Last week, the YouthWorks youth leadership team facilitated a workshop for worksite supervisors. Youth leaders Moises Gonzalez, Nhi Nguyen, Peter Ruan and Moises Santoyo Gonzalez led a series of activities to guide worksite supervisors in reflecting on their work with youth. The goal of the workshop was to support worksite supervisors in deepening their relationship building with youth interns and ensuring that the worksite is a safe place for youth.
As one part of the exercise, interns shared the following youth-friendly tips with mentors:
- Understand that the internship is a learning process and that your intern will make mistakes
- Always encourage your intern to ask questions
- Try to relate to your intern
- Make sure the intern knows where he or she can always find you or an alternate mentor
- Make sure you are available to teach your intern how to properly use office equipment
- Tell your intern that relationship building with people in the office is important
- Establish a trusting relationship with your intern
- Give positive feedback to interns even for small tasks and do something nice to recognize them
Attendees reported that it was a very helpful workshop and that it was great to hear the youths’ perspective directly. We are extremely proud of our Youth Leadership Team for planning and facilitating this successful workshop.
