
Dominique Austin
Intern, Playtime Project
Major: PSYC & CCJS
Class Year: 2023
What was a typical week like in your internship position?
A typical week at my internship usually begins with a weekly update email from the head of the program. The email usually contains updates about changes in your assigned location, sign-ups for extra hours, which locations need more or fewer volunteers, etc. Interns are expected to attend a minimum of one session a week. On the day of the playtime session, interns come into the shelter early to discuss with the site manager the planned activity and set up the space with toys and snacks for the children. Volunteers and Interns play with the kids during the sessions, lead the activities, and pass out the snacks. After the session, the interns clean up the playtime space and then debrief with the team about the highs and lows from the day, making sure to retell any red flag behaviors that were displayed throughout the session.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
What I enjoy the most about this position is being able to foster relationships with the children, and seeing how much playtime means to them. It's not every day that you have a chance to feel as though you may be making a difference in someone's life. I know my actions once a week are small, but a little can go a long way. I try my absolute hardest to ensure the children feel special and deserving, and I love to watch them take our small interactions and make meaning out of them. I think what I love the most is seeing how Playtime helps kids grow into their own, despite their circumstances.
How did your coursework help you in your internship?
My coursework has been extremely helpful in my position at Playtime. I coincidentally did my internship alongside the child development psychology course as well as the helping skills course. I think that in being able to use the skills that I gained (such as active listening, interpreting body language, etc.) as well as being able to apply the knowledge that I learned about how children change and perceive the world, really helped me to make connections between my coursework and real life. I got to see the developmental theories play out in real-time as I watched the children grow, and I got to apply my helping skills to children who were in need. Ultimately, my coursework gave me the context to know how to identify and address psychological phenomena in real life.
How did you locate your internship position?
I found my internship through Dr. Karen O'Brien. She is a psychology professor at UMD who teaches a two-part domestic violence course. Students who take her prerequisite course and perform well in it can take her secondary course that combines this internship alongside a discussion section. We use the discussion to discuss and reflect on our experiences with peers who are also interning with Playtime.
Advice for students:
My biggest tip for students looking for an internship is to search for something that they care about. I think a lot of the time as students, we often are just looking for the next thing to put to our resumes, and we don't often take the time to do something that we really enjoy. Honestly, I think that having an internship in an area that is actually of interest to you makes a world of a difference in your experience. When you are excited to go into your internship each week, it just makes the whole experience more enjoyable, and it feels like the skills you are gaining are worthwhile.