RICORP

​
Name of Organization: RICORP (http://ricorp.org)
Address: 55 South Brow Street, East Providence, RI 02914

Description of the overall mission of this organization:
Ages of youth served: Many different ages but focuses on 15 to 24.

Name of Mentor: Colie Lemay
Hours worked: (number, days, times) Hours vary but I worked between 8 and 10 hours a week. Six hours usually on Sundays, two on Mondays and then other hours sporadically. Very flexible schedule.

Description of your role and duties: (include administrative or hands-on or both)
During my time at RICORP I assisted in teaching Life Skills classes to DCYF youth preparing to age out of care. I was also an adult supporter on the DCYF youth panel that they have called The Voice. During my time with The Voice I provided insight on event planning and DYFC program as well as presented on certain topics such as social media. As a Life Skills assistant I partially taught classes to DCYF youth on Money Management, Daily Living, Career and Education Planning, Safe Sex, and Housing. All Life Skills classes work on a six week cycle and we provide the youth with a small ceremony at the end to recognize their accomplishments.

Description of the culture of the place (how many people in the office, dress code, communication style)
There are two organization located at the address above, Foster Forward and RICORP. They both work under the same contract with the state. Both are located in the same building and together there are probably close to 25 full and part time employees. With interns and social workers coming in and out it seems like many more. RICORP has about 10 employees who work full time with Life Skills, YESS, The Voice, etc. The office is a very friendly environment and there isn't a strong dress code. You can easily wear a sweater or polo with a nice pair of jeans. Try to stay away from sweatshirts and other more casual attire.  It is an office dominated by women but it is very comfortable for all genders. You must be ok with people coming in and out because youth, families, social workers, interns, etc come in and out all day. Its very open communication in the RICORP department and most of Foster Forward also communicate between the two departments. I feel comfortable talking to all the employee's even the boss.

Additional Requirements: (travel, etc)
If employed by this organization you must submit a BCI, proof of car insurance, and a copy of your social security car. I started out not being paid but then I was hired. If you have this happen to you, you will also need to get fingerprinted in your town. You can't transport youth if you are not a paid employee.

Special notes on process of getting this internship:
I fortunately knew an employee who I had worked with while she was getting her degree at Rhode Island College. I feel as though if you emailed Colie Lemay you would be able to set up and interview and if they needed an intern it would be very easy.

Other internship opportunities with this organization:
Potentially internship opportunities can also be found in the Foster Forward organization and through RICORP you could also potentially intern with their YESS program. YESS = Youth Establishing Self-Sufficiency.

What three TAGS would you use to label this internship?
The three tags I would use to describe my internship are DCYF, teenagers, and education.

Your name: Zachery Raso
Your cohort: YDEV Cohort 2
Your email address if others can contact you: zacheryraso@gmail.com