I interned as a Big Buddy Case Manager with the Cape Fear Volunteer Center, which is a small local non profit. While I performed Case Manager duties, like matching and monitoring Big and Little Buddy relationships, I also worked with the program to create a new training manual for Case Managers and advocated to change some of the policies and procedures of the program.
I started this internship to fulfill a Service Learning requirement for one of my classes, even though it was more than enough hours I would need. The main thing I wanted from the internship was experience in the field related to major. Volunteering for Big Buddy program is great, but interning with them provided me with so much more hands-on learning and opened my eyes to case management – which is a common job among social workers.
I gained a lot of field experience from this internship, I cannot stress how much I learned simply through doing. It is challenging working for a small nonprofit that relies mainly on volunteers and has little funding, so I learned a lot about the reality for most grass roots nonprofits. I also learned about the populations I worked with (at risk youth).
Having an internship will not only look good on my resume, but it makes me more confident in my skills as a social worker because I’ve had the opportunity to practice them. Having this internship also gave me a better idea of what types of jobs I enjoy working and would like to apply for, or what kind of graduate study I would like to be involved in.
