HPW Student Internship Experience – Samantha Schmitz Spring 17′
Pictured above is a small group of clients and I after the Strength and Movement course I instructed. One of my internship goals was to facilitate a project on behavior change, in the physical dimension of wellness. I was asked to develop curriculum for an adaptive and inclusive exercise course for individuals with disabilities. My focus was on resistance training for older adults, while provided modifications and support for individuals who have limited mobility. Interning with the Adaptive and Inclusive recreation department allowed me to serve others while gaining professional skills and experiences in areas I am passionate about. This paid internship requires working directly with individuals who have physical, mental, and developmental disabilities, as well as supporting office and program promotion tasks. Portland Parks and Recreation valued my interest in the senior citizen population by scheduling me several days a week to work at the “Senior Center Project”, which is a day program for senior citizens who have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities and mental illness. This was both a challenging and rewarding experience, as I learned more about disability services and worked on my interactions with this population. During my scheduled office days, I Worked with ongoing company system management through keeping up on employee files and updating participant overviews through proficiency in Microsoft office. I was delegated the task of researching and creating a new database through Microsoft Access to keep up on our client intake forms. Client intake forms included important diagnostic, medical, and behavioral information on each client. Additionally, I attended several citywide meetings on the City of Portland budget, disability services, and best practices in working with individuals who have developmental disabilities.
Objectives
- Behavior:
- Be engaged in programs in a professional and supportive manner. Gain insight on working with people who have disabilities, including healthy behavior change in the physical dimension of wellness. This will be done through teaching strength and yoga classes to elderly individuals who have disabilities, once a week.
- Promotion and Marketing:
- Developing a program guide to promote classes and activities for the Adaptive and Inclusive recreation program. Intern will work closely with supervisor in taking pictures, proofing, editing materials, and providing guidance for overall layout.
- Develop and implement an event focused on community engagement through Adaptive and Inclusive recreation. The first event is a dance attended by individuals with physical and mental disabilities. Intern will assist in coming up with ideas, promoting the event, providing direction and guidelines, and supporting attendees. The intern will promote the second event, which will also be attended by individuals with mental and physical disabilities through the Adaptive and Inclusive recreation program. This event theme is Bingo night.
- Organizational Experiences:
- Intern will shadow the supervisor and learn how the Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation program budgets. Intern will attend staff meetings and learn marketing techniques supported by the program. Intern will help plan and implement activities through the direction of the intern supervisor and Adaptive and Inclusive recreation staff. Intern will learn and participate in report gathering and distribution of that information.
On-Site Supervisor(s):
Kaitlynn Jaeger
Recreation Coordinator 1
5340 N Interstate
Portland, OR 97217
kaitlynnjaeger@portlandoregon.gov
541-221-2601
Jane Doyle
City-wide Recreation Supervisor
5340 N Interstate
Portland, OR 97217
jane.doyle@portlandoregon.gov
503-823-4320
Hours
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday (off Fridays); flex schedule one day per week for A New Me program attendance until 6:30 p.m.; minimal travel
Stipend
None
UW-Stevens Point Students Who Completed Internship
- Samantha Schmitz, Spring 2017 (pictured above)