By: Mercel Bautista
I can’t believe that my internship at The Net has come to an end so quickly! From January to April, there has been so much that this internship has taught me, and so many things that I can take away from this experience. Through the last four months, I was able to interact with so many people and even run my own events!
I had so much fun hosting virtual bingo, and hosting an in-person paint night. Working with The Net showed me how capable all these youth are and how their passions are going to be used for so much good. Throughout this internship, we have focused a lot on mindfulness and wellbeing, two things that I’ve started to incorporate into my own life. These two practices have helped me get through so many tough times and kept grounded when stress comes my way. With this, I also learned a lot about myself and my leadership style. It worked out a lot that I had a class about social work with groups and teams during my internship, and I was able to implement a lot of this I learned in class into my internship.
One big thing I learned was being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you have to just lead. Being a good leader means you collaborate with others, and encourage them to continue working their hardest. Being a good leader means to let others lead and have their voices, and opinions heard. And, being a good leader means to include everyone in the conversation. These are just a few things that I’ve learned from The Net in the last four months being an intern. I am so thankful for having this amazing opportunity to work with The Net as I was able to learn so much, and I was exposed to so many experiences. One that I will never forget, would be the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with YSAN.
I learned so much by just listening to all the representatives from each youth serving agency, but I felt so included and felt like my voice was heard. In all, I’ll miss being able to work with all the wonderful youth in the program, and I’ll miss hearing all the little things that happen throughout