Recreational Intern

About St, John’s

Founded in 1826 as a home for orphaned children, St. John’s has evolved into a nonprofit social services agency providing residential care to New York City youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. We offer holistic, trauma-informed support to young people up to age 21. 

Our main campus in Rockaway Park, Queens, houses a Residential Treatment Center, Close to Home Non-Secure Placement programs, administrative offices, clinical services, and an on-site NYC Department of Education school. We also operate a Non-Secure Detention residence in Richmond Hill and Limited Secure Placement programs in Brooklyn and Staten Island. 

St. John’s is dedicated to helping youth heal, grow, and build the skills they need to achieve their goals and return to family or a stable, supportive environment as engaged members of their communities. 

Summary Job Description: 

The Recreation Intern supports the Recreation Team in planning and implementing structured, engaging recreational activities for youth in residential care during after-school and evening hours. This internship provides hands-on experience in youth engagement, behavior management, group facilitation, and trauma-informed recreation programming within a congregate care setting. Interns gain exposure to residential operations and interdisciplinary collaboration while developing skills relevant to careers in youth development, social services, recreation therapy, and child welfare.

Principal Responsibilities: 

• Under supervision, the intern will:
• Assist in planning and facilitating recreational activities (sports, tournaments, special events, clubs, games, etc.)
• Support supervision of youth during on- and off-grounds activities (maintaining “eyes on, ears on” safety standards)
• Help prepare weekly activity calendars and promotional materials
• Participate in birthday celebrations and special campus-wide events
• Support documentation such as attendance sheets and activity logs
• Assist with maintaining recreation spaces (organized, clean, and safe)
• Observe and learn behavior management strategies used by recreation staff
• Build positive,appropriate relationshipswith youth during activities
• Attend relevant meetings or trainings whenappropriate forlearning purposes
• Collaborate with Youth Counselors and clinical staff as directed
• Interns will not independently transport youth or be solely responsible for supervision.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the internship, the intern will:

• Understand trauma-informed recreational programming
• Demonstrate basic group facilitation skills
• Apply foundational youth engagement strategies
• Develop professional documentation habits
• Gain exposure to residential treatment operations
• Understand career pathways within residential youth services

Minimum Requirements:

• Currently enrolled in or recent graduate of a program in Recreation, Sports Management, Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, Education, or related field
• Interest in working with youth in residential or congregate care settings
• Energetic, dependable, and emotionally mature
• Willingness to learn behavior management strategies
• Ability to work some afternoons/evenings
• Valid NYS driver’s license preferred but not required for interns.

Travel Requirements:

This position may require travel between 2 to 3 residential programs located in Queens, Staten Island, or Brookyln. Travel to St. John’s administrative offices for meetings, trainings, etc. is also required.

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.