Join the Words Alive Team

Internship Opportunities - Detailed Description

POSITION:  Learning Design for Social Impact Intern (unpaid)

COMPENSATION: Unpaid internship; volunteer position

SCHEDULE: 10-20 hours/week; 3-6 months, strong preference for an academic semester.

LOCATION:  Must be U.S. based; San Diego strongly preferred.  Virtual and in-person options.

REPORTS TO: Program Director

WHO WE ARE: Words Alive connects children, teens, and families to the power of reading. During the 2021-2022 academic year, we served over 5,000 children, teens, and families impacted by systemic issues such as homelessness, poverty, foster care, abuse, and mass incarceration.

WHO YOU ARE: Our ideal candidate:

  • Is eager to do meaningful work, try new things, and meet new people;

  • Continually is learning and craves hands-on opportunities to try what they have learned;

  • Has a strong desire to build more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible communities;

  • Wants to participate in workshops and sessions to help them better navigate the workforce;

  • Is deeply motivated by the power of reading!

POSITION OVERVIEW: Words Alive is seeking an organized, thoughtful intern with strong writing skills and a deep interest in informal curriculum development to help us deliver the Words Alive mission. Our Learning Design Intern leads and supports passionate, experienced volunteers (many are retired teachers) to create high-quality informal curriculum for use in our programming for youth 0-18.

INTERN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The focus of this internship can be tailored to meet the academic and professional pursuits of a candidate.  For example, it could be focused on early childhood education, school age youth, middle/high school youth, social justice/impact, diversity, or several other specialty fields.  In general, the internship focuses on:

Curriculum Management (60%)

  • With staff, support the creation of high-quality curriculum produced by skilled volunteers, including organizing activities and responding to inquiries within various communication channels and electronic databases.

  • Help train, onboard, and manage volunteers while helping the team stay motivated and engaged.

  • Support the quality control of the content being developed (e.g. analyzing the use of asset and deficit-based language, aligning with best practices) and make recommendations for improvement.

  • Input, organize, and analyze information, records, and data relating to curriculum in development and make recommendations for improvement.

Complete Special Project(s) (25%)

In addition to supporting our organization’s programs and operations, we provide interns with the opportunity to focus on at least one major strategy, project, or contribution.  Focus areas and major projects for this internship might include developing and implementing:

  • Curate and organize content on our interactive, online gallery of student voices called Novel Ideas.

  • Research best practices in informal education and train staff and volunteers

  • Create a strategy to mobilize volunteers to select and develop under-selected curriculum projects

  • Another project in discussion with supervisor.

Grow Professionally (10%)

  • Gain meaningful, transferable work experience and skills in an innovative work environment

  • Exposure to prospective career paths

  • Insight into different departments and roles within a business or organization while creating lasting connections

  • Apply what you've learned in school in a professional work environment

  • Work on a hybrid (remote/in-person) team; learn about remote and in-office work

  • Learn how to navigate databases and online platforms

  • Participate in workshops, seminars, and career building activities.

  • Attend regular staff and department meetings, events, etc.

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

EXPECTATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

We are looking for candidates who:

  • Have a high school degree or equivalent

  • Provide their own computer and have access to the internet

  • Have proficient computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, & Zoom

  • Have good written and verbal communication skills

  • Are self-directed and able to work without supervision

  • Are energetic and eager to tackle new projects and ideas

We prefer candidates who:

  • Are looking to enter a career in education, informal/out-of-school time education, literacy instruction, creative youth development, professional writing, education administration/management, volunteer mobilization, or a related field.

  • Have some volunteer experience with a nonprofit organization

  • Have some post-high school education, service, or work experience

  • Have lived experiences aligned with our mission, have participated in Words Alive’s programming or volunteered with us.

WORDS ALIVE VALUES & CULTURE
At Words Alive, our programs and impact made in the community are driven by our core values, which represent the motivation, dedication, and focus of our Words Alive staff and volunteers. Our values include:

  • Commitment: by pledging to make reading matter for everyone

  • Equitability: by working to level the playing field

  • Empowerment: by investing in lifelong learners

  • Responsiveness: by listening to community needs and developing innovative solutions

  • Collaboration: by partnering with the community

  • Connectedness: by creating a familial environment that includes all Words Alive participants and support

TO APPLY: Carefully review this description to ensure it is a good fit.  Send us 1) a letter or introductory video sharing why you’d like to work with Words Alive, and 2) a resume or summary of experiences qualifying you for this position via email to: [email protected]. 

Start Dates: Fall 2024, Spring 2025