College of Education and Human Services

The experience is about what you put into it – not just a grade.

Published by Tim Holdsworth on May 25, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Michael Harvey is an online Human Services Leadership student. Originally from Appleton Wis., he moved around the country after two years of college as a way to help him determine what he wanted to do with his life. Those experiences lead him to want to help those less fortunate, which is why he chose to major in human services leadership.

As I head into my final week working as an intern at COTS homeless shelter, I wait for my grand finale. Over the course of a semester I have embarked on a journey that was not entirely expected. I did what I set out to do, successfully (but not always gracefully) completing my goals and gaining valuable knowledge that will further my future career. It is hard in a way to see this internship come to an end. I’ve had a great time, worked with some fantastic people and grown personally as well as professionally.

The last month I’ve been working independently for the most part, mainly case managing a few clients. I’ve also been helping set up future contacts for COTS—my latest is to get a guest speaker from the YMCA to come in to give a presentation on healthy living habits. My last weeks have been tying up loose ends, finalizing projects and looking ahead to what’s next. One thing I really enjoyed about being an intern is that you can try as much or little as you choose to. This whole experience is about what you put into it, not just a grade.

Looking back at this endeavor is a testament to just how much effort and work is put in, with the rewards being well worth it. I have gained confidence in myself and my abilities to accomplish goals and to make a difference in others’ lives. The common phrase about Human Service workers is that they are agents of change, but we are really the catalyst to change and at COTS I found it to be especially true. This field is about connecting people to services and finding the root of a problem. The hard work is done by those whom we are helping, those who are grappling with major issues. Though we are not always successful and our efforts may go un-thanked, the work that we do (or will do) is essential to those lives we touch.

Going forward, I know what to expect out of the next internship and thereafter. From this internship I have received a better understanding of the field and my place in it. It has also given me a good direction as to what I want to do for my next internship and the connections to get it. Although I am sad to leave COTS, I am excited to start my next chapter.

The good, the bad and the frustrating

Published by Tim Holdsworth on April 18, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Michael Harvey is an online Human Services Leadership student half way through his junior year. Originally from Appleton Wis., he moved around the country after two years of college as a way to help him determine what he wanted to do with his life. Those experiences lead him to want to help those less fortunate, which is why he chose to major in human services leadership.

The Young Adult Program at COTS homeless shelter is now in full swing. Complete with the good, the bad and the frustrating. Since my last posting, I have been thrown into the thick of it. As mentioned previously, I am now handling the task of completing intake interviews, which has been a very good experience. It has shown me humility beyond what I could imagine—people from every walk of life; hearing their hardships and struggles which lead them to the door step of COTS is truly amazing. I also have a few guys I meet with regularly to chat, talk about their goals and to see if they need anything.

Most of the residents now recognize me…they may not always remember my name, but they are not shy about asking questions. One resident, who is returning to school after many years, sought me out to ask questions about my experience and what to expect. He was excited to go back and nervous about taking tests and how he was going to pay for his schooling. One of my ongoing projects has been to compile a list of grants and scholarships that are available and how to access them. So I sat down with this resident and we figured out a viable way he could afford his tuition. Seeing the relief in his face is something that I’ll never forget.

Overall these last few weeks have given me the full experience. I have had some mixed emotions over the last few weeks. It started when one of the residents approached me to give his notice—he was ready to live on his own. He had thought it through, found a roommate and felt that he was stable enough in his recovery that living independent was feasible. My next day at COTS, another person came saying the same thing. He was leaving and was ready to stand on his own—the difference being he was not fully ready. He had a stable job, but still was struggling to pay the fees to stay at COTS, much less pay for utilities and food. We talked to him to make sure he thought this was a good decision, which he felt it was. Part of this learning experience for me is to learn to let others make their own mistakes. It may be a hard lesson, but it is their decision to make and no one else’s. Part of me wants to say ‘NOOOOO you’re not ready don’t do it!!!’ But I just smile, ask questions about their future, congratulate them and say goodbye.

Most of the goals I set for myself when starting this internship have been met and it is amazing just how much I enjoy working in this environment. My list of projects is getting shorter and my end is getting near, I want to take my last remaining weeks and enjoy it. It is work. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it. For that I am grateful.

Learning and Contributing

Published by Tim Holdsworth on April 2, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Panhia Lee is a Human Services Leadership major with a minor in Business Administration. This is her final semester at UW Oshkosh. She has always had a love for helping people, so found Human Services to be a great fit. From Neenah, Wis., Lee will have her advanced field placement at ADVOCAP Inc. in Oshkosh.
Lee is looking forward to having a more hands-on experience in her advanced internship. She hopes to gain more knowledge and enhance her skills throughout the semester while interning at her placement, working in Appleton and taking her final business class. Follow along, as she shares her advanced internship experience throughout the semester.

It has been about 2 months since I have been interning at ADVOCAP. I have learned so much – more than I ever thought I would. With graduating in May and going through the process of finding my own job, I have found that even though I am helping clients job search, ADVOCAP has helped me in my own job search. Although I have been praised for my skills in creating a resume, cover letter and so on, I have found ways to improve what I already know in these areas.

My supervisors have been very encouraging and open to my contributions. I created a spreadsheet to document information for clients that attend the Career Club at the Workforce Development Center. This club helps qualified individuals in job search – creating resumes and cover letters, applying for jobs online, mock interviews, and so on. The spreadsheet will now be used for next year’s records, which I am proud of. My supervisor will also be letting me take the lead in facilitating the Career Club in the month of April. I will be the teacher while my supervisor will become my assistant. I am very nervous about this opportunity because I know I struggle at being assertive. I will take this challenge as an opportunity to improve on my leadership skills though.

I have also been conducting client appointments on my own. This has been beneficial for me in regards to learning to adapt to a variety of people – interacting with different personalities. I have found it difficult to get some of the clients to take me seriously because I am younger than them and am an intern, but I always reassure them that I am there to help them. Also, I have been typing up my own case notes for each client I have seen, which my supervisors have used for documentation, so it makes me feel like I am really contributing.

A realistic view…

Published by Tim Holdsworth on April 2, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Iiona Virgin is a senior in the Human Services Leadership online program. She currently lives in Madison, Wis. with her husband and three children. She took a roundabout way to get to the degree program she is in. Virgin was told about this program after realizing that she wanted to be a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Social Worker after her youngest child spent her first 5 1/2 weeks in St. Mary’s NICU.

These last few weeks I have spent endless hours in meetings, on the phone and responding to emails. This is the side of human services and organizing that no one ever tells you about. Sometimes I have 3-4 meetings in one day. All of them are meaningful and are related to the my internship and my supervisor’s job, but when you think of being a Human Service Worker, sitting in meetings, making phone calls and returning and composing emails is not a part of what you envision you will be doing. Or at least it wasn’t what I envisioned when I signed up for this program.

Now please don’t assume that I am not enjoying these meetings, phone calls and emails… well maybe not the emails, I am starting to get finger cramps. But it doesn’t look like what I thought I was going to be doing once I got into the profession. In no way am I disappointed in my choice for a profession, I have just been given a realistic view of what I will really be doing on an every day basis.

I am very happy that I have been given the opportunity to do my internship with Public Health doing similar things that I want to eventually get a paycheck for — granted my reason for getting into this field is not for the paycheck. This is the type of real world experience that everyone needs to have before they start in their career. I mean who would want to hire a doctor that has never practiced medicine before he or she became licensed? I guess what I am trying to say is, “While you are out looking for an internship to do for this program, make sure you try and find one that is closely related to what you want to do when you graduate.”

Because what you learn in the books and in the classroom are so different than what you learn in the field. Not to mention, you have a semester or two to learn whether this career choice is best for you. I have been able to learn a lot about what I want to do and what I will never do in the Human Services field, or more like what I pray I never have to do.

Here are just a few things on my list

Yes, I will do

Work with youth
Work in public health
Be a social worker

No, I will not do

Write grants… EVER (wishful thinking!)
Work well with government (I know, Public Health is Government…)
Putting in place mandates without the will of the people behind it (Again that goes to working with Government, kind of hard to do. But I am learning all about it in my internship…)

Settling in, seeing results

Published by Tim Holdsworth on March 21, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Since the last update I’ve been very busy during my time at COTS. Starting last week, the Young Adult Program kicked off, which means I am now dealing more with clients. My days are anything buy typical — there have been days where I have nothing specific to do and there are others where I don’t stop until I walk out the door for the day. I am now starting to get my feet under me and don’t feel so overwhelmed by all the commotion happening around me.

I have started to work extensively with two young men living at COTS. My goal was to help them obtain employment. So I sat down with each of them individually talking with them about what they wanted to do and where they would like to work. I helped go over each of their resumes and assisted with filling out applications. They had struggled in the past with answering certain questions on applications which ultimately lead them to giving up and not finishing, but each one finally made it through and put out many applications all over town. I am happy to report that both now have full time jobs!

Three weeks ago my supervisor proposed an idea to see if I would be interested in taking on a new responsibility. She asked to see if I would want to conduct the intake interviews for all prospective clients. When any person wishes to enroll into COTS’ program they must first be interviewed and evaluated to see if they would be a good match. It also gives a good opportunity for the prospective client to learn what COTS is all about.

After this is done I ask a series of questions to get a more complete picture of the person: I ask about any criminal record, work history, debts, drug or alcohol use, and what they would hope to accomplish if they were living at COTS. After this is completed I will meet with my supervisor to discuss my feelings and if I think they would be a good member of the COTS community. It is very interesting to see the different paths people took that led them to being homeless.

There always seems to be something to be done when I’m there. When I’m not busy working with clients I have been asked to assemble a comprehensive list of all grants and scholarships that are available. So far my list is short, I think I got most of the federal and state grants and a small list of the larger scholarships, but it is becoming more challenging to find ones that are not subject specific. It is the eventual goal to use this list to help those who want to return to school who may not have been able to due to financial issues.

I feel that I am gaining a great deal through this internship. It is giving a practical use to the ideas and concepts that we discussed and class. I am now able to make the connection between a behavior and motive. I’m learning to delve deeper into a person—to understand not just what someone is doing but why they are doing it, and with the experience of this internship I am learning how to change that around.

Student teaching is a lifestyle change

Published by Tim Holdsworth on March 15, 2012 in Student Teaching. 0 Comments

Vanessa Howe

Vanessa Howe’s Spanish teacher, who shared her passion for Spanish and education to her class, inspired Vanessa to become a teacher. Howe, a Secondary Education Spanish major, from Pardeeville, Wi, will be student teaching Spanish at Oshkosh West High School for nine weeks and then moving to Shattuck Middle School in Neenah for another nine weeks.

Howe is excited to have her own classroom to relay her passion for the language and education with her students, and strives to be as great an educator as her own Spanish teacher. Follow along, as she shares her experience throughout the semester.

The last six weeks student teaching has consumed my life. : ) There is not a day that goes by that I do not do something for my student teaching, including weekends and nights. I feel comfortable in my classroom now and I have taken over teaching every hour of our schedule. I arrive at school around 7 a.m. each day, about forty minutes before the school day begins in order to make copies, grade papers and prep for the day. When the semester began I found it difficult to wake up before 6 a.m. and even harder to make it to school before we were required to at 7:25 a.m. My cooperating teacher supported me and reminded me that student teaching is a lifestyle change. She predicted as the semester went on it would be easier to wake up early in order to prepare for the day. As I became more involved in her classroom, it did become easier to make sure I was at school early so I was organized for the day.

Another thing I have thoroughly enjoyed about student teaching is the relationships I have made with my students. At the start of the semester I was very intimidated to be working with juniors and seniors in high school. As our time together has passed, my students and I have become more comfortable with each other. They are more intelligent than I ever imagined they would be and I feel lucky to work with such sincere and intellectual students. Many of them are in the process of visiting and applying to colleges and it is exciting to hear them making their plans for their future.

I only have two and a half weeks left at Oshkosh West. I have enjoyed my time at this school so far and have learned so much from my cooperating teacher, students and other foreign language teachers. I will be sad to leave, but am excited to meet my middle school students.

Teaching, learning opportunites and intangible rewards

Published by Tim Holdsworth on March 13, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Erica Brooks, a senior at UW Oshkosh, is an active Human Services Leadership major with a minor in Music. Along with being employed with five different offices throughout campus. Erica is also heavily involved with campus groups, organizations and events. Erica has participated in the University Alternative Spring Break trip to Guatemala, studied abroad in Kenya and volunteered with Hands on Oshkosh and through the Human Services Organization. Erica is excited to offer her services to the Boys & Girls Club in creating a music program that can continue to grow after she concludes her college education at Oshkosh.

If I had to pick one impact that the Boys and Girls Club of Oshkosh has made on me personally since beginning my internship with the music program is to not limit yourself on how much an individual, no matter how young or old, can teach you. Last week we had the opportunity, thanks to very gracious donors, to take a group of about 20 girls to the Broadway Musical Mary Poppins at the PAC in Appleton.

This experience made me realize that no matter what age you are or how much weight is on your shoulders that you can and should always take even a little bit of time to simply enjoy the world around you. Yes, having a 12-passenger van full of female teenagers can make for a very entertaining and high-energy road trip. Being able to simply sit back and listen to their stories is really eye opening. What their current lives entail, their future dreams and how they enjoy each others’ company. It made me look back into my high school days and think about what my dreams where, including so many aspirations, ideas and excitement. However, most of all I enjoyed hearing about their thoughts on the performance compared to my own thoughts.

The time back at the Boys and Girls Club has also been a continual eye opener, not only for me but the newly hired music teacher Alice Evans who just recently moved to the Winnebago area. Alice decided to start a music writing class where the club members can simply just write words, sentences anything they feel like during that time. From there we work on transitioning it into a song. Alice does an astounding job creating a musical line on the piano that matches what the club members are trying to express in their lyrics. Alice and I were ecstatic when two girls came to class one day a couple weeks into semester and had written a whole song and were wondering if Alice could try it on the piano. There is nothing more rewarding to Alice and me at this point in the program then to see the club members incorporating what they have done in class and using it to cope with what they are going through at home or in the community in a positive matter.

Our next adventure is trying to grow our rhythm class, which has been challenging due to limited materials. Hand drums recently arrived and it will be a new challenge for the club members to treat such delicacies with care while at the same time being able to work through what they are struggling with from the inside. We were able to have one class so far with the drums. As always there has to be room for change and experimentation.

Alice and I hope to bring a sense of unity while playing the drums. The club members can encourage each other to play solos while the other members work together to create the continual rhythm and beat. This will be a challenge for the club offers a place where individuals can often feel free of the restrictions and caves they feel in other places. School, where most of the day they are sitting in class, at home, where they are restricted to sitting on the couch or in their rooms — if they have a home in the first place. The Boys and Girls Club offers them a place to release the boiling energy inside of them whether it is through the Zumba class, soccer in the gym or simply having a quiet place to color or write a song. Through the rhythm class we hope the members feel free to express themselves but in a respectable and controlled manner.

I would like to wish good luck to the girls who will be participating in Solo and Ensemble in the next couple weeks at their schools. They have all shown great talent from what I have witnessed at the Boys and Girls Club and look forward to hearing back from them about their experience. Good Luck and do not forget your SMILE!

First house meeting – excited and nervous all in the same breath

Published by Tim Holdsworth on February 24, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 1 Comment

She is currently on the board of South West (Madison) Community Organizing Committee, is a grassroots organizer and is very involved in her community. When Virgin is not working, studying, transporting, volunteering, planning, in meetings, taking notes, typing notes… she can be found curled up with a good book, with a camera in-hand or out completing her family’s Wisconsin Bucket List.

The first two weeks of my internship went by quicker than I imagined they would have. The beginning of my second week was filled with our first ever House Meeting! I was excited and nervous all in the same breath. I was more worried that I would forget something that was needed for the meeting than anything else. My sheer excitement and maybe some sleepless nights turned into a cold. I could feel it coming on over the weekend and did everything in my power to stay cold free, how much power is that really? Not much.

The morning of the meeting I woke up with a horrible headache and cold symptoms. I instantly started to panic. I was going over everything that needed to be done because it was JUST my supervisor and I that were going to be running this meeting. I downed some medication, emailed my supervisor to let her know how I felt and then headed into the office to check-in. After a small nap I was up, refreshed and ready to go! I was responsible for bringing almost everything to the meeting, besides the neighborhood map, and went about gathering everything and headed to the house.

Has anyone else ever had something of this sort happen to them? What did you end up doing?

My nervousness for the meeting was not necessary because it was so much more than I could have imagined. I do not know if anyone has ever experienced a meeting where everyone is happy to be there and the room is full of energy, if so this meeting was one of those meetings. When I got there all the children were very helpful with bringing items into the house. While someone in the house set things up and out (food), my supervisor was there talking and getting to know those that had joined us. We had five adults attend the meeting and offered big ideas and dreams to them. We met for a hour and a half and the list of things we were able to get through was absolutely amazing. Some of the things that we talked about were the exact same things that had been talked about at previous meetings held at the school with different groups of people, and at the first community supper in December.

When you give people a voice and the freedom to dream as big as they can, what they see is really no different from what the greater community sees. The only difference between the groups is the amount of financial resources they have access to.

Overall the meeting went great, we were able to hear what they thought their strengths and weaknesses were of their neighborhood as well as their dreams and visions. One of the main reasons we had started this process was because last summer two young girls were involved in a motorist versus bicycle accident. The initial meetings that we had after the accident were focused on traffic safety which is the same topic that we addressed in this meeting. The adults were very much interested in different traffic calming ideas, the first one being speed bumps. After we gave them more information about the ways the city can and has responded to traffic issues, everything changed. One idea thought of was closing off one end of the street and possibly having the greenway filled with youth-run gardens and maybe even a spray park. All I can say is I am still on a high from that meeting and we have started moving forward to have other meetings in that area.

We have a house meeting scheduled for Monday, Feb. 27 for Theresa Terrace with the intent of the residents inviting more people from the block. I am meeting with my supervisor Kim and a traffic safety specialist Lisa today to discuss the first house meeting and figure out what day (before the end of March) the house meeting for Hammersley Road will happen. We have one block down and six more to go. I am looking forward to seeing how this process will go and hoping we will see more progress and excitement with the next meetings.

Two Weeks In – Off to a Good Start

Published by Tim Holdsworth on February 23, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 1 Comment

My first two weeks at ADVOCAP, Inc in Oshkosh has exceeded my expectations. I get to intern at two different locations — the main office on Harrison Street and the Workforce Development Center on Jackson Street. I am glad that I get to split my time between these two locations because on Harrison I am doing more computer work and at the Center I will get to be more client-based. My supervisors have asked for my input on certain tasks and projects making me feel like I am doing a good job at contributing to helping them. For example, I was able to teach an interview seminar at Career Club. This club helps clients create cover letters, resumes, search for jobs and prepare for interviews.

In the next few days I will get the opportunity to shadow one of my supervisors at the Center during a client appointment. Once I get the feel of how I should conduct the appointments, I will get the chance to book my own throughout the semester. I have been looking over different case notes on clients, so I will be excited when I can write my own, which will be put into the system for client records.

Two weeks in — an eye opening experience

Published by Tim Holdsworth on February 15, 2012 in Human Services Internships. 0 Comments

Harvey is enrolled in the online degree program, and is managing school, a family, working full time and now his initial human services internship. Follow along as he shares his experience throughout his internship.

It has been two weeks since I started my internship at COTS — already it has been an eye opening experience. Every day is a new experience, filled with new programs, new responsibilities and new people. I am amazed by the number of partnerships that have been built between the different organizations and how well they work together to accomplish a common goal.

It has been busy getting the new facility ready for the residents to move into. As the date for the program approaches, it is a race to get all preparations ready. My part in this process has been to go over a list and take the first hours of my day and chip away at it. A few of my projects have been reviewing the program book to see what is relevant and what can be discarded. I’ve come up with a list that outlines what each resident needs to be working on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. I’ve also done a layout of the place to determine the fire escape and tornado plan.

When not working on my various projects, I am observing and participating in one-on-one meetings between caseworkers and clients. I am also helping conducting weekly meetings that help the residence get ready for financial and independent living including Rent Smart and Financial Peace University. Rent Smart is a program developed by UW-Extension that gives those who attend the class knowledge on how to be smart and responsible renters. Financial Peace University is a series of videos that help inform viewers how to save money and be financially independent.

In the coming weeks my roll will be changing slightly. Once the program kicks off, I will be more involved in directly helping those enrolled in the Young Adult Program. Furthermore I have been asked to take on the responsibilities of doing all intake interviews, where I will be talking to prospective clients to see if they are eligible to be apart of the program. Then I will be sitting down and interviewing them to see if it is a good fit for them.

I am so thrilled to be apart of this program and it is giving me such a good experience. It has really solidified my notion that Human Services is the right major for me.