Civic House Philadelphia Nonprofit Internship Program
University of Pennsylvania
Spring 2010

***Applications are due via email to Suzanne Lyons, Civic House Associate Director, no later than 5:00pm on Monday, November 23rd.***

BACKGROUND
The Civic House Philadelphia Nonprofit Internship Program is designed to assist the work of Philadelphia area nonprofit organizations through providing funds to University of Pennsylvania undergraduates to support semester-long internships at the organization.  The Civic House Philadelphia Nonprofit Internship Program will enable students to learn more about the work that area nonprofits are involved in as well as actively participate in the Philadelphia community in a productive and meaningful way.

We are currently seeking to fill positions at two of these organizations:  Caring People Alliance (CPA) and Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY).  In addition, we anticipate having Civic House-PHENND internship placements available at organizations working to alleviate poverty and assist in economic recovery.  Please see internship descriptions below for more information. Semester interns will work 10 hours/week beginning around January 19th and continuing through April 23rd.   Should the host organization and the intern mutually agree that an extended stay is warranted, the intern may stay on for the subsequent semester(s). 

DETAILS
Eligibility:  All Penn undergraduates in the classes of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 in good standing are eligible to apply.

Compensation: (taxable) $1,250 stipend for approximately 12 weeks at 10 hours per week 

Timeline:  Applications are due via email to Suzanne Lyons, Civic House Associate Director, no later than 5:00pm on Monday, November 23rd.  Students will be notified of their application status no later than Friday, December 18th.  If offered an internship, a student will have until noon on Monday, December 21st to notify Civic House of their acceptance of the internship. 

Important:  The organizations will contact students they are interested in interviewing directly.  However, all questions regarding the status of your application and/or interview should be directed to Suzanne Lyons at Civic House.

Expectations:  Once a student has accepted an internship, they will be expected to:
* Work 10 hours a week throughout the semester at their assigned nonprofit organization
* Attend monthly meetings at Civic House totaling 3 over the course of the semester
* Attend an individual mid-semester check-in with Civic House staff
* Write a 4-5 page reflection paper at the end of the semester discussing your experience
* Participate in an internship panel during the 2009-2010 academic year to inform other students about the program

APPLICATION PROCESS
Below you will find a description of the positions at Caring People Alliance (CPA) and Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), as well as for a pending internship partnership working in the area of economic recovery with soon-to-be-announced organizations.  To apply, students should submit an updated version of their resume and write a personal statement (1000 words or less) describing their desire to obtain the internship and how it ties into their academic and career goals.  This single document containing your resume and personal statement should be submitted via email to Suzanne Lyons at smlyons@upenn.edu no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, November 23rd.  If applying for more than 1 internship, students must include a ranking of their preferences in the body of their email.  In addition, students must submit a separate application for each position for which they are applying.  Once your application is submitted, you will receive an e-mail acknowledgment of receipt.  If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 1 business day of submitting your application, please call Civic House at 215-898-4831. Any questions regarding this process should be directed to Suzanne at smlyons@upenn.edu.  

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTIONS: 

CARING PEOPLE ALLIANCE AT WEST PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY CENTER:
Caring People Alliance, an affiliate of the Boy & Girls Clubs of America, is one of the Philadelphia region's most comprehensive human service agencies. Their primary focus is on children and youth and the matters that most affect them. This internship would be at the West Philadelphia Community Center, which is currently providing services for its Early Learning and After-School programs. The intern assigned to this project will assist the center directors in strategic planning for the various programs provided at the center. The intern will gain general knowledge in the following areas: recruitment, program development, program implementation and outcome measurement. This will be a good opportunity for an intern who wants to learn all the phases of program development in the non-profit sector.

PUBLIC CITIZENS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH (PCCY)
PCCY is the region's leading children's advocacy organization, working to improve the lives and life chances of children in Southeastern Pennsylvania. They work to monitor and improve the public systems that serve children � health care, child care, education, arts education, safety net programs, child protection and juvenile rehabilitation. As an organization that focuses on policy initiatives, PCCY offers an intern the opportunity to learn how to be a public policy researcher and advocate. S/he will work on a variety of assignments � perform research and writing, assist with outreach, and attend staff, strategy, and/or coalition meetings when possible. S/he will also have the opportunity also to help organize and participate in events and direct service projects that inform PCCY's advocacy agenda in its various focus areas. PCCY is also researching issues facing immigrant children; a project on which the intern also may assist. "The Bottom Line is Children, 2008" report is available on PCCY's web site (www.pccy.org) and can give applicants a more complete look at the state of children in our region and PCCY's issue areas.  

CIVIC HOUSE-PHENND INTERNSHIP IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY (Pending)
The proposed Civic House-PHENND Internship in economic recovery will place students with Philadelphia-based organizations working to alleviate poverty and assist with economic recovery among four important channels:  food stamp enrollment, volunteer income tax assistance, financial education for youth and adults, or micro-entrepreneurship training.  Interns' assignments are being designed such that they will make substantive contributions to the organizations involved.  Though we are awaiting final approval of the program, we will know the status of these internships by the end of the semester so students are encouraged to apply now as a part of this process.