CWS Identified Internships

International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning

IRC is one of the first to respond, one of the last to leave. For more than 70 years, the International Rescue Committee has been a leader in humanitarian relief. We mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support to regions torn apart by violence and deprivation. We provide a fresh start in the U.S. for refugees. And we advocate tirelessly on behalf of the displaced, addressing the root causes of violence and standing up for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

IRC Boston
Since 1979, the International Rescue Committee in Boston has welcomed 13,000 refugees and asylees from over 40 countries, helping them adjust to living and working in the greater Boston area. Refugees share a resolve to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities available to them in their new lives. The strength and determination that made their survival possible helps them meet the challenge of adapting to their new society and becoming self-sufficient. Committed to restoring their dignity and self-reliance, the IRC strives to ensure refugees have access to essential services and support.

Our goal is to help refugees reestablish social stability and gain the skills they need to secure stable employment.  Over time, most refugees realize their dreams of becoming U.S. citizens. They strengthen Boston by starting businesses, owning homes and sending their children to college.

Internship Description:
The IRC Boston relies on the energy and talent of interns and volunteers to assist in all aspects of refugee resettlement in the greater Boston area. Volunteers are essential to the work that is done in and out of the office, and they come to the IRC with a variety of skills and strong interest in refugee issues both globally and domestically. Their work at the IRC in Boston is primarily related to domestic resettlement — assisting refugees in accessing basic services and helping them adjust to life in the United States.  The intern with the IRC will work with the volunteer coordinator to plan out her time in one or two of the following programs.

International Youth Program Intern
The International Youth Program (IYP) Intern assists refugee youth in developing English skills and engages them in educational and community activities. Summer program activities have included sports, arts and crafts, field trips, writing and drama for refugee high school students. The Intern will assist with program development, planning and implementation, and attend the IYP on a daily basis. The Intern must be sensitive to issues faced by refugees, as many of the IYP participants are very new to the country, have below average literacy levels and speak very little English. Some have lost years of formal education due to war and displacement. 

Resource Development Assistant
The Resource Development Department cultivates support for refugees through production of IRC publications, special events and active fundraising. The Resource Development Assistant will assist with the planning, advertisement, coordination and staffing of fundraising, special events, and campus outreach initiatives; identify and manage monetary and in-kind donations; handle administrative tasks as needed; assist with grant research and writing; and assist with advocacy for and public education about refugees and the work of IRC. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English required. Strong computer skills preferred. Experience in fundraising or event planning preferred.

Employment Program Intern
The Boston area job market continues to be selective and competitive, and it is difficult for newly arrived refugees– especially those who do not speak fluent English or lack job-relevant experience – to find gainful employment. The Employment Intern will help refugees with job-related English language training, mock interview, job application completion, resume development, job search techniques, basic computer training, and financial literacy training. The Intern will also accompany clients on job interviews and teach them how to use public transportation. Furthermore, the Employment Intern will conduct job searches, tailored to client’s needs, to expand IRC Boston’s network of employers.

IRC Boston’s Immigration department assists refugees and immigrants with green card applications and immigrant family reunification. Detail-oriented volunteers are essential to the Immigration department. The Immigration Intern will help clients fill out and process forms such as travel documents and Green Card applications, work one-on-one with clients to explain immigration processes, and perform some administrative tasks.

Case Management Intern
Case Managers begin working with refugees as soon as they arrive in the United States. Working closely with IRC Boston Case Managers, the Intern will assist with the provision of basic services for newly arrived refugees. This includes assisting in preparing housing and food, picking up clients at the airport, conducting basic orientation to the US, and assuring clients’ access to government programs. Case Management Interns will also serve as “interpreters” of U.S. customs and culture, emphasizing the importance of timeliness, teaching the basics of U.S. systems, and showing families where they can access community resources. Interns will also assist Case Managers in conducting home visits, preparing case notes, and with other duties in and outside of the office.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Boston Workers Alliance (BWA)
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning

The Boston Workers Alliance is a new organization based in the Roxbury’s Dudley Square, driven by under- and unemployed workers who seek new, decent jobs. The majority of our membership suffers from employment discrimination based on their CORI (criminal records). BWA activity includes organizing and advocacy to reform CORI laws, training community members in media and legislative advocacy, planning community rallies and marches, and developing new community based businesses to challenge local joblessness.

BWA Interns will work directly with the Community Organizing Staff, Aaron Tanaka, as well as with City Councilor Chuck Turner and sponsoring organization, D7 Roundtable’s longtime community activists. The intern will work directly with Mr. Tanaka to identify and complete a substantial project meeting her interests and the needs of the organization. Additonally, she will become an intergral member of the staff and gain experience in all aspects of the organization from advocacy research to community trainings.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Boston Area Rape Crisis Center-Cambridge
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning

Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), the second oldest rape crisis center in the U.S., has been highly visible locally and nationally in the fight against violence against women. First initiated as a grassroots, activist endeavor, the organization provides hotline crisis counseling, adolescent and family services, support groups, medical advocacy and legal advocacy. BARCC also provides violence prevention education workshops for schools, community groups, teen centers, and businesses throughout the Greater Boston area. BARCC provides free services to survivors of rape and sexual assault, their friends and family, regardless of sex, race, physical/developmental disabilities, income, ethnicity, class, age, religion, or sexual orientation.

Internship Description:
The intern with BAARC will work in one of the three following areas:
Hotline Counselors: Hotline volunteers provide crisis counseling over the telephone for survivors and their significant others. They often also provide resources and referrals to callers.

• The Hotline is available to callers 24 hours a day
• Volunteers sign up for one shift per week; shifts are about 5 hours long
• Volunteers must have access to a landline in order to receive calls
• Calls can be taken from your own home

Medical Advocacy program:
Medical advocates help survivors by meeting them at the hospital following a sexual assault. Advocates provide as much support and information as is needed by the survivor and any significant others who may also be there.

• The Medical Advocacy program is available 24 hours a day
• Volunteers sign up for one shift per week; shifts are between 4-6 hours long
• A valid driver’s license or access to a car is not necessary; all partner hospitals are T-accessible
• Volunteers must be able to go to a partner hospital within 45 minutes of receiving a call or page

Community Awareness & Prevention Services program (CAPS):
CAPS presenters conduct workshops, professional trainings, clothesline project displays as well as informational tables at health and education fairs. Audiences vary and include middle and high schools, colleges, universities, community groups, shelters, conferences and various service providers.

• Presentation times range from 1-3 hours on average
• Volunteers sign up for two engagements per month
• A valid driver’s license and/or access to a car is helpful but not necessary
• Presentations include rape and sexual assault awareness and prevention, sexual harassment, bystander intervention, first responder trainings, and dating violence

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Women’s Inc., Teen Voices
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning - Boston

Teen Voices (TV) was founded in 1988 by two young adult women in Cambridge, Massachusetts who believed in the power of girls to create social change through writing and art. Their vehicle was the production and publication of Teen Voices, a magazine by, for and about teen girls that was first published two years later in 1990. The mission of Teen Voices is to further social and economic justice by empowering teenage and young adult women. The focus of Teen Voices is to work with Boston area low-income teen girls of color to develop communication and journalism skills and to use these skills to reach out to other girls, locally and nationally, through media (print and web-based) and other forums to communicate information on critical issues from a girl’s perspective. Through skills-based competency training combined with social justice education, the goal is to foster feminist leaders.

Internship Description:

Editorial Assistant/Mentor: Each mentor is matched with two teens to work on a section of the magazine. The mentor is responsible for being prepared to meet with the teens three times a week for two-hour slots. As an editorial assistant, the intern works with the editor-in-chief on various editorial tasks including conducting interviews, fact-checking, proofreading, and doing research.

Marketing & Development: The intern helps ensure Teen Voices’ financial viability by acquiring community investment through individual donors, increasing the membership base, and generating earned income through print and online ad sales and single copy sales. The intern also works to increase awareness of Teen Voices and Teen Voices Online both in the community and on a national level through the execution of public relations campaigns, increased presence at local and national events, and the development of marketing and advertising partnerships.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

St. Francis House
Lumpkin Summer Institute of Summer Learning

Founded in 1984, St. Francis House is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization. It is now recognized as New England’s largest and most comprehensive daytime shelter.

Quick Stats:

• Provides basic and emergency services
• Rehabilitation programs
• Job skills training
• Provides transitional housing for poor and homeless men and women in Boston, MA

Internship Description:
An intern with St. Francis is most likely to work with the Moving Ahead Program (MAP). MAP is a training and life skills curriculum offered through St. Francis House for adults who face chronic barriers (including but not limited to substance abuse) to homelessness and rehabilitation into the community from the penal system. This internship provides opportunity for the intern to engage in direct contact with clients and residents through programming, case management, and facilitating computer classes. St. Francis House is open to a student’s creative implementation of program ideas; past ideas include designing a game and “Studio Shine,” a clothing and fashion program to assist participants in gaining skills transferable to employment. An intern may also contribute to supporting research and program development.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Crittenton Women’s Union
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning - Boston

Last year, two historic nonprofit organizations came together in a groundbreaking merger. With a combined total of more than 300 years’ experience in moving women and their families toward economic independence, The Women’s Union and Crittenton have formed a powerful alliance.

The mission of Crittenton Women’s Union is to transform the course of low-income women’s lives so that they can attain economic independence and create better futures for themselves and their families.

We accomplish this by:

• Providing safe housing, caring supports, education, and training programs;
• Innovating new programmatic designs based on research and client experience;
• Using this knowledge and experience to shape public policy and achieve social change.

Internship Description:
Crittenton Women’s Union seeks intelligent, motivated, mission-driven interns who are willing to take on challenges and learn from our ever growing program, research and advocacy arms to effectuate system change. Our interns will be utilized to their full potential and are encouraged to provide feedback on observations relating to the organization, programs and clients.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Riverside Community Care
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning - Boston

Riverside Community Care has been a vital resource in Massachusetts for more than four decades. We offer a broad range of health and human services, including mental healthcare, developmental disability and traumatic brain injury programs, substance abuse treatment and early childhood services. Each year fourteen thousand adults, children and adolescents seek Riverside’s help. Our reach also extends to municipalities, other care providers and corporations. Whatever the need, wherever it may be, we strive to deliver responsive, innovative care that helps to build healthy communities.

Providing internship opportunities is beneficial to both students and Riverside. We are proud of the comprehensive and innovative services that we provide and look forward to offering students a rich and valuable internship experience. Following completion of their education, many student interns have continued their affiliation with Riverside as permanent staff members.

Students may be placed in programs working with individuals with mental health, substance abuse issues, developmental disabilities or traumatic head injury. Internships are also available working with young children and families in our Early Intervention Programs. Internship placements are individualized to meet the needs of the student and the program setting. Student interns function as team members and participate in all aspects of programming including case conferences and other clinical meetings. Student interns may also attend trainings offered through Riverside’s outstanding Staff Training Series.

• Mental healthcare, developmental disability and traumatic brain injury programs, substance abuse treatment and early childhood services to children, individuals and families for over four decades
• Serve 14,000 people annually
• 70 programs throughout Massachusetts

Internship Descriptions:

DAY TREATMENT INTERN
Psychiatric Day Treatment is a very structured therapeutic program for adults who are struggling with a Mental Illness. People receive day treatment by attending groups that use a wide variety of modalities and strength interpersonal skills within the milieu. Many coping skills are learned to help gain more insight, stabilize and decrease need for hospitalization in an effort to improve quality of life.

Intern Expectations:

• Initial orientation will support students becoming familiar with the culture and structure of the Day Treatment Program
• Observe the range of treatment groups, varying in type and functional level to help address the multiple needs of consumers in the program
• Assist group leader in planning and helping to organize group materials as appropriate as well as, assist in the running of group
• Develop a familiarity and comfort level with the population
• Attend community meetings and wrap-up meetings
• Gain an understanding of interdisciplinary team functions
• Attend Staff meetings and Staff rounds
• Research for specific groups, projects or other support duties as assigned

CLUBHOUSE INTERN
The Clubhouse model is a rehabilitative community, which emphasizes work, participation and choice. Members and staff work together as colleagues to accomplish the work and goals of the clubhouse and offers a variety of opportunities for social interactions.

Intern Expectations:
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY for the traditional psychology student in a not so traditional setting. The nature of clubhouse is ‘you never know where the day will take you’…organized chaos.

Interns are based in the Clubhouse Services Unit that is responsible for making lunch, running a snack bar, producing a daily video and other media projects, producing a newsletter and arts/literary magazine, maintaining a website, promoting health and wellness through education and our gym, organizing social activities and fundraising, as well as over-seeing basic financial record keeping activities. Interns assist in all aspects of the unit, working side by side with other members (and sometimes staff) to ensure that tasks are complete in helping run the Clubhouse. Each unit has four staff and an estimated 10-20 members participating each day, so you will immediately be part of a team.

Interns can also assist in job development (filling out applications, writing resumes, and conducting mock interviews) and job placement (work side-by-side members in their place of employment in the community.) As opportunity permits you can assist in advocacy/case management issues such as entitlements and benefits, housing, and team meetings.

As we believe in utilizing the strengths and talents of all members and staff, we will seek out yours and will tailor a ‘special project’ for you to work on. In addition to the work-ordered day Units that run until 3:00pm, we will tap into your hobbies and passions that you can share to help run a weekly activity from 3:00pm-3:45pm. Our past interns have run a weekly art class, games tournament, a nutrition class, softball game, etc.

Unlike most settings you can choose, we do not focus on the individuals’ mental illness. There are no medication clinics, therapy, or groups. There is no chart reviews, for the most part you will know an individuals illness by their disclosure. Our number one priority is changing one’s perception of people with mental illness as clients or consumer of services in need of help but rather as people with support that can be great contributors. Clubhouse is all about relationships, recovery, and empowerment: getting to know the real person by doing real work together.

Are you the right candidate? Here are some of the attributes we seek:

1. Out-going: able to reach-out and ask members to assist in projects or tasks.
2. Self motivated: limited supervision to complete tasks when given the objective.
3. Patient: can acknowledge that working side-by-side can take twice as long to do.
4. Flexible: can ‘go with the flow’, does not need to follow a strict planned day.
5. Team Player: can go that extra mile, put on a smile, and just help if you can.
6. Sense of Humor: You know what they say about all work and no play.

EARLY INTERVENTION INTERN
Riverside’s Early Intervention provides educational, therapeutic, and support services to children between the ages of birth and three. The children we see have, or are at–risk for, delays in their development. Our primary focus is to empower families to meet their children’s individual needs through education, training and support.

Riverside Early Intervention Student Job Expectations

Riverside Early Intervention provides opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students to work within our program under the direction of an assigned staff member(s). Student expectations may vary based on individual student and school requirements and the needs of the program.

Selection of students is based on a number of factors. Students are expected to have an interest in working with infants and toddlers and an ability to present oneself in an energetic, enthusiastic manner with positive affect. Knowledge and experience in the field of early childhood education is desirable, but the candidate may also be selected based on their personal experience and educational goals. Selection is also based on the program’s needs, the availability of appropriate supervision, and the ability to accommodate student’s scheduling needs.

Summary:
The student intern works in support of the multidisciplinary team within the Early Intervention program servicing children (0-3 years) and their families in the communities of Newton, Needham, Wellesley and Weston. The student intern is primarily responsible for supporting both center and community-based groups as well as supporting the overall administrative needs of the program.

Typical student expectations may include any or all of the following:

• Participate in child-focused or parent-child groups, as assigned. (More specific guidelines regarding expectations within group are provided as part of the student orientation)
• Prepare classroom space (i.e. arrange positional equipment, set up circle time, clear windowsills).
• Ensure classrooms are stocked with adequate supplies of wipes, paper towels, tissues, gloves, soap and cleaning solution.
• Assist in setting up and cleaning up for groups (i.e. gathers/returns materials, adaptive equipment, etc., cleans circle box items immediately following use, washes classroom surfaces, manages dishwasher).
• Assist in maintaining center’s supplies and materials (i.e. restock art supplies, fill cleaning bottles, maintain toy closet).
• Assist in planning for groups and developing curriculum ideas and therapeutic activities.
• Attend and participate in group meetings with clinicians as indicated.
• Assist with group documentation as assigned.
• Assist children on/off transportation vehicle, sign and file trip sheets.
• Assist with general clerical responsibilities during breaks from group responsibilities (i.e. filing, photocopying, other office projects).

*Observation of home visits and/or other clinical activities may occur based on individual student requirements and the availability/needs of the program. These opportunities are offered at the discretion of the program and will be discussed at the start of each student’s placement.

Group Expectations

• Before and after group
  • Help set-up and clean-up group rooms
  • Be ready to start when group begins
  • Ask staff any and all questions
  • Maintain confidentiality about children and families
• During group
  • Greet children & caregivers in a welcoming manner
  • Approach children with a positive attitude
  • Interact with children individually and in small groups
  • Encourage engagement, functional independence and social relationships
  • Provide assistance to keep children safe
  • Observe & imitate staff interactions with children
  • Make eye contact and speak with children at the child’s eye level
  • Encourage children to explore new activities
  • Use simple language
  • Learn the ways teachers use to communicate and encourage communication through pictures and gestures
  • Provide support during structured activities and transitions
  • Limit adult conversations
  • Tell children what they should do, not what they shouldn’t do
  • Use praise
  • Re-direct any parent questions to appropriate staff
  • Be aware that parents are frequently observing you with their child

Boston Community Capital
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning

Organization Description:
Boston Community Capital is a community development financial intermediary whose mission is to create and preserve healthy communities where low-income people live and work. We do this by investing in projects that provide:

• affordable housing
• good jobs
• needed goods and services
• new opportunities for people who have been locked out of the economic mainstream

The capital that Boston Community Capital invests comes from socially concerned investors and donors — individuals, religious organizations, banks, foundations and corporations.

Boston Community Capital recognizes that economic, social, and civic isolation for individuals and communities are barriers to healthy communities, economic independence, and wealth creation. Boston Community Capital creates a financial intermediary system that serves the needs of low-income and disadvantaged people and communities and connects them to the mainstream economy. It meets these needs by providing a range of financial vehicles, services and products and by acting as investment bankers in those communities. Boston Community Capital has two affiliates:

Boston Community Loan Fund provides loans to organizations and private developers for projects that provide housing, community facilities, and social services for low-income people and neighborhoods.

Boston Community Venture Fund makes equity investments in high-potential, emerging businesses that create a “double bottom line” of financial and social return to strengthen and build businesses that help to build healthy communities.

Boston Community Capital and its affiliates are certified community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Boston Community Capital, Boston Community Loan Fund and Boston Community Venture Fund are 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

Internship Description:
Working with BCC’s Strategic Initiatives Manager and Director of Development & Communications, the intern will assist BCC in its ongoing efforts to expand and develop its leadership in building healthy communities where low income people live and work.

The intern will be involved in research and writing on a variety of possible projects, including BCC’s creation of an initiative focusing on Massachusetts’s “creative economy,” BCC’s efforts to utilize the geographic web (e.g., Google Earth) to map its projects and data for both marketing and analytic purposes, and BCC’s ongoing exploration of new ideas and opportunities for the organization.

Ideal Internship Qualifications:

Office of Senator Harriette L. Chandler
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning - Boston

Senator Harriette L. Chandler ’59 (D-Worcester) was first elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in November of 2000 and was sworn into office on January 3, 2001. She was re-elected to the State Senate in both 2002 and 2004. She serves as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business. Senator Chandler also serves as Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, and as a member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing, the Joint Committee on Public Health and the Joint Committee on Housing.

The first woman from Worcester ever to be elected to the Massachusetts State Senate, she served three terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1995-2001. In her last two terms in the House she served as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care. She also served on the Worcester School Committee from 1991-1994.

Senator Chandler earned degrees from Wellesley College (B.A.), Clark University (Ph.D.) and the Simmons College Graduate School of Management (M.B.A.). She is married to Worcester attorney Burton Chandler and has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Senator Chandler is a member of the Central Massachusetts Caucus, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Tobacco Control Caucus, the Worcester Economic Development Council, the City Task Force on Crisis Management, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on At-Risk Youth, the United Way of Central Massachusetts, the Worcester Women’s History Project, the Worcester Democratic City Committee and the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee.

Internship Description:
In this legislative intern position the student will assist the Senator and her staff in a variety of areas, including legislative research, constituent services, and administrative duties. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Legislative Research: Researching bills and current issues, attending hearings, and observing floor action.

Constituent Services: Answering constituent questions with regard to procedure, handling constituent problems, attending district functions/meetings, handling town/city/county problems, researching potential problems, and responding to constituent inquiries.

Administrative Duties: Answering phones, typing, filing, preparing mailings, copying data, office errands, and reading/researching state and local news articles

The summer intern will also have to opportunity to participate in the 2008 Summer Intern Seminar Series. Seminars are scheduled during the months of June and July, usually Monday through Thursday. Through these sessions there will be an opportunity to interact with legislators and their senior staff as through a series of seminars. Topics include current political issues, the press, lobbying, and the roles of the Executive and Judicial branches.

Ideal Internship Qualification:

Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights
Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning - Boston

Mission
Located at the Boston Medical Center, The Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights’ mission is to provide comprehensive health care for refugees and survivors of torture, coordinated with legal aid and social services. We also educate and train professionals: who serve this patient population; advocate for health and human rights both domestically and internationally; a who conduct clinical, epidemiological, and legal research for the better understanding, promotion of health, and quality of life for the survivors of torture and related trauma. Through an innovative model of out-patient care, the Center provides comprehensive medical, mental health, and dental care—coordinated with legal and social services—to over 450 individuals from 67 countries each year. Interpreter services are available for over 30 languages to aid in the healing journey of each individual.

Internship Description:
This position seeks to provide additional administrative support for the daily operations of the Refugee program. Responsibilities for this position vary according to the changing needs of the Center. They may include data entry, event planning, attending meetings, and special projects. Volunteers will have the opportunity to interact with an interdisciplinary team in a dynamic hospital setting. There will be ample learning opportunities. The ability to work independently and in a team, as well as excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, is required.

Ideal Internship Qualification: