SELF

SELF is housed at The Strong. Monroe One and Arc of Monroe each have eight interns that work on employability and life skills throughout their day. Interns spend about half of their day in an internship at the museum and the other half of the day in a classroom setting. Interns participate in three internships in a calendar school year.

• Independence  
• Advocacy  
• Self-assessment  
• Individual work goals  
• Time management  
• Communication  
• Social skills  
• Accepting and applying constructive criticism
• Problem solving  
• Expected behaviors  
• Teamwork  
• Persevering through non-preferred tasks 
• Daily living math skills  
• Healthy relationships  
• Connections with others  
• Endurance while working  
• Following directions (verbally and written)

All internships take place at The Strong. Programs are designed to provide multiple experiences within the museum. Examples include:

• Coffee cart—stock coffee cart, travel to coffee stations around the museum, restock, clean, take inventory, send weekly inventory email  
   
• Dishwasher with manipulatives—collect manipulatives around the museum, run them through the dishwasher, dry and place back in appropriate area of the museum 
   
• Exhibits cleaning crew—clean throughout the museum 
   
• Food service—support the food service area with food prep, organizing, refilling, cleaning the food court, etc. 
   
• Host in Super Kids Market—answer questions from guests, sanitize high-touch points, organize, complete tasks during busy and quiet times 
   
• Laundry—collect dirty laundry around the museum, wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry, refill cleaning supplies, etc. 
   
• Public Programing Assistant—support Public Programming with hands-on activities like organizing crafts, story time, unwrapping prizes, cleaning toys, inventory, checking for deliveries and placing items on incoming packages cart, etc.

Interns must:

• have a desire to build employability skills and want to work.
• follow SELF dress code and appropriate hygiene.
• follow all Monroe One and museum protocols.
• be able to independently navigate the museum safely (we work up to this).
• be active participants in lessons, their internships, and activities throughout the year.
• be able to be left alone for 20+ minutes when in their internship (we work up to this).
• self-administer and carry required medication.
• be able to tolerate loud noises, guests, and children.
• be flexible with change.
• have knowledge of basic computer skills.
• have the ability to complete multiple hands-on tasks.
• complete all museum trainings.  

Interns volunteer at ROC Holiday Village once a week in December when the event is closed. SELF walks over to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park to help reset from the busy weekend and cleanup to prepare for the events to come. SELF goes to community fitness facilities twice a week with transportation provided by Monroe One.

Interns come to SELF on a bus provided by their district or Monroe One. Students must be able to navigate the museum safely and have knowledge of their own personal space.

• Special Education Teacher
• Transition Specialist
• Work Based Learning Coordination
• Associate Teachers support SELF students at internships and in the classroom.
• If an intern has related services on their IEP, they receive their services at the museum.
• Monroe One works closely with Arc of Monroe. Staff from Arc support students as needed.
• Interns receive support and information from museum staff throughout their day. At times, the intern reports directly to the museum supervisor/staff.
• Monthly group lessons with our liaison from the museum with a focus on human resources within a company, finding a job, interviewing, keeping a job, etc. The liaison supports our interns regularly.