Boys and Girls Club

Youth Development Professional

May 2016 - August 2019 • West Bend, WI

What I liked

I left work every day feeling like I made a difference. It was very moving work.

What I wish was different

I worked in two different locations throughout the summer, half the week at one, the other half at the other, and that made it difficult to establish a daily routine. Because of this, and my experience working there, I was shifted around to a lot of different jobs frequently.

Advice

Only go into it if you are dedicated to doing your best. There is nothing sadder than watching the kids get attached to someone and being excited to see them every day, and that worker clearly does not want to be there. This is more than a job, it's a commitment to these kids, and building relationships with them.

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Port St. Lucie, FL

What I liked

I loved being able to share my passion for theatre in a meaningful way with the children. The program I started over the summer has continued on into the school year!

What I wish was different

Advice

Patience is the key to working with kids. Also building meaningful relationships and mentoring is incredibly impactful.

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Youth development professional

June - August 2019 • Augusta, GA

What I liked

I enjoyed that I got to interact with youth and possibly have an impact on some of their decisions about the future.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have held the position longer.

Advice

Patience is key when working with the youth!

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Camp Counselor

May 2019 • Springfield, MA

What I liked

I liked the experience working with kids was great.

What I wish was different

Nothing everything was great.

Advice

Have patience if you’re going to have a job working with children.

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Garfield, NJ

What I liked

I liked working with different ages of children. I also liked learning how to handle different situations while new children arrived because you can not treat every situation the same.

What I wish was different

Nothing at all

Advice

Patients is key

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Special Events Intern

July - August 2019 • Huntington Beach, CA

What I liked

I really liked learning about the different platforms they used to operate and getting to know more about the organization! I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes process of a non-profit planning events.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time with the organization and started the internship earlier in my summer.

Advice

I would advise to ask questions! The more you ask, the more you learn.

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Group Leader

June 2019 • Buffalo, NY

What I liked

I enjoyed being able to connect with the children and teach them valuable life lessons

What I wish was different

I wish the facility was renovated.

Advice

Every child is different, every child requires different attention. Take the time and have the patience to sit down and connect with the children.

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Youth Development Professional

May - August 2019 • Cheyenne, WY

What I liked

I love working with kids and this job allowed me to work with 200 of them! But on top of that, I got the chance to create my own programs, lead my own activities and really develop myself as a leader and a caregiver. Building programs that helped student learning, created better atmospheres, and offered support in areas where individual students needed it was one of the most rewarding things of this summer.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Youth Development Professional

May - July 2019 • Ogden, UT

What I liked

I loved being able to work with kids every day and see the grow in numerous ways.

What I wish was different

I wish that there was more structure in the program when it came to child behaviors and discipline.

Advice

When working with kids you need to remember they all come from different home backgrounds, which means you need to be patient. With that some students will test your patience but you need to stayed composed.

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Summer Youth Development Professional

June 2017 • Merrillville, IN

What I liked

the children are a blast to work with.

What I wish was different

Advice

Go into this with an open heart and mind. Be prepared to work.

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Recreational Therapy Counselor

June - August 2019 • Pittsfield, MA

What I liked

It was a very fun job where I got to meet a lot of cool people.

What I wish was different

I wish things had been better organized, sometimes it felt like babysitting because the administration didn't plan well enough

Advice

Try a job that you haven't always expected to, you may discover a field you like and meet great people.

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Reading Specialist

May - July 2019 • Elizabethton, TN

What I liked

The students, staff, and schedule everyone followed. It was very organized.

What I wish was different

I wish everyone had been paid equally/better, but I understand it’s hard to do because it is a non-profit organization.

Advice

Be ready to work there no matter what. It’s a tough job, but worth the experience.

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Music Teacher

June 2018 - August 2019 • Fort Worth, TX

What I liked

Working with the students and being around music everyday. This experience really helped shape my want to be a school counselor.

What I wish was different

I wish the upper management would let the everyday staff have a little more autonomy since they don’t know what the day-to-day experience is.

Advice

If you’re interested, make sure you care about the kids because if you don’t, you’ll get burned out very easily.

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Carnegie, PA

What I liked

Influencing the kids

What I wish was different

Better activities and more events

Advice

Keep an open mind and show the kids that you care

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Childcare Aide

June - August 2019 • Inman, SC

What I liked

Working with children

What I wish was different

Supervisors

Advice

Remember not everyone is raised the same

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Youth Development Professional

May - August 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I loved working with kids and teaching lessons! It was so much fun being able to see if education is a career path that I want to follow. It was great exposure!