With Who: CofC Center for Sustainable Development
Location: Charleston, SC (this internship will switch to remote if the Fall 2020 semester goes fully virtual)
Dates: Fall 2020 (Monday, August 31st – Friday, November 20th, 2020)
Hours: 12-15 hours per week. Some evening and weekend work may be required. Contract extensions are contingent upon performance evaluations and student interest.
Position Summary: (This is a paid internship.) The Social Justice Coffee Hour (SJCH) Intern in the Center for Sustainable Development at the College of Charleston (CofC) is responsible for developing and implementing SJCH programming for the campus and broader community. SJCH is a core program of the Center and requires a professional presence, an understanding of intersectionality, and the ability to intellectually collaborate with the Sustainability
Team, CofC Faculty, and community organizations.
Core Duties:
- Perform thorough research to become well-versed on the nuances of the particular social justice issue being examined, while documenting key findings in a project journal
- Provide a forum for educated and informal dialogue about different social justice issues by presenting attendees with different viewpoints and voices on a selected topic, culminating in two Social Justice Coffee Hour events per semester. Note: One SJCH event will be held during Fall 2020 Climate Fridays (Contact: Dr. Jen Wright)
- Explore the work that community members are doing to address these issues while connecting attendees with these organizations and individuals
- Contact potential facilitators who might be interested in contributed to the SJCH discussion
- Create discussion questions that adequately examine the social justice issue at hand within time constraints of virtual events
- Capture attendee survey feedback and implement suggestions in future coffee hours
- Plan and coordinate event promotion in partnership with the CSD Leadership Team
The SJCH Intern is expected to foster a safe and respectful space through empathic listening and insightful conversation, while highlighting the intersectionality among multiple issues. Strong facilitation skills and knowledge of social justice issues will be essential for success in this position.
Internship Program Requirements: In addition to the specific duties mentioned above, the SJCH Intern will be required to complete the following** as part of the core Center for Sustainable Development Internship Program:
- Attendance:
- Weekly meetings (Fridays, 2-3:15 pm^)
- Complete 12-15 hours on a weekly basis
- Mandatory events, seminars, and trainings (e.g., Safe Zone Training), including one professional development session/semester
- Two Center-sponsored events/semester (in addition to Intern’s core project/program)
- Schedule weekly (virtual) check-in’s with CSD Staff Advisor
- Volunteer to assist other team members, when schedule permits
- Writing:
- Outline Internship goals (Goal Sheet) and maintain an Internship Checklist
- Document accomplishments, challenges, and pertinent information for future Interns in a project journal
- Write a 250-word summary about events and major projects you coordinate
- Send weekly updates to Staff Advisor
- Submit timesheets (semi-monthly)
- Respond to Internship Program Exit Survey
- Complete self-assessment
- Use OAKS for Internship Program documentation submission
- Complete pre- and post-Internship sustainability literacy assessment
- Team Communication:
- Meet with Staff Advisor on a semi-monthly basis
- Provide project/program updates during weekly Team meetings
- Respond promptly and professionally to Center-related communications (within 48 hrs.)
- Adopt Slack as primary task and communication management tool
** The time spent completing the above counts toward the Program’s hour requirements.
^ Students who need to leave by 3 pm will still be considered.
This position requires a minimum commitment of one semester and 12-15 hours per week. Some evening and weekend work may be required. Contract extensions are contingent upon performance evaluations and student interest.
Eligibility:
- PT/FT undergraduate students
- PT/FT graduate students
- All majors, minors, years, and identities are encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: Applications close on Sunday, August 16th, 2020 at 11:59 pm.
Apply (or request more information): Apply today! See more internship description information (Handshake Post for Social Justice Coffee Hour Intern), or submit your application via the CofC Sustainable Development Internship Program form.