Think about your first job. Maybe you mowed lawns, babysat, scooped ice cream, or worked in a drive-thru. No matter what, you probably remember the highs and lows.
There is so much to learn in gaining employment for the first time – from the application and interview process, to learning how to do the job, to understanding schedule procedures, and getting to know your new boss and co-workers. At Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries in Harrisburg, Missouri, we ensure our teenage children can have the opportunity to gain work experience.
Our children can work in a few areas at our Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Harrisburg Neighborhood – some work in the office, at the barn, and some work on projects around the Hill with Sam Coy, our Property Manager and Vocational Skills Instructor.
Equine Program and Barn Manager Rebecca Buchholz is currently supervising four teens who work at Overton Arena. She said she loves running a Work Experience Program and watching her employees gain knowledge.
The barn employees do all sorts of tasks: sweeping, mucking stalls, bringing horses into the barn, turning them out to the pastures, cleaning and sanitizing brushes, and feeding horses. As the students progress, some have the opportunity to help with training the horses.
In order to get the job, the students must go through an application and interview process, just like they would to get a job anywhere else.
“We need to prepare our children for the real world,” Rebecca said. “They fill out a job application, which you do in the real world. They have to list references. That’s a real-world situation.”
Victoria* is 15 and had prior experience working with horses when she came to Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries. She has progressed in her work experience relatively quickly, and is now training horses.
“I feel like this job is going to help me a lot with being able to work well with other people and help me understand more,” she said.
Many of the children want to gain employment for your average “teenage” reasons, such as saving up for a car. Rebecca works with them to set these goals and help them think analytically about how much they would need to work and save to achieve their goals. She helps them with budgeting, though, it is up to each child to stick to their budget.
As the weeks go by, Buchholz sees the children gain more critical thinking skills, and become more independent.
“I don’t expect every child to be passionate about the barn,” she said. “Sometimes you take a job just to make ends meet, but I want the kids to learn how to take away new life skills from this – even if horses and barn work is not their passion. When they leave or move onto something else, they will know how to manage themselves and grow.”
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