Learn more about the opportunities for Social Justice Interns!
Catholic Charities Positions:
Immigration and Refugee Services
The intern will support Immigrant Survivors Project Specialists by assisting with advocacy on behalf of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, including writing and/or translating victims’ personal statements and civil documents such as marriage, death, divorce, and birth certificates; taking fingerprints for FBI background checks; writing executive case summaries; reviewing and summarizing medical, court, and police records, helping maintain database records, and making photocopies of legal cases. Additionally, the intern will support the Family Reunification Program with broad immigration issues related to immigration processes. Spanish language required.
Volunteer Engagement Intern
The Department of Volunteer Engagement is a dynamic new team at Catholic Charities that is leading and managing volunteer engagement activities across the organization. Together, this team will build out a renewed volunteer experience at Catholic Charities that touches thousands yearly.
The Loyola Social Justice Intern will assist the Department of Volunteer Engagement with a variety of administrative tasks and special projects to further the Department’s objectives. Under the supervision of the Department Director, intern responsibilities will include:
- Engaging with volunteers to determine interests and availability.
- Conducting outreach calls and/or surveys to gain volunteer feedback.
- Updating volunteer database to ensure active participation and current contact information.
- Providing support to projects and initiatives, such as Celebration of Giving, School Supply Drives, Tuesday Night Suppers, and Volunteer Appreciation Events.
- Participating in meetings and activities that advance a coordinated volunteer engagement strategy across the Agency.
Community & Partner Engagement Intern
The Community & Government Engagement Intern will work together with team members to foster and strengthen Charities’ relationships across three core constituent groups, including:
- The region’s 2+ million Catholics, including parish leaders, their staff, and members
- Key neighborhood and community leaders across the region who partner with Charities and other human services organizations to protect, enrich, and sustain their well-being, livelihood, and surrounding social infrastructure.
- Local government officials and dignitaries throughout Cook and Lake counties.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Developing mapping resources for the six (6) distinct community regions
- Creating content and collateral for partnership development and outreach
- Supporting the efforts of the Catholic Charities young professionals “Junior Board”
- Facilitating outreach surveys for partners and collaborators
- Conducting data entry in Raiser’s Edge (a customer relationships management system) in order to effectively manage stakeholder engagement.
- Providing support to various projects and initiatives, such as the Diaper Depot, Tuesday Night Suppers Program, Congressional or Aldermanic Breakfasts, Regional Mission Board Events, etc.
- Participating in meetings and activities that advance a coordinated mission engagement strategy across the Agency.
Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (FORA) position:
FORA Educational Intern
As a whole, FORA uses research-backed method High Dosage Tutoring to ensure refugee families are provided access to a robust education. Social Justice interns have the opportunity to work directly with our students and staff, learning about the daily operations of a grass-root non-profit organization. FORA not only provides daily tutoring to refugee students in the Westridge neighborhood but we also work with families and teachers to ensure FORA is providing fulfilling assistance to students outside of the CPS classroom. Interns will work with staff to evaluate student curriculum, manage student case files, implement strategies for tutor recruitment, assist with administrative tasks fundamental for operation, conduct community research, and more.
The large majority of FORA’s 60 students are Rohingya students who have suffered from ethnic cleansing and genocide and who arrive in the United States illiterate in their native language. On-site interns will work with and get to well know all students. FORA is not a traditional "homework center," and the type of tutoring that we engage in is cutting edge and is called "high dosage tutoring," targeted to address the specific needs of refugee “SIFE” students. (students with interrupted formal education). We offer each child at least ten hours a week of 2-to-1 or 1-to-1 student-teacher ratio tutoring focused on foundational skills and educational scaffolding.
GirlForward Positions:
Programs Assistant: Mentoring Intern & Education Intern
Interns work closely with their assigned supervisor to tailor the internship to the interns specific learning interests. All program assistants have the same basic responsibilities but their focus varies depending on program placement. Program Assistants can work with MENTORING, EDUCATION, OR SAFE SPACES. MENTORING Program Assistants are more focused on the mentoring matches, supporting mentors, and event planning. EDUCATION Program Assistants are more focused on creating academic supports, supporting tutors, and building academic curriculum for Camp GirlForward. SAFE SPACES Program Assistants are more focused on supporting the Advisory Board participants, monitoring and evaluation, and designing programs.
Specific responsibilities for all Program Assistants include:
- Assisting staff with participant recruitment and retention.
- Assisting staff with volunteer management by supporting a caseload of mentoring matches and/or tutors and brainstorming solutions for volunteer challenges.
- Creating content and curriculum for specific programs.
- Engaging community through special events, workshops, and home visits.
- Building relationships with participants through tutoring and social support.
- Completing administrative tasks such as data entry and evaluation.
Communications and Development Internships
Interns work closely with their assigned supervisor to tailor the internship to the interns specific learning interests. The Communications & Development Assistant promotes GirlForward’s mission, brand and programs through the website, email, and social media as well as donor communications. They work on strategic communications, digital organizing, and content creation.
Specific responsibilities for all Development & Communications Assistants include:
- Implementing messaging with dignity communication strategies through narrative creation, posting content, and creating marketing materials.
- Researching social media and digital campaigns best practices.
- Build community relationships with donors and participants.
- Planning fundraising campaigns and events.
- Completing administrative tasks such as data entry and evaluation.
Misericordia Positions:
Personal Effectiveness Program
The Personal Effectiveness Program (PEP) was specifically developed for individuals who are unable to effectively adapt to the demands or experiences within typical developmental and vocational settings. The program and environment is designed to address residents’ behavioral needs while promoting the development of adaptive behaviors necessary to participate productively in their choice of training and enrichment programs. Using sensory and interactive technology including IPADS and Smart Boards, PEP instructors assist individuals in gaining and enhancing skills in the areas of concentrating, waiting, asking for help appropriately, making choices, and accepting correction or redirection.
Interns will assist classroom instructors in providing individualized services to participants. These specialized services could include communication, positive behavior support, functional academic & vocational skills, independent living skills, and social & interpersonal skills. Interns will co-facilitate with instructors in group settings and provide 1:1 support when needed.
Developmental Training (DT) Program
The Developmental Training Programs at Misericordia support participants through the development of life skills, core learning objectives, vocational skills, and employment. This is achieved in an environment that promotes person centered planning and an individualized approach. Participants also enjoy a variety of services and experiences, such as wellness, community, art, cultural events, horticultural programs, therapeutic and sensory activities. The DT Programs are committed to enable all participants to attain a maximum level of social recreational activities, community-based experiences, and personal skill development.
Interns will have the opportunity to assist DT Instructors in a variety of classroom and extracurricular environments. Interns will assist with unit-based curriculum and lesson plans.
Community Day Services Intern (CDS) Program
Community Day Services (CDS) programs assist participants with exploring and knowing their community, including transportation options, work and vocational exploration, and social, recreational, and educational options. There is an emphasis on developing natural supports and relationships in the community, which are essentially relationships beyond provider relationships that form through community involvement. We accomplish forming relationships through work and volunteer positions, and through participation in community-based resources, such as a class at the local library, participation in a club, being a regular at a coffee shop, etc.
Community-based Learning
Engage Chicago, our community-based learning program, takes classroom-based learning and applies it in the community. Engage Chicago has two main service components: Community Connections and Employment Readiness. Through Community Connections, participants experience the resources of their community. Community Connections will have many community-based learning transitions, such as maintaining community gardening, and pursuing fitness in the community. Through Employment Readiness, participants explore different occupations that exist in the community, including conducting practice interviews and professional greetings with actual employers. Employment Readiness also supports sustained volunteer opportunities in Chicago and the suburbs. Engage Chicago incorporates the Discovery Process, where participants work with the instructor to not only identify themes that they want to explore, but also developing the plan to have those experiences. Discovery themes will rotate as the group runs its course with the topic. Participants can move between Engage groups to pursue the areas that most interest them.
ONE Northside Positions:
Community Organizing Intern
Help build grassroots community power with ONE Northside. The intern will help us build and strengthen relationships with community partners (schools, churches, service providers, block clubs, tenant organizations, etc.) and their members/clients. The intern will be responsible for engaging in community outreach, doing data entry, and regular follow-up with new contacts to invite them into ONE Northside events and trainings. Additionally, the intern will support training programs on political education, organizing skills, and civics by supporting logistics - creating Zooms, sending calendar invites, etc., conducting outreach via email, phone, and targeted flyering, preparing pre-event and post-event materials, data entry, and social media support. Ideal for someone who wants to understand how social justice organizations operate aside from issue campaign work, though there will be plenty of opportunities to attend issue team meetings and organizational meetings.
