Hi everyone! My name is Léa and I recently graduated from Bishop’s University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sports Studies. For the past two summers now, I’ve participated in the work placement program Bishop’s has to offer at l’Association du Syndrome de Down.
This non-profit organization welcomes mainly individuals who are born with Down Syndrome. During the summer, it transforms into a day camp for both children and adults. As one of the coordinators of the camp, my role involved organizing the summer schedule. I prepare the incoming animators by introducing different work techniques, and animating the activities while taking care of our participants.
Through this experience, I developed many skills particularly in working with diverse populations and I also improved my patience. I first applied because I wanted some real-life experience working with different populations and I was already somewhat familiar with Down Syndrome. I returned the second year because of the amazing team we had and the connections I made with the participants. After the first summer, I missed the participants so much after the second week it ended and I knew I needed to go back.
My favourite part about working there was definitely the people. Whether it was the participants, my colleagues, or my supervisors, they were the reason I was excited to go to work in the morning. It also helped that we planned the activities and we made sure everyone would have fun doing them.
Of course, every job comes with its challenges. For me, the biggest challenge was building patience. We work as a team and no matter how much we love our coworkers. There are bound to be some disagreements. The participants also had their ups and downs, and we had to work through those moments too. It could be tough sometimes to keep my cool but at the end of the day, we always had a solution for every problem we encountered. My patience and teamwork ability greatly benefited from this whole experience.
This work placement really connected with the mental health and behavioural aspects of psychology. I saw how individuals with Down Syndrome also live with difficulties such as anxiety, emotional regulation, and behavioural challenges like stubbornness or compulsive behaviours. Spending time with them and speaking with their families, helped me see the importance of tools and strategies discussed in classes to support positive wellbeing and behaviours. It could be as simple as a visual schedule or a consistent routine to help them stay
happy in their day. This is only the surface level of how this work placement connects to classroom discussions.
The EL Coordinator, Bassam Chiblak, was incredibly supportive during this work placement. I knew he was always just a simple email away for any question or if ever something happened. Our monthly meetings helped me track the progress I was doing but also what I needed to work on.
I would like to thank Bassam Chiblak for the support he brought during the summer. I would also like to thank my supervisor and the director of l’Association du Syndrome de Down, Josée Gauthier, for always being there for us and encouraging us to think creatively and helping us bring those ideas to life. Finally, I would like to thank my colleague and classmate, Laure Musaby, for being such a great friend and bringing humour to our days.
My biggest takeaway from this work placement is to always grab the opportunities you get in life. Every experience helps you grow and shape your future. While I decided to change paths for my major, I know I want to work with vulnerable populations and for this realization I’m grateful.
Léa Laliberté xo
