Recreational Intern

Summary Job Description:

The Recreation Intern supports the planning and implementation of structured recreational and enrichment activities for youth involved in foster care.

Under supervision, the intern will gain hands-on experience in youth engagement, group facilitation, trauma-informed programming, and community-based service delivery.

This internship is designed for students pursuing careers in social work, recreation, psychology, human services, or youth development.

About Little Flower

Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is a human services nonprofit supporting the well-being of children, youth, families, and individuals across New York City and Long Island since 1929.

Our staff of more than 500 builds well-being by providing prevention services, foster care, residential treatment care, adoption services, programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical and mental health services.

Principle Responsibilities

• Under supervision, the intern will:
• Assist in planning and facilitating structured recreational and enrichment activities (sports, creative arts, life-skills workshops, community outings, seasonal events).
• Support engagement efforts to increase youth participation in programming.
• Help coordinate logistics for community-based activities and special events.
• Assist with attendance tracking and basic documentation.
• Support safe supervision practices during group activities.
• Observe and learn behavior support strategies used by staff.
• Participate in interdisciplinary discussions when appropriate for learning.
• Help maintain activity materials and ensure organized program spaces.
• Attend trainings and supervision meetings as required.
• Interns will not independently supervise youth, transport participants, or make safety or case-related decisions.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this internship, the intern will:

• Demonstrate foundational group facilitation and youth engagement skills.
• Apply trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches in recreational settings.
• Develop professional communication skills when working with youth and staff.
• Gain exposure to foster care and community-based youth services.
• Understand safety and supervision standards in child welfare programming.
• Strengthen documentation and organizational skills.
• Identify career pathways within foster care, prevention services, and youth development roles.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Currently enrolled in a degree program in Social Work, Psychology, Recreation, Human Services, Education, or related field.
• Interest in working with youth involved in foster care or prevention services.
• Energetic, dependable, and emotionally mature.
• Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends for special events.
• Valid NYS driver’s license preferred but not required for internship placement.

Travel Requirements

This internship is based in Wading River NY.

Disclaimer

This internship is unpaid and credit-bearing, in accordance with each participating school’s academic requirements.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent in this position.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of a person in this position.

Internship Structure and Supervision: 
This position is a structured educational internship. Interns are not assigned independent caseloads, are not counted toward staff-to-youth ratios, and do not provide independent clinical, supervisory, or crisis intervention services. All activities are conducted under the supervision of designated staff in accordance with agency policy and regulatory requirements.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Statement

With more than 250 years of combined experience, Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York and St. John’s Residence for Boys have a long-standing history of serving children, youth, adults and families of color. Our mission, vision and values are grounded in elevating the shared humanity of every staff member, community partner and those with whom we engage. We recognize that our DEIB work is continuously evolving as we strive for equity and inclusion for individuals of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, ages, abilities, religions and lived experiences.

Accessibility

Some job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some requirements may be designed to protect the safety and health of the employee, their fellow employees and the individuals being served and may therefore exclude some individuals.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected group status.