Xavier University
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45207
Sumer Service Internship Program 2023
For the past 28 summers, the Xavier University Summer Service Internship Program has provided a unique opportunity to nurture the commitment to community service in college youth. In 2023, the program will place 20 college interns in full-time service at selected local community agencies. These interns will provide approximately 5,600 hours of service at 20 organizations. About half of the interns will potentially work at sites that directly benefit children and youth. The agencies may include Kennedy Heights Art Center, Project Connect, Su Casa Hispanic Center, Stepping Stones, Boys and Girls Club, Heartfelt Tidbits, and Imago Earth Center.
Program Goals:
• Teach college students to become leaders within the community and understand the complex problems of marginalized populations.
• Increase awareness of community services available to individuals in the community.
Program Results:
The primary goal of teaching college students how to become leaders within the community and to understand the complex problems that marginalized populations face was met. Working full-time in a range of social service agencies and community organizations provided these interns with a unique opportunity to be engaged with populations that they might not have encountered had they taken the typical “summer job.” In our proposal, we outlined supporting a cohort of 20 interns. It is important to note that due to a smaller than average applicant pool and reduced staff in the office supporting the Summer Service Internship, we instead had a cohort of 14 interns and one student coordinator. Over half of the interns worked at sites that directly benefited children and youth. The program encouraged social responsibility and interest in vocations in human services fields, including those that serve children. The goal of increasing interns’ awareness of the community and services available to individuals in the community was met as seen through the results of the pre-and post-internship survey (see attached results).
During the summer of 2023, 14 Xavier University students provided more than 4,250 hours of service at 13 local agencies in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Dater Foundation grant funded stipends and expenses for seven interns who worked in agencies that serve children. These interns had a range of responsibilities including:
1. Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati – The intern assisted the Education Director in providing educationally-focused activities to provide reading and math enrichment and motivation and other academic enrichment programs for children ages 6-18.
2. Heartfelt Tidbits – The intern assisted with the youth and educational operations of Heartfelt Tidbits. Some responsibilities included facilitation of programs, tutoring, working with youth and adult clients in an educational capacity, client interviews, and working in a team environment with the ability to participate in and add to group discussions.
3. Imago Earth Center – The intern helped with developing, teaching, and evaluating the agency’s environmental education programs (primarily summer camps) for children ages 4-14.
4. Kennedy Heights Art Center – The intern served as a program assistant for art opportunities camp, arts events, and arts exhibitions.
5. Su Casa Hispanic Center – The intern served as a lead teacher for the summer enrichment program, Vacaciones Utiles, which is aimed at preschool and early elementary-aged Hispanic children. This involves teaching a class, working with other teachers and staff, and preparing and implementing lesson plans.
6. Project Connect – The intern may provide an eight-week summer program focusing on reading and enrichment activities for children and youth experiencing homelessness.
7. Peaslee Neighborhood Center – The interns served as Summer Program Assistants in 2 summer camp youth programs, Agents of Change and Risers, for youth between ages 10-16. These programs focus on providing exposure to different modes of creative expression and forms of social justice activism.
The program provided the interns with an opportunity to view the world through a different lens and to be engaged in activities that they might not otherwise have had an opportunity to experience.
Website:
http://www.xavier.edu Amount: $30,000
Date: February 2023
