A working vacation

This week marks school vacation week.  For 3 days, students in our program met as a group at the public library, in public school district offices, and at Boston College -- working together instead of hanging out at home or with friends.  They also started at new weekly internship placements this week within different organizations across the city. 

In conversations this week, students and teachers began discussing possible topics and questions to launch two small research projects this semester.  The first, which actually began last semester, will look into various professional practices, expectations, and experiences at their work sites.  Students designing interview questions and speak with adults at their internship sites and in their communities.

What does it take to be successful in different professions or fields? 

How does educational background relate to success and status in different professions? 

What support do people need to be successful in a field? 

 

In addition to this research, the group has launched a community research project to investigate questions related to interactions and relations between youth and law enforcement officials... paying close attention to ways that English language proficiency and ethnicity can influence these interactions between young people and police.  For the first time, 2 students are placed in job internships at the Police Department.  This provides a unique opportunity to explore these questions from the perspective of law enforcement.  By interviewing police and other law enforcement officials, as well as youth and adults outside in the community, the group hopes to gain insight into the factors that shape how youth and the police interface and perceive one another----and maybe offer ideas for how to improve interactions and understandings of one another.