• This initiative places college students in paid internships with neighborhood groups in low-income communities. The purpose is to increase the capacity of neighborhood groups to accomplish community goals, and to encourage students who are interested in community building by giving them a practical, educational experience.

• The launch occurred in January of 1998 with five interns, five neighborhood groups and the following supporting organizations:

• This is a community building initiative, rather than simply a contribution of a student’s expertise. The project connects the strengths of individuals, neighborhood groups, companies and institutions to have a positive community impact. Learning is key, with all involved open to learning from each other.

• The initiative will expand over time, to possibly include additional academic institutions, company sponsors, more faculty involvement, more internship projects and different project types. Currently, the structure of a project consists of a student working approximately 15 hours per week. Projects last a semester with the option to continue if all parties are satisfied.

Selection of internship projects is done jointly by United Way, the academic institutions and the Community Housing Resource Center. Application, review and selection take place during the two months prior to the beginning of an academic semester. As there is currently only capacity to place a few interns, no public request for internship projects has been issued.

Students often have limited transportation, nearby sites are the most feasible. Beyond that consideration, the highest priority will be given to neighborhood groups that:

• Have a specific project for an intern that would challenge the student, be doable in the time frame, build the capacity of the neighborhood group and have a community impact.
• Have a designated person with the ability to orient and supervise the intern.
• Show that neighborhood residents are involved in the group and are working on neighborhood issues. These groups would generally be volunteer driven and have limited resources.
• Have a history of working with other groups in the neighborhood. Demonstrate a willingness to collaborate.
• Express a willingness to work with businesses and universities.
• Express a willingness to come together with other groups to share learnings from the internship project and to interact with the media.
• Be willing to evaluate progress.

Please respond to the following questions (type or print clearly).

1. Name of group, contact person, contact information
2. Founding date, mission and goals
3. Accomplishments
4. Number of paid staff (titles, full/part time) and number of volunteers
5. Description of workspace: Where is your workspace? What hours is it accessible? Would the intern have access to a phone, fax, computer at this site or elsewhere? Describe accessibility by public transportation.
6. Has your group had an intern/interns before? Explain.

1. Describe the specific project that you would like an intern/interns to work on.
2. Time required: How many hours per week would it take to accomplish this project? For how many weeks? What time of day would the intern need to work (evenings, weekends, business hours?)
3. Would the intern be assisting other staff or working independently?
4. Who would supervise the intern? How would the intern be supervised?
5. How will you know if this project is successful? What would you expect the outcome to be? How would you make sure that the work completed by the intern lasts?

1. How are community residents involved in your work?
2. Does your group work with other groups in the community? Are there groups in the community doing similar work? Do you cooperate with each other? Describe some of these relationships.
3. How does your group communicate with the community (newsletters, gatherings, phone trees, etc.)?

1. Does your group have a relationship with a company? Would you be interested in working with a company?
2. Would you be open to site visits or volunteers from a company or academic institution?
3. Would you be willing to give feedback/presentations on the internship to a company, academic institution, media or other?
4. Would you be willing to provide information on the internship for evaluation purposes?