Internships/Apprenticeships

Introduction

How and where to find interns and apprentices to work for your organization.

Overview

This section includes resources to hire senior, student and organizing interns to work for and learn from your neighborhood group.

Page Index

  • Key Issues
  • Common Problems and Solutions
  • Successful Strategies
  • Annotated Web Resources
  • Topic Library
  • Sub-Topics and Vendors


    • Key Issues Related to this Topic

  • Interns provide valuable help for many neighborhood groups. With limited funds to hire staff, many neighborhood associations and community development corporations hire interns to provide needed help for their volunteers and staff.

  • Student interns are often hired to work on specific research projects or events or improvement projects.

  • Senior interns can lend their wealth of life experience to a goal of the organization.

  • Organizing interns often assist with community outreach and volunteer management.

  • Internships offer opportunities for academic, professional and personal growth. People who want to pursue a career in the fields of community development, nonprofit administration or city planning often get their start through a volunteer or paid internship with a neighborhood group. The hands-on experience and mentoring they receive during their internship can have a lasting impact on their entire career.

  • Many interns produce lasting products and impacts. Many large successful projects and campaigns in Twin Cities neighborhoods have had their start through the work of an intern. To see examples of the lasting impacts created through student interns working in Twin Cities neighborhoods, visit the Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization website.

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    Common Problems and Solutions

  • Developing a Job Description- when hiring an intern, it's vital to choose a project that will match their skill and experience level and provide them with challenges they can meet. Interns have a higher chance of success when their job description is tightly focused and has very specific desired outcomes. It is often helpful to have a volunteer advisory committee develop a project for an intern to work on. The advisory committee can then help the intern find the community contacts they need and guide them to produce a useful product.

  • Finding an intern that fits your needs- conducting a successful research project or organizing a community improvement project in a neighborhood requires finding an intern with good people skills, communication skills and ability to learn and think on their feet. It often takes several interviews with potential interns to find a candidate to match the needs of your organization.

  • Supervising an intern- before an intern is hired, your organization needs to identify the volunteers and/or staff in your organization who will provide the weekly supervision that your intern will need to succeed. Providing adequate supervision is time-consuming and requires patience and enthusiasm. Providing time for an intern to learn about and experience the many facets of your organization’s work is also important.

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    Successful Strategies

  • Use interns to help with specific, time-limited projects Interns can be most helpful when they are given a specific research project, special event, data base, website, etc. to develop and complete. The intern and their supervisor can then focus their energies to accomplishing the specific outcome. Student interns, in particular, will usually appreciate having a specific product they can point to as they describe their internship to prospective employers or schools.

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    Annotated WebLinks

  • Americorps/ VISTA
    Corporation for National Service   09/17/01
    Providing long term interns for neighborhoods.

  • Student research intern application form
    CURA Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization   09/17/01

  • Long term organizing interns.
    Lutheran Volunteer Corps   09/17/01
    Providing long term interns for neighborhoods

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    Library

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    Vendors by Sub-Topic

    Americorps/ Vista/ Lutheran Volunteers  
        Americorp/Clear Corps
        Americorps/ City of Lakes
        Americorps/ VISTA
        Lutheran Volunteer Corps


    Organizing Apprenticeships  
        Community Leader Development Program- Family & Children's Service
        CURA- Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization
        Metro State Univ. Center for Community-Based Learning
        Minneapolis Training Program for Neighborhood Organizers
        Organizing Apprenticeship Project


    Senior Volunteer Programs  
        Minneapolis Urban League/ Administration
        United Way of Minneapolis Area
        United Way of the Saint Paul Area
        Volunteer Center of Minneapolis & St. Paul
        Volunteers of America


    Student Researchers and Interns  
        CURA- Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization
        Metro State Univ. Center for Community-Based Learning


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