So my experience at OCAPICA has been... interesting. After stopping in last Thursday for "orientation," which included a quick run through of the organization's history, an introduction to ALL of the staff (roughly 25 people), a break down of all their components and programs, and some one-on-ones with different staff about the work they do, I went home a bit overwhelmed, pressed to figure out how I would fit into the bigger picture and how the 7 or so weeks I will be interning there would benefit both parties the most. The internship coordinator, Asma, mentioned I would be spending roughly two weeks (or less) which each department (Health, Mental Health, Youth, and Policy), hardly enough time to really take in each aspect, and "run with it." Monday was orientation part II, involving more wandering around, more figuring out how I would get the best out of the internship. Frustrating, just a bit. But I do enjoy having agency over how and what I can get involved in, to make sure my final product makes an impact on the organization and the community at large.
Tuesday was when I started to get a more concrete picture of where I would fit into the multidimensional OCAPICA space. I met with Jason Lacsamana, the current Program Manager of Youth Programs and UCLA Public Health alum (GO BRUINS!). OCAPICA initially started as a community health organization, but later tacked on its other components when they felt a need to expand its services.
Jason just rejoined OCAPICA earlier this year and had been there when the Youth Programs intially started forming in the late 1990s. Like the others, he debriefed me on the evolution of youth programs and shared its current state, but also expressed his outlook for the future, and how I, as an intern, can work toward that vision by engaging my experience and expertise. Perhaps it was the way he framed the opportunity, or his poise in words which made it seem like this was the project for me.
Immediately after my talk with Jason, I joined a retreat planning meeting for Young Leading Women, or YLW (pronounced yellow). I was again debriefed on the program, and hopped right into the logistics of their retreat, following the theme of human trafficking. It's refreshing to see people take initiative into educating the youth about these social justice issues, especially because I truly believe many of us progressives don't gain consciousness of our communities and the issues affecting us until we are in college. The services these people provide to the youth are invaluable to creating our future leaders. As you can tell, I've come to take a liking to the Youth component.
I've sincerely tried heeding the advice of John Kobara, who gave us a talk last Friday about trying not to limit directions where we go, about questioning different fields, and not being afraid to leave that "comfort zone," but I always seem to gravitate towards education or working with youth, especially since it falls in line with the community work I do at UCLA. Jason talked about reviving one of the youth leadership development programs, Cal24, to bring more of a holistic approach to student development, which I am all for and is one of the reasons why I might pursue a career in student affairs. Perhaps this is my calling? Maybe. I'll take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully I'll learn more about the field, and also what direction I want to pursue for my career after my experience in this department. :)
Today was the Youth Staff all day retreat, which was an invigorating adventure in itself and which I shall save for a later post. Looking forward to Friday with the interns! Time to get crackin' on our project!
Maybe you can do some questioning or putting yourself outside of the "comfort zone" by working with a different group of people than you're used to. For example, instead of doing education/youth work with API communities, you could work with the latino community. Just an idea!
And.... I don't care if you are saving money and trying to be frugal, we must have lunch or something next week. My treat :D