By Lesley Ornelas
Texas State News Intern

    Last spring senior Brittany Hill attended an agency fair hosted by Texas State University at San Marcos with the intentions of finding fieldwork that she needed to complete in order to graduate with her degree in Therapeutic Recreation.
    She decided to do her first of three fieldworks with the San Marcos Youth Service Bureau, an organization that helps mentor local youth. Brittany began her 10 weeks of volunteer service at the organization feeling quite unsure of what to expect, but shortly after starting her position at YSB her feelings began to change.
    “It was soon proven to me that YSB was a great place to volunteer and I not only learned a lot through the kids but also from Julie Hollar, the Director.”
    At YSB, Brittany became a positive role model for the youth and helped mentor the kids with any problems that arose while they attended the bureau. She, along with the other members of the staff, helped maintain a kind of structure for the kids throughout each day.     This routine helped the children learn from example since many did not have very structured or positive home lives outside of the YSB. 
    Along with mentoring, Brittany also took a part in completing the necessary paperwork in order for a non-profit organization, like YSB, to stay in good standing.
Brittany had a good experience working with the children and staff of YSB and plans on returning to the organization this summer to complete her 2nd fieldwork.
    “It was so rewarding to work at YSB and it would be great if more students from Texas State would volunteer there. The kids really love new volunteers and once they gain the rapport with those volunteers they learn to trust and respect ‘adult’ figures more.”
    To learn more information about volunteer work at the Youth Service Bureau please contact Julie Hollar at (512)-396-5437.