Youth In Need Offers Practicum, Intern, and Career Volunteer Opportunities

By John Farrell, Community Education Director, Youth In Need

Volunteer now for your future...

Youth In Need (YIN) offers youth and families in the Eastern Missouri Region more than 50 services including Early Head Start and Head Start (EHS and HS), Project Youth Connect and a residential shelter, just to name a few.  You may not know, however, that YIN also helps college students by offering them volunteer practicum positions at many of its facilities.

Christy Hernandez, an undergraduate student at Lindenwood University and St. Charles native, is completing her required practicum for her Social Work degree at a YIN facility.  Christy is a senior and majors in Social Work and Spanish and minors in Sociology.  Her ability to speak Spanish fluently, however, is perhaps the skill she utilizes most.  

Hernandez volunteers at YIN's 6th Street EHS and HS site and plays an integral part in servicing the nine Spanish-speaking families enrolled in the Head Start programs there. 
Christy says, "The families are so kind when it comes to my Spanish.  They help me when I stumble on a word and have boosted my confidence when I speak Spanish."

Christy is not the only bi-lingual staff member at 6th Street.  Three home visitors also speak Spanish and interact with their respective Latin American families on a daily basis.  Hernandez explains, "Spanish speaking home visitors do all they can to help their families because they have limited English speaking ability."

Some of Christy's responsibilities are scheduling appointments with doctors then accompanying families on those appointments to translate.  She also goes on home visits with the EHS/HS home visitors and is working to become a home visitor herself.  "Youth In Need is extremely helpful in getting families socially and economically advanced because speaking English is very difficult for them."  She adds, "More Spanish speaking families want to enter the program, but cannot due to a limited number of slots."

YIN is currently seeking volunteers for internships in public relations and volunteer coordination.  For information on these or other volunteer opportunities, call Kristen Honerkamp at 636-946-0101, ext. 335.

Youth In Need is a not-for-profit agency that operates in four Eastern Missouri counties, including St. Louis city.  YIN serves children and youth ages birth through 21, and their families, though Early Head and Start Head Start, counseling, education, community development and many other programs.

For more information on Youth In Need, Head Start, or any of its programs, call 636-946-0101 or visit YIN's web site at www.youthinneed.org.