Project Narrative

The project that I completed for my internship was to redo our community resource book.

Brie and I utilized the old resource binder and researched online to find community resources

that we felt that the clients we serve would best benefit from. Whether it be counseling

resources, food access resources, and so much more we found what we felt would be utilized

most. Essentially we created a pdf of resources that have all the information they needed about

each resource. We included the name of the organization or resource, a small synopsis of what

it is and all the contact information including addresses, phone numbers, and websites. We

divided up the resources into sections of what they were. We did this so that it would be easy to

read and easy to find resources that they were looking for. We created this on a google doc and

uploaded it into a pdf file so that all that we had to do was print this out and we could make

copies of the pdf. We would then put these copies into a folder and give this to our clients.

When we showed this to our supervisor and advocate they were so excited to start using this.

Unfortunately with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not gotten to put this resource to work, yet

because the office is closed unless it is a crisis.

During the first couple weeks of my internship, Brie and I were asked to help make some

community resource folders for our advocate to give to the clients we serve. Our advocate gave

us a binder full of resources and as Brie and I began going through the binder we realized how

outdated some of the resources were. After talking to our advocate she said things like “I don’t

know if anyone uses these resources,” “The resources in this binder have no order we just

throw some in a folder” and “I wish we could make something clients could use.” When we first

were trying to brainstorm ways to fix the book we thwithough of a webisite but this woulndt be

beneficial to those without access to internet so overall we decided that a paper book was still

the best way to execute the idea of this book.We brought the idea of redoing our advocate

community resource book to our supervisor and advocate and they were thrilled. Brie and I then
spent our free time during the day going through the binder and picking out the resources that

we believed would be most beneficial for community members.

This resource was needed because the old book was not effective. Essentially what it

used to be was a bunch of flyers from different resources and our advocate would make copies

of this and place them in a folder for clients. This wasn’t the most effective or efficient way of

providing resources to our clients. The material that we created is a 5-page book full of local

resources ranging from food, healthcare, counseling, transportation, attorneys and much more.

A huge portion of providing resources to our clients is so that they can use these when needed

as well as they can serve as advocates outside of our office and share resources to those who

need it. This resource book fits with the mission of The Bright House because they believe that

everyone should have access to the resources they need and they also believe that everyone

has the ability to be an advocate. I firmly believe that this is a much-needed resource because

this will be something that The Bright House can use for many years to come and can easily

update as needed. The format of the book is easy to read and easy to follow so that clients and

future advocates can read and explain everything.

Because I haven't gotten to see how this community resource book would be used in

action I don’t think I can accurately evaluate the book. Though it may not be accurate I would

say that this book serves as a better resource than what we were already handing out. This

book is very user friendly and easy for the advocate to make copies of and share with clients.

After receiving feedback from our supervisor and other co-workers on how to best make this

book I believe the final result is one that benefits this organization. I think overall the process of

creating the resource book went very well. We included many different types of resources and

provided a clean layout for users to follow. My evaluation of how this project went would be that

it went very well. The book will provide our advocate resources to contact in needed situations

as well as clients to contact on their own. I firmly believe that this book is a great addition to The

Bright House’s resources.

 If I could do anything differently I would try and complete this book earlier so that I would

have gotten to see it in action. Although the circumstances are completely out of my hands this

is the only thing I wish I could have done. Our supervisor said that she cannot wait until The

Bright House is back up and running so that they can start utilizing this. When looking back on

how this project impacted my internship experience I am very grateful for the ability to have

made a lasting impact by providing a resource to community members who are in need. I am

hopeful that this book allows The Bright House to better serve its community members and I am

proud to have made this impact.