Youth OutReach Internship

HEART HAVEN OUTREACH INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Are you drawn to youth who are experiencing difficulut situations? Do you desire to gain experience in reaching out to struggling teens in a powerful and life-changing way?

HEART HAVEN OUTREACH is a relational ministry touching the lives of at-risk youth and families through support groups, tutoring, character education from a Christian-based perspective, one-to- one mentoring, community service opportunities, adventure trips, and a variety of recreational activities.

Opportunities

Internships at Heart Haven OutReach are unpaid, experiential internships that may be full or part- time for a semester or a full year time frame. An internship with Heart Haven OutReach is an extremely "hands-on" experience in working with teens and the Heart Haven OutReach teen program. As an intern, you will have the opportunity to connect with hurting teens in a one-on-one mentoring capacity. In addition, you will participate in weekly programs like Support Groups and “Going Deeper”, having the opportunity to learn how to facilitate small groups and plan and lead programs for large groups.

Qualifications

All applicants must love kids, care deeply about hurting families, and have a personal faith that is compatible with Heart Haven’s philosophy of ministry. Student applicants must be advanced in their school work and be in good standing with their institutions.

Training

Youth face various challenges including depression, loneliness, family strife, and chemical dependency, while parents search for support and education.

The Heart Haven OutReach internship experience will provide a wide variety of opportunities to learn and develop ministry skills while addressing these particular concerns. It is a time to apply acquired knowledge and concepts to real life problems experienced by youth, parents and families of today. Interns will be encouraged through instruction, observation and supervision to employ different tools and approaches to the resolution of these problems. In addition, interns will participate in conferences, in-house training, and workshops, while networking with other agencies.

The population of individuals served at Heart Haven OutReach focuses primarily on middle and high school age teens and their families.

Training Objectives

To assess needs of teens.

To use reflective listening skills in a support group setting. To be able to co-facilitate small groups of teens.

To design and implement Going Deeper lesson plans.

To develop appropriate and meaningful one-to-one relationships.

To manage time effectively, develop professionalism and set and maintain boundaries. To plan and implement youth trips and activities.

To use conflict resolution skills.

To manage crowds and set boundaries for participants.

To integrate spirituality into programs that include many non-Christians and unchurched teens.

Supervision

The Program Director, Amanda Keene (Bachelors in Social Work) provides supervision for all staff and interns.  Amanda will work with the intern in determining the placement, structure, and scope of the internship experience.  

For further information contact:

Amanda Keene, Program Director

Heart Haven OutReach

201 Canterbury Lane, Suite C Bolingbrook, IL 60440

630-226-8465

akeene@hearthavenoutreach.org