Meet Grant Kennedy: internship opportunity fuels career at CUPS

In his practicum self-described as warm, inviting and encouraging, Grant Kennedy explained the key mentorship moments that “set the stage” for his interest in remaining for a career with CUPS. Placed in an early iteration of the service area he now leads, Grant, our Senior Manager of Family & Child Development, started with CUPS in 2012 during his diploma in social work at Mount Royal University.

He recalled the impact his then practicum supervisor Jacqui Patterson had on his early work trajectory. Following his work experience, his first role with our organization was a family resource coordinator.

“It was the way she approached her work from such a judgement-free place that really allowed me to see my strengths and where I could find a fit from a professional lens,” he said.

A great feeling of accomplishment came with joining CUPS post-internship. More so, Grant was able to continue the projects he had started. His practicum was a perfect balance of connecting with and shadowing professionals in different service areas, and opportunities to meet the CUPS community.

Transitioning from classroom to practical social work offered tremendous skills-based learning as well.

“Taking the lead on interviewing and chatting with the people we help, conducting needs or family-based assessments or practicing from a case note and recording perspective was important,” he said.

A longstanding program, our Building Foundations practicum has received considerable investment from the RBC Foundation’s Future Launch. We’re, in fact, celebrating a connection with the Royal Bank of Canada that’s lasted over three decades.

“It’s great to have the backing to continue and take on as many students as we can,” Grant said. “This benefits learning, but also makes Calgary an even better professional setting for the social services.”

In that sense, the practicum program is beneficial not only for the students themselves, but the entirety of the CUPS team who gets to give back as the teachers and mentors as well.

“There’s always great discussions from a philosophical and theoretical basis,” he said, referring to new approaches that are not yet tapped. “It keeps us mindful about why we do what we do.”

New to our practicum, thanks to ongoing funding from RBC, is a practice job interview for outgoing students. Grant said an opportunity like this would have meant a great deal to him, back in his year. It’s a chance to know your own nerves and how you might fare in an interview setting.

“You’ll get some of that real time feedback and have it reflected back to you regarding your strengths and better prepare you for sending out applications and sitting through that process,” he said.

“The more you can have those experiences, the better.”