Jakeline Rodriguez's Engagement with Multnomah & Washington County
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VOLUNTEER AND WORK EXPERIENCE
Where is it that I work and volunteer? How has/does it benefit me & surrounding communities?
AVID
Volunteering for the AVID program since 2017 has taught me the value of an education, and to encourage others to do the same as I get the opportunity to show high school students the opportunities they can obtain after graduating depending on the post-secondary plan they decide on. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, and the program is a non-profit organization that benefits schools across America by helping students develop helpful skills that will be beneficial for further education, life, and work after high school.
Opportunities Unlimited
Opportunities Unlimited is an organization that supports adults with diverse abilities, with the goal to encourage individuals to create goals, and achieve them. My position there as a Job Developer began mid-February of 2022, and it has allowed me to work in a one-on-one setting with people from both Multnomah and Washington county, as I help them seek work, volunteer, and social opportunities leading towards self-growth and motivation.
Book Collecting for the Community
Since sometime around 2020, I began a collection of children’s books, in order to use them in a job I had working with children at that time as a Youth Programming Coordinator for a low-income apartment complex. It was heartbreaking to see the lack of support, and materials the children in the after-school program had to work with. That motivated me to search for donations that included colors, paper, arts and crafts materials, children’s books, and many other things that would help the program grow to be a child-friendly environment.
Duties & Responsibilities
What is my role/position in the organization? What is it that I do specifically?
AVID
My role as an AVID tutor included work both inside and outside a classroom. Working side-by-side with teachers in the Beaverton School District, planning activities, assignments, and events is what my role consisted of. I also had the opportunity to work with students, and that work involved multiple things…
- Checking if their school material (backpack/binder/notes/schedules) was well organized to help them succeed in class.
- Attend presentations that involved Tutorial Request Notes (TRFs) in which a student brings a question or subject they are confused about, and as a group, the tutor and classmates will help the individual presenting to find a solution to their problem.
- Engage in activities (presentations/school work/lectures/field trips) to provide additional help to students when their teacher is unavailable.
Opportunities Unlimited
My position as a job developer consists of the following that is listed on the OU website:
- “Discovery, Career Development, Job Coaching”
- I will help individuals find a place of work in which they’re comfortable in, as I guide them throughout the process including checking in with them once they get the job just to make sure it is a great fit for them and their needs.
- “Recreation, Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle”
- During COVID, many clients of OU adopted unhealthy habits that lead to possible weight gain, a negative effect on their mental health, and a decrease in an active lifestyle. OU has trained me to help individuals find joy once again to benefit both their mental and physical health through multiple activities that may include hiking, recreational activities, meditation, yoga, working out, creating a healthier diet/habit, and much more! I must distinguish what activities work best for my clients, as they all have different interests, abilities, and ways of learning/adapting.
- “Public Transportation Training”
- Most of the clients I work with are unable to drive due to a disability, or they are working on getting their permit/license. (Which I also help them with!) Therefore, I help them understand how public transportation works, with the goal to help them travel independently eventually!
- “Attend Special Events”
- With the opportunity to attend fun activities (concerts/museums/fairs/community events/etc…) with clients as a way to release stress from their lives, also to attend fun events that are planned by the organization with my family in order to get to know my coworkers and team members from the company, as I do work independently with no supervision.
- “One-on-one Supports”
- Meeting with clients that are hoping to get a job, I must meet with them to get to know them, understand their needs, and what are their long-term goals to be able to find them a job or volunteer activity they will enjoy and commit to.
- “Group Supports”
- I am able to take multiple individuals seeking support to do an activity, and it will provide them with the chance to socialize with the goal to improve their communication skills in a fun way!
- “Volunteer Projects”
- There are many volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved in communities, and volunteering is a great way to get individuals I work with to figure out what they like to do through volunteer work. For example, I had a young adult volunteer at a fair passing out carrots to young kids, who would then feed them to farm animals (horses, pigs, cheaps, goats, chicken, and bunnies!) I saw my client really enjoyed that experience volunteering with animals, and I was able to place them in a dog grooming business where he got the opportunity to work with dogs!
Book Collecting for the Community
Collecting books and materials that can be beneficial to after-school programs, or schools have been a hobby of mine. There are many people giving free books for all ages in many places online, my most common place to find free children’s books are through Offer Up, Craigslist, Facebook Market, and people around my community. How I find the programs I donate to is through connections I made during high school, volunteering, and work. My latest donations were towards a preschool program in Aloha High School known as ‘Little Warriors,’ in which I have donated during the years children’s books, volunteered to interact with the preschool students (playing, cleaning play area, reading, and feeding snacks! My other latest donation, which was also one of my biggest contributions was to an old high school friend that is starting her own preschool program, which included the following:
- 80-95 children’s books
- 25-30 bundles of yarn
- 2 book shelfs
- 100-120 Crayon’s
- 10-15 coloring books
- 6 board games
Goals
What are my goals working for this organizations?
AVID
When I first began working with AVID in the school in my community, the goals I had in mind reflected upon my own personal struggles I faced during my primary education, as I was unsure of what my life would look like after graduating high school. Being a first generation college student, and soon to be graduate in the class of 2022 at Portland State University, it was a challenge. AVID allows me to work on progressively helping other students who face the same confusions I once had, and to guide them towards making a decision of what they might want to do in life. From my experience, high school trained my mind to believe that college was my only option after graduating, although that might not be a possibility for many. With AVID, my goal is to help students understand the MANY options they can choose from after graduating high school, and to motivate them to challenge themselves, to grow, and to succeed based on their own unique talents, skills, and desires.
Opportunities Unlimited
With OU, I have the opportunity to work with a very diverse community of clients the organization helps. My goal has been to commit working for them to gain more experience with counseling and Human Resources. I have also the opportunity to work with individuals with a disability, and it has been a new experience for me that I continue to learn a lot from. My goal is to gain further knowledge regarding working with individuals that have a disability, and to continue being a positive change in the lives of many individuals I get to help during the process.
Book Collecting for the Community
I plan to continue helping growing after school and academic programs through donations, as it has become a joy of mine to see the great impact donating material that children and educators appreciate. I hope to grow my donations over the years, with the goal to help many more individuals in the need of a great book! I am also looking forwards to building a community library box for my neighborhood, and hopefully to build more for individuals that will like to place one at the front of their home for children and families to enjoy a great read!
Reflection
It has been an extraordinary experience to be doing small things amongst my community, as I get to help individuals, gather donations, improve the academic system in a couple schools, and to enjoy what I do. Personally, I find great joy seeing the happiness or relief in someone’s face the moment I help them get a job, also helping a high school student sign up for a university/trade school/program, and the happiness in someone who receives a large donation of items that will contribute to their growing academic program! Those little things I do to help my community eventually will add up to become a bigger thing.
Websites
AVID: https://www.avid.org/what-avid-is
Opportunities Unlimited: https://www.opportunitiesultd.com/
READING DONATED BOOKS TO A PRESCHOOL CLASS: Photo Credit to AHS Staff
Volunteering with the AVID class: Photo Credit to AHS Staff
HERMANAS CONFERENCE AT PCC WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Photo Credit to AHS Staff
SPEECH AT AVID GRADUATION: Photo Credit to SC AVID Staff