Fáilte go hÉireann (Welcome to Ireland)
Gerrit
Experience Information
Employer: Canal Communities Training Programme, TURAS
Job Title: Support Worker
Major: Allied Health Sciences
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: No
Abroad: Yes
Description of the Organization
TURAS functions primarily as a drug rehabilitation center, though its scope is much wider than to only include rehabilitation services. TURAS has four pillars: Education & Training, Rehabilitation, Holistics, and Outdoor Education. Each of these four pillars is as important as the next in helping the service users to not only undergo rehabilitation, but also to be more employable, to be more stable in their day-to-day lives, and also to be better equipped to make good decisions.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I worked on a wide variety of tasks and projects in my time at TURAS. My supervisor aptly said that there is no such thing as a 'typical day at TURAS.' Each day had different tasks to complete and matters to attend to. My role on paper was to help the Tutors, but this took on many forms. I often supervised breaks, sat in on sessions, and prepared rooms for sessions, but I also served as a photographer and cameraman on occasion, helped students write their resumes, and even helped to carry boats that the students made from scratch.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I bolstered my presentation skills through myriad chances to speak to staff and students in groups large and small, I practiced connecting with people who I had little-to-nothing in common with, and I even learned more about photo and video production, which I would have never guessed I would have learned about before leaving America.
Favorite Part of the Experience
I had great craic ("craic" being the Irish Gaelic word for 'fun') travelling outside of the United States for the first time, and staying long enough to really experience what Ireland has to offer. While the scenery is astoundingly gorgeous, the people are what really makes the experience. There is a saying that one will often encounter in Ireland, which goes "Caed Mile Fáilte," and it means literally 'a hundred thousand welcomes.' I could not hope to describe the Irish better than that.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I am studying to become a Speech-Language Pathologist, and I do not foresee that changing, though my time spent at TURAS has provided valuable experience in operating in a professional environment, and experience in connecting with people from backgrounds far different from my own as an American university student.
Where was this experience completed abroad?
Dublin, Ireland