Guest Blogger: My co-op experience at Justice for Children and Youth

My name is Grace Choi and I’m a grade 12 student at Bloor Collegiate Institute.

This year I decided to take a co-op course at Justice for Children and Youth. I have been always interested in pursuing a career in law ever since I took my grade 11 law course. I loved the practical uses of boring textbooks in real life applications and how I could help other people with the knowledge. I’m also very interested in social work which I think was influenced by my mom who is a social worker. Working for JFCY was an amazing opportunity for me to not only learn what the lawyers do but also to put myself through a test to see if I still want to pursue a career in the field of law.  

It’s been roughly 5 months since I started working for JFCY. My duties include reception relief, updating library materials, reviewing publications, editing pamphlets, etc. I also had several opportunities to go to the court and see JFCY lawyers in action. The most challenging part of my job was being on the phone when people speak too fast or if they are very emotional.


The most rewarding part of the job was the experience of working in an office environment, an opportunity most high school students miss. I am grateful to have learned how to interact with co-workers, how to work independently and how to manage time effectively.

My overall experience at JFCY was more than satisfactory. I gained valuable experience and got to know great people who devote themselves to young vulnerable people. Everyone, including my direct supervisor, have been very caring and supportive and I felt that they wanted me to learn as much as I could from my co-op experience.

Most importantly, I now have better insight on working in the field of law and what kinds of things I need to work on to become a good lawyer.