town.
I hoped to learn more about what the non-profit organizations in Durango. I wanted to become more involved with these organizations and our community as a whole. I thought that this internship was a great way to do that because I would have the opportunity to immerse myself into the different organizations in our community. I wanted to contribute to my community by working with the people who do so much for it.
I have a lot of knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community, and I feel like I was able to bring that to the organizations I worked for. I provided a unique perspective to issues in our community by being both a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and as a youth in this town.
My Project
After extensive research about what life is like for LGBTQ+ youth in our country, and talking to youth in our community about what is needed, I decided to create a survey in order to get specific data about what is needed for LGBTQ+ youth in our community. This survey will be put out to as many youth in La Plata County as possible, and then I will work with leaders in our community to figure out how we can make our community better.
Reflection
This internship was an amazing experience, I learned a lot about myself, and what I want to do with my life. I feel that the skills that I had going into the internship helped me succeed. I am very good at finding information, and I know a lot of the resources our community has. Most of my internship was researching LGBTQ+ issues, and finding resources for people, especially youth, in our community. I learned that I really want to work with community members to make our communities better, and that I can be very good at that. I learned what being part of a non-profit looks like, and even though a lot of the work is not very interesting, and very hard, it is all worth being able to contribute to my community.
I was able to contribute to the organizations I worked with by sharing my unique perspective as a youth in this community, and I think that was really valuable. I think organizations like the Women's Resource Center and Planned Parenthood need the perspective of youth in order to effectively serve the community.
My experience with this internship helped me think more about what I want to do as a career. I realized that I want to work with non-profits, I think that by doing this, I will be able to create the change I want to see in the world. This internship was an incredibly valuable experience, and I could never have learned what I did in a classroom.
I was able to contribute to the organizations I worked with by sharing my unique perspective as a youth in this community, and I think that was really valuable. I think organizations like the Women's Resource Center and Planned Parenthood need the perspective of youth in order to effectively serve the community.
My experience with this internship helped me think more about what I want to do as a career. I realized that I want to work with non-profits, I think that by doing this, I will be able to create the change I want to see in the world. This internship was an incredibly valuable experience, and I could never have learned what I did in a classroom.