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Prague, Czech Republic

"Cooperative Education, sometimes referred to as Internships, Practicums, or Field Experience, allows students to earn elective credits and gain valuable work experience in paid or unpaid positions related to their academic programs". <Read more...>

My Internship With Court Appointed Special Advocates
By Joy Cole (former KSC sociology student)

“You Can't Control Where Abused Children Come From, But You Can Something to do With Where They End Up” (CASA of NH)

Only a limited number of us have ever heard of a small, non-profit organization referred to as CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates. Yet, this is an organization whose goals and responsibilities affect us all. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises, volunteers within communities, such as Keene, to act as Guardian Ad Litems with in juvenile abuse and neglect cases. After a forty-hour training period, CASA Guardians Ad Litem (CASA/GAL) are appointed by the court to advocate for a child's best interests throughout the duration of an abuse and/or neglect case. CASA/GAL responsibilities also consist of visiting their CASA child at least once a month, writing informative court reports about the progress on a case, assessments about this progress and/or lack of progress, and proposed orders for the court. CASA/GAL's are also trained to collaborate with the social workers, parents, lawyers, and other parties involved within the case to find a safe and permeate home for these children to live.

This past summer, I was given the honor to work with CASA as a Keene State College intern. Coming upon my senior year, I wanted to gain work experience within social services in order to decide weather or not to pursue a Masters in Social Work. Besides my being able to gain 120 hours of work experience with CASA, I was also able to observe, and work closely with my supervisor, Marge Gallivan, who had been working with CASA for many years now. I was impressed by her expertise concerning child welfare issues, and learned a lot about the organization simply by observing her, and through discussion of her past experiences as a CASA volunteer and supervisor. My intern duties, however, ranged from tasks such as filing, computer data entry, correcting court reports, taking part in in-depth discussion of cases, and being able to observe a staff meeting and juvenile court hearing. I also helped to organize a couple of special projects, which helped to determine important statistical information concerning future planning. Even though the staff of CASA knew that my internship with them was limited in time, they made me feel right at home, and continuously assured me that my work was of good quality and appreciated.
Nonetheless, I'd have to say that the most valuable aspect of this internship was being able to witness, first hand, the passion and commitment that the staff and volunteers of CASA possess when working with such delicate social issues. The goal of protecting our societies most vulnerable population from abuse and neglect is obviously not an easy one, to say the least. Yet, I was able to come away from this internship feeling fulfilled, learned, and proud that I had enough care and concern to take part in such a courageous effort. I was hesitant about the internship at first, and unsure if I could handle the subject matter, but working with Court Appointed Special Advocates proved to be both a challenging and, above all, a rewarding experience in which I will never forget.

My experience with CASA has almost entirely changed my outlook on life. Too many of us take for granted what we have while there are thousands of children out there with absolutely nothing. CASA attempts to be that ‘something' for children, to be a voice for children when they do not have the opportunity to speak on their own behalf. All children deserve to be raised within a happy, healthy, and secure home, and it is CASA's mission to help secure this for them. Child abuse and neglect is prevalent within our community, as well as many others, and my internship with CASA gave me the education and support to see behind closed doors, and to help make a difference.

I recommend to anyone with an interest in social services, non-profit organizations, and/or children, to inquire about an internship with CASA. I am assured that by my own experience, CASA will inspire you.

Please contact Marge Gallivan at (603) 358-4012, or log onto www.casanh.org for more information.