Your Urban Practicum

From Brad Berky, Faculty Member at SF Urban and Coordinator of the Practicum (Internship) Program:

The Urban Practicum is a course which engages students in a highly structured internship experience aimed at cultivating new vocational, cross-cultural and critical-reflective skills amidst a diverse range of professional settings. It is a required part of the Urban Program curriculum; a course wherein students are expected to spend a minimum of 24 hours each week at their chosen placement site, in addition to completing regular reading and written assignments as well as participating in a weekly seminar that meets each Thursdays from 10:30am-12:00pm. Students receive 8-12 units of credit for these involvements, some or all of which may done for major credit (departments vary in this regard). By nature, this course requires a developed measure of personal initiative, investment and responsibility. It incorporates a number of core components, including the following:

1. Participation in all orientation workshop sessions, individual meetings with the faculty coordinator, and development of a polished resume during the first week of the semester.

2. Researching and scheduling interviews with two or more potential placement sites in consultation with the faculty coordinator, and confirming one’s internship by the end of the semester’s second week.

3. Development of a focused learning contract in consultation with one’s site supervisor; including specific goals and objectives, as well as a weekly schedule outlining internship hours and supervisor meeting times.

4. Timely submission of all supplementary assignments; including weekly journal entries, two reading response papers, a final site visit presentation, and a semester-end internship portfolio.

5. Active and engaged participation in the Practicum Seminar; including attendance at all class sessions, and development of an integrative oral presentation during the second half of the semester.

6. Meeting with the faculty coordinator at least two times during the semester to examine and evaluate one’s internship experiences and address any issues or concerns encountered along the way.

In attending to these components, it is expected students will gain a deeper awareness of the integrative links between faith and world, theory and praxis, action and reflection, in new ways. The extent to which awareness is realized will depend on the commitment of each student to make the most of his/her unique learning opportunities, while cultivating an open, receptive attitude toward the diverse issues, people and challenges encountered.

Description of Practicum Seminar: “Faith, Ethics and Vocational Identity”

This required seminar strives to enable Urban Program students to critically-engage and reflect on their day-to-day internship experiences in renewed faith-based ways designed to foster a deeper understanding of personal-vocational identity. Through guest speaker presentations and shared dialogue on common workplace issues/challenges; the primary aim of this seminar is to help students discover renewed visions for what it means to live faithfully amidst a range of complex, diverse settings and to better integrate such from a more informed Christian/social justice worldview perspective.

Practicum Overview and Past Student Comments

The practicum experience is your opportunity to gain a broad view of the working world within a unique urban context. It will allow you to explore new styles of learning and to help you test your vocational interests and skills. It will be a pre-professional experience that will help to see how your academic preparation so far has assisted you in cultivating your vocational goals/career interests. It will also provide you fresh opportunities to put theory and practice together; offering you the chance to put your personal/professional competencies into action. You will also likely come away with a deeper sense of self-confidence regarding your abilities at many levels. You will play a big role in shaping your experience on this front and our hope is that it yields something that matches your individual career interests, academic passions and vocational potential. A tremendous amount of personal-spiritual growth is a given--something that we always look forward to sharing in.

There are many agencies, businesses, schools, hospitals, etc. past students have interned here at Urban. We have thus far placed more than 1500 students with great success over the years. Here are some comments from a few of them:

"My view of the elderly was expanded as most of the patients I visited were over 60. I became aware of them as people and saw the many worries and anxieties seniors face. I have watched people improve from operations that were quite extensive. I was also able to share much with them in ways I never had before. I had previously stayed away from the sick and elderly. I'm now not afraid of sickness and can deal with such much better. Our culture is youth‑oriented and afraid of growing old. I got to know people that were sick and old and alone who wanted to die. Nevertheless, grew to love, respect and listen to this hidden group in our society.” (From a student who worked at senior social service agency).

"When I think about these months working at the Martin De Porres House, my memory runs rampant with all sorts of faces, reactions and responses to the work we do. Through the people and my work there, I have been transformed in ways which seem confusing at times. But I’ve also discovered that God reveals the strength of his presence in the quiet spiritual determination marking our daily activities. It somehow all works and through it I’ve been able to witness the gift of the poor, the exalting of the lowly and the sometimes confounding challenges it offers to the proud and mighty among us. The poor come here knowing they can get a meal, a place to hang out and an unconditional listening ear. I’m again confronted there with my own spiritual mediocrity; being reminded once again that the Christian life begins with love, ends with love and that there is nothing more for us to become prior to love." (From by a student who worked with a faith-based homeless social service agency).

"I worked with underprivileged children. Last week we took them on a field trip to the Children's Symphony. The exciting thing about the experience was watching how the kids would try to connect English (their new language) with their old one (Chinese). It was utterly fascinating to be a part of it and to watch their eager little minds work. This, along with the extreme bond between myself and the children over time left no doubt in my mind that I would become a teacher some day." (From a student who worked with a Chinese community education center).

"I worked with juvenile delinquents. I got most involved with a boy named John. John was 15 and was arrested for helping another kid in a couple of schoolyard shakedowns. He had no other sustained petitions on his file, although he had been involved in some other minor burglaries. In this incident, he had stolen $10.00 and his Probation Officer wanted to send him to a place where more serious offenders go, which seemed unfair to me. Through numerous interviews, I found out he had a learning disability and that this why he was having so much trouble in school. He needed special education. After many court hearings and many contacts with community agencies, I was able to get him placed on probation and he was eventually able to find the help that he needed. A lot of positive changes took place for him afterwards." (From a student who worked with at-risk youth).

"I've spent most of my time working on publicity for 4 or 5 of the company’s new Spring Management Series books. I've written to over 25 publications (including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Esquire, etc.) concerning these books, and inquiring about their possible interest in publishing something from any of them. It’s been great writing practice because my supervisor looks over all my work and makes suggestions as to how I might better present my ideas. I’ve also spent lots of time getting experience in editing. I have been given some books to read and review. I recently was discussing word usage with my supervisor. It's great to feel that the work I do is of ‘real value’ to the company that I’m interning with.” (From a student who worked with a local publishing agency).