Erika Anderson: RFK Children's Action Corps Felowship Journal

Week 1 - The Organization and It's Mission

My second internship for the Spring Semester is with RFK Children’s Action Corps. This is my second semester interning with RFK, so by now I think I have a good understanding of who they are; a non-profit, private, nonpartisan 501 organization. They’re also a licensed child welfare agency with approved private schools that also deals with foster care and adoption. RFK Children’s Action Corps campus is located at 220 Old Common Rd. Lancaster, MA. Their phone number is (978) 365-2803 and their website address is www.rfkchildren.org. My mentor is Dave Tivnan and is easily contacted at his email david.tivnan@rfkchildren.org.

RFK Children’s Action Corps has been around since 1969, after the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy died. RFK is all about continuing the Senator’s legacy of working to improve the lives of children and families through care, treatment, education, and advocacy.

RFK Children’s Action Corps Mission & Values can be found on their website under the “About Us” tab (http://www.rfkchildren.org/about-us/mission-a-values). It reads... “Fiercely committed to Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy of unwavering responsibility to the poor and disadvantaged, RFK Children’s Action Corps advocates for children and embraces all social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds in order to build healthier families, more responsible citizens, safer communities and a more just society for us all.” “We believe... ...in the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy - that society has a responsibility to the poor and disadvantaged, ...in respecting the dignity and individuality of every human being, ...that all children have the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment, ...that every person has the right to reach his or her full potential. We value courage, purpose, community, leadership and hope.”

This mission and values statement speaks very true to what RFK Children’s Action Corps is all about. It’s important to live up to the mission that your company makes and RFK does this easily. The statements themselves I believe are very good. They’re descriptive and paints an in depth picture of what RFK is all about. The goal of a mission is to describe what your organization's or company's goals are and I think that RFK’s mission and values does just that.

Week 3 - Organization/Personal Goals of Your Internship

When I first started this internship last semester my goals were to make money (because it’s a paid internship), earn three credits, and be guaranteed a full time job after I graduate. Now that it’s the second semester I realize what this organization needs and what I can do to help them. My new goals are to help RFK reach out to students at WSU and inform them on the Fellowship Program Internship at RFK that I am apart of. I am currently helping RFK create materials that will inform WSU students of the Fellowship Program opportunity that’s available to them.

RFK Children’s Action Corps does not have a very clear job description for the Fellowship Program, but they do have a goal for Fellow Students. “The goal of the internship is not simply to have practical experience, but also to gain some of the theoretical and research foundation that foes into the development of program applications and procedures. The student should also gain a wider theoretical, historical and sociological understanding of the larder issues involved in youth facilities.”

The goals that the Fellowship Program and my own goals do not line up exactly, but I am a special case. RFK does not usually have Communication students in the Fellowship Program, so myself and David Tivnan, my mentor at RFK, have come up with my own project separate from what the rest of the Fellows will be doing. The goals of my own project have not exactly been laid out, but basically I am working with David and Mark Wagner of WSU to create materials that RFK can use when reaching out to WSU students. I am very lucky that David is so open to me creating my own project and goals for my project in the Fellowship Program.

Week 5 - Organization Hierarchy, Management Structure, and Communication Methods

RFK Children’s Action Corps. has a lot of structure when it comes to the hierarchy. People are clearly more higher up than others and there’s a lot of evident power trips. I have two separate branches of hierarchy that I deal with. One is the residential care branch where I work at RFK in Lancaster. There’s myself and the other residential counselors and then there’s my Supervisor which changes from day to day. The morning shifts always have the same Sups. but the second shift changes from one guy to another. These Supervisors are really just for when I’m working. I don’t deal with them for my internship project. David Tivnan is who I directly deal with for my internship project. The management is very clear cut and formal, though it may change depending on what shift I’m working, it is always clearly laid out so that I know who to go to when I need. There’s more hierarchy that I could describe but none of it really effects me and my internship so I wont waste space writing it all down.

Depending on what shift you’re working and were you are at the RFK Lancaster campus depends on how formal it is. When working at the residential care first shift things are pretty formal. They dress business casual and are a relaxed formal. They’re not so formal that it’s intimidating, they joke around and are fun to work with, but are all business as well working to advocate for the kids in the residential unit. If i’m working second shift then it’s very informal and casual. You dress however you want to, though they’d appreciate jeans over sweatpants. Second shift is really just joking around and hanging out with the kids. Nothing formal about it. During the day though, if you go over to the administration buildings it’s very formal and all business. That place can be a bit intimidating to go to.

In my experience at RFK the formal and informal differences don’t really make a big difference. Neither one is better than the other. Formal first shifts work well because there are not many kids around during the mornings and informal second shifts are perfect because they are dealing with the kids all night. For instance if a kid needs to be restrained because they’re trying to hurt another kid it would be better to be dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt then a dress shirt and pants. The administration buildings probably should be formal because they’re dealing with more of the higher up important people donating money and planing foundation events.

Communication is very key at RFK Children’s Action Corps. Without it RFK would have a lot of issues. It is very easy to communicate with anyone at RFK though, which makes working and interning there much easier. I am able to contact my boss at the residential unit easily by calling the units phone (which they have two of) or by texting/calling his cell phone (which he always has on him). Communicating with my internship mentor Dave can be a bit more difficult. If I really need to get ahold of him I can call/text his cell phone but usually I just email him. He tends to be easy to get ahold of but we are both very busy and he’s not always around. He often times has meetings or appointments so we tend to play tag trying to get ahold of one another. Trying to get my internship papers signed proved difficult because of this. Otherwise RFK is really easy to communicate with.

Week 7 - Preliminary Evaluation of Internship Experience

Erika Anderson
RFK Children’s Action Corps.
This semester I have worked with my internship mentor to revamp what I’m doing for them. With this revamping I am confident that this internship provides me with very adequate experience for my communication background.
Yes, my mentor completely understands my goals and is very open to any ideas I have for him and the program. With his help I’ve been able to really create an internship that works well for me and my schedule.
I did some investigation on my own, but when first applying the internship itself had me come by for an information meeting and tour of the campus, which is when I really learned what it was going to be like there.
RFK does not expect work that is too difficult and anything that I have not been sure about Ive received pointers and help to do better. It is a good and fair work load.
For the most part I work alone on assignments, but before sending them out I work with someone to make sure that everything I do is done right. I do work well with the organization though and have never had any problems with my internship colleagues and work colleagues there.
Last semester, when I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with this internship I found myself becoming more and more frustrated. This didn’t last long though and I was always able to calmly and appropriately discuss my feelings and thoughts with my internship mentor to try and fix things. I always try to keep a poised and professional appearance at my internship.
I am always eager to learn as much as I can from anyone and everyday of life. I am especially eager to learn at internships where I have the chance to work with people who have much more knowledge on the industry and life than myself.
Yes, there is always something new to learn. Whether it’s new knowledge on the RFK Program or some new way to write up letters to people. I can always find something new to learn.
I do believe that my internship is challenging. I have to step out of my comfort zone and complete tasks that I haven’t had to complete before, but this is good and forces me to learn new skills. I believe that it’s very worthy of my talents and the talents that I am honing while being apart of this internship.
I enjoy working with all my colleagues at RFK Children’s Action Corps. The ones that I work on campus with and the ones that I work with for the internship portion. I always try to be helpful and do everything that my colleagues ask of me.
I have yet to work with the internships clients but I have been working on papers and notices for them and at some point I will meet some of the potential Fellowship Program students and when I do I will assist them in the best way possible. I do, however, work with RFK’s clients at least once a week at RFK’s campus and always try to treat them fairly and respectfully. Doing what I can to make their time at RFK as stress free as possible.
Conversing with people is never too difficult for me, especially after being somewhere for a while. This is my second semester working with RFK and being in their Fellowship Program. This means that I have created close relationships with many clients on the RFK campus and many of my colleagues there as well, making it easy to start conversations with any of them.
I am very confident with what I do with and for RFK Children’s Action Corps. I If I am every unsure of something I have no problem going to my colleagues for help. Seeming confident and poised is very important in keeping and gaining respect and I always try to do just that.
I believe that my colleagues at RFK can be very proud of my work and having me there because I am a very hard worker and respectful to everyone I meet there whether it be clients or colleagues. I am a perfect representative for RFK.
I personally always try to make my work as excellent as I possibly can, especially when it has someone else's name on it like RFK Children’s Action Corps. Everything that I do for RFK Children’s Action Corps has the potential to be seen by the right person that could potentially launch my career so it’s important to be enthusiastic and pay attention to the little details.
I do believe that I work hard and produce quality work that RFK can show proudly to whoever. I do whatever is asked of me and I complete my work on a timely basis.
Usually I complete my tasks on my own and not with or at my internship. So, it’s not that I look forward to each day enthusiastically, it’s that I look forward to each task and each meeting enthusiastically. I enjoy the work that I do for RFK and always look forward to the next assignment.
I am always involved in the present. I tend to live my life in the present and seem to forget about the future, for better or worse. So, yes, I am very involved with the here and now and what my tasks are and what needs to be done.
Before this internship I had a very narrow view on what I wanted to do with my career, but I’ve realized that doing outreach, kind of PR, work isn’t as bad as it seems and that I maybe wouldn’t mind trying it out after I graduate. I think this internship has helped to keep my views open to what my many options are after I graduate.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve exactly learned anything new about myself, but I would say that I’ve re-discovered my writing and communicating strengths and how they will help me in the hear and now and the future.

Week 9 - Tasks/Assignments and Educational Implications

This semester with RFK Children’s Action Corps I have been doing a lot of PR work. Specifically I’ve created email blasts for the WSU’s “What’s Happening at Woo U?” student email blast, letters for staff in each Major program on campus, and lastly I will probably be making advertisements for an event on campus in the next month. All of which has been for recruiting new Fellowship Program students for this summer and next year.

Last semester was when the real negotiation happened. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do this semester and what my project for RFK was going to be, so I was constantly negotiating and discussing possibilities with Dave Tivnan, my internship contact and who I work most with on my projects. Negotiations were easy, more like discussions on what I want to do and Dave was very open to my project ideas. Basically when I came up with new ideas or refinements for my project I would go to Dave and simply sit and talk with him, or I would possibly email him, but usually I approached him face to face. Once I had my completed project idea he brought it up with some of the higher ups at RFK to get it approved. This semester I haven’t really done much negotiating, but I have been working closely with Dave and others to plan out what we all think would be best for RFK and what tools that we should utilize. I have at times made suggestions that were then put into place for the project and RFK, but I have mostly just been throwing out ideas and trying to help where I can, doing what they need me to do.

Last year I took Media Writing, which involves, among other things, how to write PR documents. This internship has had me revisiting those skills and further learning how to appropriately write letters. I’ve been honing my writing skills. Although I have maybe not done as much as my other internship I believe that I’m still learning, especially about the outreach process and informing people.

Week 11 - Code of Conduct

Unlike my internship with FMP Productions, RFK Children’s Action Corps has a list of conducts that must be adhered to. This of course makes sense because we work one on one with kids every day and need to make sure that we don’t do anything to them and that they don’t do anything to us. For instance the kids are not supposed to hit staff and we’re not supposed to hit the kids. A lot of the Codes of Conduct’s are pretty straight forward, but they must be all clearly listed out to make sure that everyone knows and understands what is expected of you when working with the kids at RFK.

I think the strength of these Codes of Conducts is that they’re well written, silly, but it helps when something is written simply enough so that anyone can read and understand the meaning of what is written. I think that it also is important that RFK’s Code of Conducts covers everything from the fact that staff are mandated reporters to all staff members must not have any sexual contact with the clients. I don’t believe that there are any weaknesses in RFK’s code of conducts. Everything listed there is important and much be followed by the staff at RFK. The fact that it’s such a long list is maybe a bit daunting but most everything on that list is common sense and easy to follow.

RFK Children’s Action Corps even has a Code of Ethics, which is much more than was FMP Productions has (nothing on ethics). The Code of Ethics is much smaller than the Code of Conducts, Ethics being only on one page and a much smaller list where the Conducts were on two pages and a very long list of bullet points. The Code of Ethics is also well written is pretty straight forward. It basically says that we must treat every case and every client with respect and that as staff we must present ourselves in a positive, respectful, manner.

I think for RFK it’s important to have these two separate lists. As a staff member we work in a very important field and really need to be careful with what we say and do around the clients. Even the smallest joke can be turned around to be negative and inappropriate for these clients so it’s important to make sure you know how to conduct yourself when on the job.

Week 13 - The Overall Experience

My internship with RFK has always been impactful, it’s not so much the work that I’ve done as part of the internship but more so the work that I’ve done as part of a staff on unit. Working with the kids at RFK is always enlightening. Seeing these kids and knowing what they have gone through in their short lives is amazing and inspiring. It personally makes me want to work that much harder and help out as much as I can. Professionally this internship has shown me how simply doing everything you can to get the word out for an event or job really pays off. Working to help recruit new fellows for next year I’ve seen how important it is to do everything possible to get the word out.

Like with my FMP internship, I learned that as long as I’m busy I’m happy. This semester I worked mostly first shifts which is when the kids are at school which means there’s really not that much to do. I’ve learned that sometimes if there’s nothing to do then you need to find something to do. Whether it’s cleaning the unit or conducting room searches, which found worked best. I also learned that working for RFK on the unit isn’t so bad. Maybe I should consider finding a job that’s more communications related but that helps in other ways too.

My week three goals were, “to help RFK reach out to students at WSU and inform them on the Fellowship Program Internship at RFK that I am apart of.” I know that I have reached and accomplished these goals. I created documents of information that were sent out to important WSU staff, sent information for the email blasts at WSU, and I’ve met with potential candidates for the Fellowship Program. All of which has helped to spread the word on the Fellows Program and to really get a lot of students interested in it. That was really what my goal was all about.

This internship reminded me how much I like to help others, which made me think on what kind of company I’d like to work for down the road. I’ve never been that interested in working for the big companies as one of their drones, but after this internship I’ve started to strongly consider working for an environmental company, non-profit company perhaps, or some kind of job helping others. This internship also enforced the idea that I had from my FMP internship that maybe I should look further into a career in Public Relations.

When I started this internship I didn’t really have any expectations. Just that it was a job and that I would do what I can for them this semester to raise awareness on their Fellowship Program. Overall though I believe that my internship with RFK has passed my expectations and has done a lot more for me. I’ve made some important contacts at RFK and done some good work for them which I believe they really appreciate. I believe that if I play my cards right I could go far with RFK or other companies they’re affiliated with.

I would recommend this internship to any WSU student, especially those in programs that directly relate to what RFK’s mission. The people at RFK will help you no find a way to meet your internship needs. Even though I’m not the typical fellows student they were still able to work with me to meet my goals and theirs. Not to mention the job itself is very rewarding and it really doesn’t matter what major you are to work with those kids. Working on unit is not for everyone, but anyone that’s willing can do it. I think working with RFK you learn a lot about yourself and the world and what it’s like to be a kid in the system. I think this is one of the better internships that WSU offers.

Erika Anderson

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RFK Children's Action Corps Felowship Journal