
Internship Experience
SCOTT JOFFE, M.S.Ed., 2014
Urban Blazers
Founded in 2005, the nonprofit Urban Blazers provides students from Philly’s under-resourced communities the opportunity to explore nature together. Activities such as rock climbing, hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, canoeing, and skiing are used to engage youth in teambuilding and character development. The program’s goals place just as much emphasis on developing non-cognitive skills and healthy team dynamics as they do science and conservation education. Urban Blazers partners with schools to teach environmental education lessons and help foster positive classroom climates.
My favorite project was developing a student character strength assessment because it will continue to be used by both Urban Blazers and their school partners. The assessment tool is an efficient way to measure students’ selected non-cognitive skills, focusing on learners’ potential to be successful people in addition to successful students.
The three most important things I learned from this experience were professional communication, interview skills and a greater sense of Out-of-School Time.