The Sydney Alliance offers an unpaid internship program to engage young people in community organising and civic participation. The program draws young people, generally under the age of 26, from universities across Sydney and from within member organisations (for those still in school, there is also a schools program, see contact details below).
Internships vary from 3 to 6 months and are generally structured to fit into the student’s current schedule of work and study. Applicants are interviewed by our Intern Coordinator to ensure they are motivated and prepared to commit time to the program. The project that each intern works on is organised around their interests, skills and community background, in consultation with the Intern Coordinator, senior staff at the Alliance, leaders from our partner organisations and with input from other interns.
STEPS IN THE PROGRAM
The program has 4 stages:
- Induction & Training-interns learn about the history of organising, processes, underlying values and self-reflection. The intern begins developing a project concept and scoping the project work. Part of this involves setting personal key performance indicators (KPI’s). KPI’s are also developed for the group as a whole.
- Research- interns undertake further refinement on their project plan by secondary research and observation based on the growth or leadership development of organisations they have access to through their own networks and communities.
- Community Organising- the project implementation commences; the intern is exposed to ideas and methods of social work, social justice traditions and traditional political engagement. Ongoing refinement of the project may occur based on real life experiences.
- Evaluation- a written report is produced by the intern on the project showing results and progress and next steps are identified. The interns performance against KPI’s are reviewed and next steps in the development of the intern in terms of career path, ongoing leadership development, job opportunities, etc. are explored.
Each intern is mentored through the program with regular meetings both with the Intern Coordinator and peer interns. Past reports from alumni of the program are available to new interns to assist them with their projects.
Examples of projects include engaging with a potential new partner organisation not yet engaged with the Sydney Alliance, leadership and training of a discreet set of young people from a disengaged community, undertaking a research report around an issue the Alliance is taking action on, developing a communications strategy around an issue.
BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
For the Young Person:
- Interns work with Sydneysiders of extremely diverse backgrounds, often challenging them as individuals and forcing them to think critically about their own background, values and assumptions;
- Leadership skills are developed as interns must manage their own projects, whilst learning to work in different types of teams across a multitude of tasks;
- Mentoring by professional staff and the development of life skills that can be applied both to an interns professional and personal life;
- Builds confidence and a sense of community and affirms them as an agent for change in the community;
- Develops potential future job pathways with organisations within the Sydney Alliance partnership.
For the community:
- The development of community social capital that can benefit diverse communities across Sydney, many of which do not have access to such resources and assistance;
- The development of a civically engaged next generation;
- Providing a new and growing organisation with a meaningful contribution through the project the intern develops and works on.
PROGRAM FACTS
- 36 Interns have completed the program in the past 18 months.
- Interns have come from a variety of faiths, Sunni, Shiite, Catholic, Uniting, Anglican, Jewish, Hindu & Buddhist and some from non-faith based backgrounds.
- 48% of Interns have come from ethnically diverse cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Filipino, Korean, Tamil, Bosnian, Turkish, Tongan-Australian backgrounds.
- 30% have come from highly disadvantaged backgrounds.
- These interns have contacted, trained or up-skilled a further 350 other young people during their internships.
PROGRAM COSTS
There are always more applicants for the interns program than there are places available due to funding constraints. Currently interns volunteer their time and the Sydney Alliance covers some of the costs associated with the program (such a transport and training). Additional funding would allow for more young people to be placed in the program as well as being able to improve conditions for those undertaking an internship by providing better support.
- $15,000 would support the Intern Coordinator for 2 days per week over a year to administer the interns program, train interns and supervise and mentor them;
- $3,500 would fund the purchase of an additional two work spaces for interns (desk, phone, computer, etc.);
- $3,000 would support a young intern financially over a 4-5 month period whilst undertaking the internship;
- $1,000 would provide a one off support payment to a young intern to assist them financially during the project;
- $500 would assist with costs associated with implementing the project such as transport costs for interns, consumables, etc.;
- $820 would sponsor an intern attending a residential 6 day Training and Leadership course.
If you would like to learn more about the program or provide support for our intern program, please contact the Intern Coordinator on: 0416028001
Or email dbarrow@sydneyalliance.org.au
