Intern/Volunteer

Teaching for Change depends on the support of committed individuals to intern or volunteer throughout the year. In exchange for their time and expertise, we provide interns and volunteers with hands-on experience in the effort to promote social and economic justice through transformative, quality education.

Tellin' Stories Project Intern

Help document the impact of our ground-breaking approach to parent engagement called the Tellin’ Stories Project. A description, with short film, of this project can be found on our website at: http://www.teachingforchange.org/parentorg/overview

The intern/volunteer would help collect stories about our work through parent interviews and the review of printed evaluations. They would also take photos to strengthen our communications about our work. These stories and the data can help us assess whether we are meeting our goals and can be used to develop up-to-date reports to post online. The work would be in DC and Prince George’s County. We need a minimum of 1 day a month (ideally more). Background or training in evaluation or communications would be helpful.

ONGOING: We need interns or volunteers to work on a variety of projects, including:

Marketing and outreach to schools locally and nationally
This is an ideal opportunity for graduate students in marketing and/or communications programs to get hands on experience in marketing analysis, developing press releases, marketing plan development, website design and more. Projects include promotion of our bookstore at Busboys and Poets in DC, the Zinn Education Project, and specific publications. Past interns have helped in the marketing of new publications, such as Beyond Heroes and Holidays and Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, to schools locally and nationally. Applicants must have at least one year of formal marketing and/or communications training.

Publications Research
Interns are needed to conduct image and text research for upcoming publications and reprints. They are involved in all aspects of this work, including assisting with research, editing, layout and design. Applicants must be graduate level students and ideally have formal training the content area of the respective publication.

Effective Practices Documentation
This is an opportunity to learn about the effective work of teachers locally and nationally. Interns conduct interviews with teachers by phone or email, and/or conduct site visits. Past interns have documented effective equity practices in DC schools and have conducted on-line interviews to document and share creative uses of Teaching for Change’s resources. Applicants must have at least one year of teacher training and be skilled listeners and writers.

Organizing
Hands-on experience for organizers with Tellin’ Stories, a project that transforms parent/school relations at the local school level and citywide in DC. Organizers are needed to share strategies, to negotiate and keep the pressure on the bureaucracy, and to help with outreach. Applicants must have at least one year formal training in organizing.

Overall Requirements

Interns and volunteers are selected based on their individual interests and backgrounds in conjunction with organizational needs.
There is no minimum time requirement. The schedule can be set according to the needs of the intern and the specific assignment.
As a small organization, we have found students who have completed a Bachelor’s level of education have held the most successful internships.
Most students arrange to receive academic credit and/or financial assistance at their educational institutions for their internship period

Hear what some past interns have said about their experience at Teaching for Change:

In many ways the internship was better than what I expected. I was dreading the sitting-in-a-desk-eight-hours-each-day part. Luckily, I rarely did that! I was pleasantly surprised by the Tellin’ Stories field trips to schools. That was an incredible start to the summer – it provided evidence of the changes Teaching for Change is catalyzing and motivated me for the following weeks. I learned so much! I appreciated having substantial projects that required thought – not just menial tasks. I really appreciated the freedom to attend various events throughout DC. Additionally, I didn’t know too much about how nonprofits worked before and this summer was a great introduction.
-- Kourtney Bettinger, Truman Fellow

Interning with Teaching for Change gave me substantive experience with a non-profit organization dedicated to progressive education. Interns work with the director to develop an internship based on the intern's strengths and interests and Teaching for Change’s needs. The internship expanded my understanding of the education field through conferences, meetings, newsletters, organizational networks and research.
--Lynn Evans, American University

My internship at Teaching for Change was extremely insightful, and very rewarding. I became part of a movement that I had previously only read about: the movement to introduce themes of social justice into educational institutions……Internships are supposed to give interns a chance to do work that they normally wouldn’t be able to do at an entry-level position. Teaching for Change did just this. It gave me an opportunity to do more work at a professional and mature level than I could have ever hoped for.
--Rishi Awatramani, Vassar College

As an intern with Teaching for Change, the people around me continually deepened my understanding of social justice-based education. While talking with teachers using Teaching for Change’s resources in their classrooms, I got many wonderful ideas about how to engage students and educate for social justice. For anyone interested in learning more about transformative education, Teaching for Change is a perfect place to intern.
--Robyn Lingo, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

If you are interested in an internship with us, please email a letter of interest and your resume to info@teachingforchange.org.

PREVIOUS INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS

Yasmine Taylor-Hart (Teacher volunteer, Summer and Fall, 2010)
Ibrahim Elshamy (Truman Scholar, Summer 2010)
Heather Fluit (Truman Scholar, Summer 2010)
Darlene Germino (General Board of Church and Society Ethnic Young Adult Intern Placement, Summer 2010)
Julie Smolinski (Volunteer, Summer 2010)
Ijeoma Njaka (Brown University, Summer 2010)
Lauren Reed (American University, Fall 2009)
Lauren Elizabeth Mitchell (Vanderbilt, Summer 2009)
Zach Crago (Truman Scholar, Summer 2009)
Jonathan Kim (General Board of Church and Society Ethnic Young Adult Intern Placement, Summer 2009)
Amy Rothschild (Yale, Summer 2009)
Heather Torretta (4th grade teacher volunteer, Summer 2008)
Rachael Debnam (Morehead-Cain Fellowship, Summer 2008)
Ali Lange (Truman Scholar, Summer 2008)
Eagan Heath (Truman Scholar, Summer 2008)
Liz Morasso, (Catholic University, 2007-2008 school year)
Lindsay J. Kopitzke (FCPS, 2007-2009 school year)
Rebecca MacMillan (Cornell, Summer 2007)
Kourtney Bettinger (Truman Scholar, Summer 2007)
Danielle Escontrias (Truman Scholar, Summer 2007)
Bruce Haupt (Truman Scholar, Summer 2007)
Jennifer Magaha O’Looney (George Mason University, Summer 2007)
Kameelah Rasheed (Truman Scholar, Summer 2006)
Victoria Luhrs (Truman Scholar, Summer 2006)
Lauren McAlee (Truman Scholar, Summer 2006)
Stacia Stribling (GMU, Spring 2006)
Rebecca Helgerson (GMU, Spring 2006)
Tammi Cioffi (GMU, Spring 2006)
Patti Longoria (Morehead Fellow, Summer 2005)
Katie Li (Truman Scholar, Summer 2005)
Robyn Lingo (University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Summer 2004)
Megan Wells-Jamieson (Truman Scholar, Summer 2003)
LaTasha Tucker (UMBC, Spring 2003)
Rashida L. Roberts (Georgetown University, 2002-2003)
Luis Valentin (Pilar Barbosa Fellowship, Summer 2002)
Kathleen Suarez Reyes (Pilar Barbosa Fellowship, Summer 2002)
Rachel Lander (Spring 2002)
Rishi Awatramani (Vassar, Summer, 2000)
Amber Young (Amherst, Summer 2000)
Leslie Smith (Antioch, Spring 2000)
Lynn Evans (American University)
Kristina Fiorillo (American University)
Taher K. Manasterli (American University)
Heidi Shin (Wellesley College)
Nyere Miller (Edmund Burke)
Melissa Belli (Summer, 1991)
Maria Pilar Zamora (1990-91)