Calling all First-Years, Sophomores and Juniors! Internship application deadline: March 7th at 11:55 pm
Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) is a private non-profit poverty relief organization serving residents of Addison County, Vermont. Their mission is “to improve the lives of low income people in Addison County, Vermont, by helping them to identify and secure the resources needed to meet their own basic needs.” Those resources may include government assistance programs, private financial help, increased knowledge and skills in the areas of budgeting, food preparation, and much more. HOPE is not an organization that provides a static set of options, rather we work to fill unmet needs. They don’t tell people “this is what we have”, rather they ask “what do you need?”
Read the full internship posting in Handshake.
“The intern would spend most of his or her time in direct contact with our clients. The position would include staffing the reception desk, triaging clients and other visitors, writing vouchers for laundry, gasoline, and medical prescriptions, signing people in to use the Food Shelf, making referrals, and assisting with the various day to day clerical tasks and other office responsibilities. S/he may be called to assist in the creation of cooking demonstrations using locally grown produce. The intern would be invited to design a special project with the director, and would be given the time to complete that project during the internship.
The intern will learn about the extent of poverty in the community, will learn about the interface of various community programs addressing poverty, the programs and services available, and the many issues related to poverty. The intern will increase skills in communication and gain exposure to a very wide range of people, including those with substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The intern will work at HOPE for a minimum of four 8 hour days, from 8 am to 4:30 pm, with a 30 minute break for lunch. The remaining 3 hours of the weekly 35 may be spent at HOPE, in the field with a HOPE staff member, or reading on poverty issues.
The intern will need to have basic computer skills, customer service skills, and ability to interact with a wide variety of people in a non-judgmental manner, the ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment, and the ability to lift 25 pounds on a frequent basis. Must be able to travel from campus to HOPE each day.”
Funding is provided by the Center for Community Engagement and the stipend is approximately $3,500.