We’re excited to share a series of blog posts written by our co-op student, Markus. We’re so happy to have Markus with us this semester. These blog posts are written by him, sharing his thoughts, learning, and experiences along the way. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have!
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Hi! This is my first time writing a blog and I am so excited to share some advice with the world!
My name is Markus, I’m a grade 12 student doing my co-op placement at the CO. and I honestly cannot recommend it enough. Everyone here is very kind, the work is manageable and engaging, and I can feel myself becoming more confident in the adult world with each week that passes. Here’s a bit of insight into how co-op works here!
What is the CO.?
the CO. operates as a creative arts therapy center as well as a place for community events relating to art and mental health. Clients come and go throughout the day, having their appointments with Angel, while Nicole and the other co-op students help organize the studio, market and advertise, and plan future events!
This space is incredibly welcoming. I, myself, am non-binary (agender to be specific) as well as gay and I have never once been discriminated against or made to feel uncomfortable while working at the CO. People of all backgrounds, colours, faiths, and identities are welcome and I believe that makes this place special from the get-go.
What do Co-op students do?
The 3 of us co-op students have been split up amongst 3 categories, marketing, studio work, and administrative responsibilities. I’m on the marketing side of things so my job is to help brainstorm ways to get the CO. out there! These blog posts are a part of my work actually! I’ve helped hand out flyers for events like our teen drop in event as well as create posts for our social media account (which you should so check out by the way). It’s pretty chill work in all honesty.
Besides my individualized work, we all have 3 routine things we do every day. the CO. prioritizes our mental health as well as clients and thus every morning we spend 10 minutes writing in a journal, a couple minutes cleaning up, and a couple minutes learning something new. It helps us ground and get ready for the work day. I love this system so much and it helps me switch into work mode after a long walk.
What else makes co-op at the CO. special?
We have a large project called our passion project, where we tell them about a large project we’d love to work on during the semester and our work on it counts for co-op hours! This has been such a great opportunity for me as I currently run a webcomic and this set aside time has helped me really focus on progressing and building the story.
I don’t know of any other co-op programs that are hybrid like this but I’m very grateful for the opportunity, especially since I struggle with my health. Being able to work from home saves me the pain of walking every day and allows me time to recover after the first half of the week while still allowing me to get my hours in. As a plus, I get to go home early every Thursday and Friday.
Conclusion
If you’re an artsy kid or just want a very chill and easy-going co-op to learn about small businesses, advertising, studio work, or the things that go on behind the scenes, I absolutely recommend the CO. I love it here so much. I encourage those interested to read more about the CO. here on their website as well as explore their social media! Thanks for giving me the time of day and reading this blog. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon in the next one! Have a great day and remember you’ve got this!
-Markus
