By Haley Staples
Working as JONAH’s Bachelor of Social Work intern has taught me many skills I will be able to use in my future within the social work field. This placement has helped me to open my mind to new experiences and really take in what is needed to make a grassroots community organizing non-profit run. I’m very grateful for this experience and for the skills I have learned during this internship. I look forward to seeing how I keep macro work within my future career.
Professionalism – I learned that you have to present yourself in the way you want people to see you. Professionalism is more than just clothing. It can be responding in a timely/appropriate way to emails or making sure you are giving your full attention to those you are talking with.
One-on-Ones – I have learned so much from doing one-on-ones, but my largest takeaways would be how important it is to connect with people because by doing so you can learn about their lived experiences. Everyone has a story to tell and being able to sit and talk with someone can help one learn what their motivations and passions are. I have learned how important this is for grassroots organizing specifically as it provides space for conversations that can lead to connections and action. It was through my work doing One-on-Ones that I was able to meet and engage with people from Eau Claire that I never would have been able to talk with if I stayed within my UWEC student bubble. This led to me being even more grateful for this experience as it allowed me to see a whole new side of the city I have been living in for three and a half years.
Clarifying JONAH and Data Tracking – This was one of my projects that I struggled the most with as it was difficult to come up with ways to quantify social justice actions and takeaways from people involved with narrative change. I was able to create some simple data tracking Excel sheets that should allow for more quantifiable number tracking and there is space to add to these sheets that can allow JONAH to expand their data tracking in the future. Clarifying JONAH was also tricky as there are many complex aspects to the work that is being done. I was able to give some input in this space and it led me to reflect on how perspective is important and strong goals and mission statements can really provide an impact on the message one is trying to convey.
ADEI representation – The work I did with JONAH that involved Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) was the Encounters event, telling marginalized stories through art. This was a great opportunity to create conversations around ADEI in the Eau Claire area. I also noticed how JONAH does their best to involve ADEI in the conversations surrounding the work they do. I think there may always be room for improvement in any ADEI capacity but overall JONAH does a good job keeping this important piece in mind while working within the Eau Claire community.
Assessment/Intervention – Assessment and Intervention are important skills utilized in the social work profession. JONAH does use these skills and I was able to experience them in action. Assessment and Intervention do look different on a macro level and this is the capacity that JONAH uses these skills. Through a macro lens, JONAH will use assessment to see what issues may need to be addressed within the community. This could look like making sure to stay up to date on the latest SDOH data or conducting a community needs assessment. This also could look like doing one-on-ones with community members and having conversations about what issues they are seeing and how they see said issues being resolved. Intervention within JONAH is also done through the macro lens and allows for advocacy and change to be created within the Eau Claire community. I was able to witness intervention within JONAH through our voter engagement team that worked to educate people on voting in a non-partisan manner. I also was able to coordinate the rides for voting-related needs initiative and help enact the Encounters event. Both of these can be considered interventions within the Eau Claire community as they provided learning or services to community members and created a space for those who wanted or needed it.
List of Work Done in Placement
Voter Engagement
- Coordinated non-partisan voting sign orders
- Created a handout on voter engagement information
- Coordinated rides for voting-related needs before and on election day – Helped set up Chippewa Valley postcard event(s)
- Wrote voter encouragement letters and helped set up letter-writing event(s)
Encounters Event
- Helped collect stories
- Helped set up and take down the Encounters event
- Volunteered during the Encounters event
- Wrote an article for JONAH about the Encounters event and how ADEI was present
General JONAH
- Tabled at multiple events and participated in helping with JONAH’s Annual Event
- Created Data tracking methods for JONAH to use
- Helped with clarifying JONAH
- Held one-to-ones with multiple people
- Worked with UWEC’s Macro social work group on Film Fest planning
- Wrote a report on how JONAH can use best practices when engaging with rural communities
Overall my work within JONAH revolved around overall support rather than a more narrowed in approach. I enjoyed being able to work within multiple areas of JONAH and look at the bigger picture.