The Stand
Mercy Works is dedicated to meeting various social needs of those in the community by empowering urban youth through programs that instill vision and a sense of purpose.
One way Mercy Works is able to do this is by providing a summer internship program called SYNERGY. SYNERGY takes place June 22 through Aug. 7 at the Vision Center, located at 1221 S. Salina St. The program provides opportunities in the workplace for graduating, college-bound, high school and current undergraduate college students.
“This is a good experience to prepare you for the working world” says 20-year-old Anthony Brown Jr.
The first week consisted of orientation and workshops. During this time, students in the program came together. There were a total of 29 students. Everyone seemed to get along and meet people who hold similar interests. Bentray Reed, 19, says “finally I feel that I am part of a team I can relate to.”
In the workshops, students are taught various things from the value of having a vision to the appropriate way to dress in the workplace, which teaches the trainees how to obtain and keep a job. This prepares students for their internship at a local company. The SYNERGY program is a great opportunity for real life career preparation, and orientation was the point of the program where students receive one-on-one time with professionals to get advice and ask questions.
During orientation, students are also responsible for putting together a service learning project. The project is given to the students so that they can utilize the skills learned through the SYNERGY program. Picking the subject was a long process because students must work as a team and come to some sort of agreement.
Addison Spears, 20, says “the process was too long … feels like we broke down to break down what we already decided on. I think it could have been shorter.”
This year students decided to put together a community dialog.
For more student intern profiles, visit our Flickr Web site.
