The first week in Dublin has officially come to a close, and what a week it has been so far! I have met some incredible people within my program, been to multiple local towns and parks around Dublin, and most importantly, explored the city center of Dublin where I will be having my internship starting tomorrow! The city of Dublin is very easy to get around, especially with the public transportation provided all around the city. Although much different from life back home in the United States, the city of Dublin is quite easy to navigate and travel. Additionally, living on the UCD campus is extremely accessible. This campus is massive, and with that, getting to a grocery store, pharmacy, or any other facility without a car does take more time than usual. However, especially when I don’t have the time to take public transportation, having a local mini grocery store and other food/store options makes life a lot easier to live here. Although these last few days have been great becoming accustomed to the daily life in Dublin, I’m excited and ready to begin a new chapter here: the internship.

For my summer internship, I am working in the field of social services. More specifically, I am working for a charity organization called Jobcare. Similar to its name, Jobcare is an organization founded back in 1994 focused on assisting long-term unemployed individuals within all of Ireland. Within the organization, the belief is the idea that work is not only essential but a right for everyone, no matter the situation one may be in their life. Founded around the principles of a Christian ethos, Paul Mooney, founder and current CEO, believes that like the church of Jesus Christ extending god into the darkness, his job alongside his colleagues is to extend their outreach to all individuals struggling to find employment. In Ireland currently, there has not only become a housing crisis, but an employment crisis as well. Pay has become hard to live by, and more individuals need additional services to find employment that works for them. So, this is where social services such as Jobcare come into play.

Throughout this field, social services are vital for struggling Irish citizens to get back on the right track. An organization such as Jobcare can do just that; by providing services such as CV training, interview practice, and other job networking and work programs, this allows all individuals ranging from recent/ long-term unemployed to even formerly incarcerated individuals looking for work to find necessary life skills and career coaching to get into the workforce. However, like any job, the world of social services does not come easy, and takes a lot of skillful planning and material to effectively distribute quality services. Luckily for Ireland, most individuals run on universal healthcare, which in many cases qualifies people for services such as Jobcare to use.

Within this industry, one of the largest skills one can have is communication and outreach. In the world of social services, to run a program, you need a leader and outreach team that knows how to provide the highest services that can be given. However, without funding and financial growth, these services will cease to exist. Working within this type of field allows individuals to reach out of their comfort zone, while also connecting with a large range of diverse populations, to understand where improvement is needed fully, what outreach is necessary, and how to achieve the maximum potential one can have internally and externally.

Another skill necessary for this industry, and potentially the most important in means of succeeding with clients, is the act of empathy. Unfortunately, not all of us live a frugal and happy life; many are barely struggling to hold on. With an organization like Jobcare, many individuals seeking assistance have been unemployed for large amounts of time, and are on their last hope of finding success from constant mental turmoil. We all live differently, and it’s important to understand that although you may view a certain situation one way, you can’t judge how someone is feeling if you are not in their shoes. It’s important to always put the client first, and assist them when needed, but to never act on your own impulses without looking for the well-being of what will make them succeed the most. If you are able to change someone’s life for the better successfully, you know you are on the right track in this industry.

I think one of the most important competencies necessary to be successful in the social services industry here in Ireland is understand the social contexts of everyday life. Being from the United States, most acknowledge that many social service programs rely on either federal funding or the states. On top of that, many have certain eligibility criteria that are not expansive in any sense, which makes things even trickier for an individual looking for some assistance. Within Ireland, although eligibility criteria still exists, the range of ways to achieve social welfare assistance is much larger than back home. This allows individuals to seek out assistance in a much more comfortable setting, and with less stress, often comes more success in the future when their life/career goals start to succeed.

Overall, the social services industry is on an incline currently, especially here in Ireland, and I can’t wait to craft more skills and reflect on my time as the internship starts. Until next time, let the work begin.