Interning at the Women's Center

A primary focus of the Women's Center mission is training students to be activists within their communities. The internship program is designed to give participants (who include young women and men) the chance to learn how the Center provides services to the UVa and Charlottesville communities - in addition to gaining hands-on experience with the tools of an effective non-profit. Interns can be involved with virtually all of the programs and administration of the Center - from Marketing Communications to Development, Events, and SDVS.

Feminism is more than just studying the role of gender in society; it is about putting that knowledge into action. The Women's Center Internship Program is one way to apply that practical understanding.

The Women's Center accepts applications in early March of each year.

This year-long internship requires 6 hours per week working in the Women's Center and a year-long course on women's leadership and social activism through the Curry School of Education. The internship allows students to learn and take part in work in the different departments within the Center that specialize in mentoring, leadership and counseling services for women. The internships provide excellent job training, particularly in PR, finance, event planning and non-profit careers.

For more information, contact Claire Kaplan at (434) 982-2774 or ckaplan@virginia.edu.

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Course Descriptions

Women’s Leadership and Social Activism (mnemonic tba)
Fall 2008 and Spring 2009
This course will supplement and support students’ internship experience. Readings range from classical feminist theoretical texts to witness and testimony from activists. Students will also have the opportunity to prepare presentations, discuss and strategize about internship-related concerns with other students, and discuss readings. An experiential learning component is required of students in which they work as part of a leadership team at the Women’s Center in the following areas:

Assistant to the Director for International Initiatives
Work closely with the Women’s Center director to plan and implement initiatives focused on international women’s issues including visiting scholars and activists, undergraduate research opportunities abroad, study abroad that focuses on women’s issues and leadership, and an international symposium. Foreign language fluency is an advantage but not required.

Assistant to the Associate Director
Intern will coordinate the Women's Center's monthly Free Legal Clinic. This includes recruiting community lawyers to serve as volunteers, scheduling sessions, as well as staffing the Clinic itself. The intern will also serve as an assistant to the Associate Director and COO's assistant in administrative and communications projects at the Women's Center. In addition to learning about the community service aspect of a nonprofit organization, the intern will learn about several aspects of the fundraising process which makes community service possible. The intern will benefit from one-on-one training by an executive administrative supervisor.

Sexual and Domestic Violence Services
Some training or work experience related to sexual assault or intimate partner violence (domestic violence and stalking) or child abuse will be an advantage in these positions (for example, peer educators, SHE or SARA volunteers, or students who have taken a course on gender and violence), although this is not required.

• Outreach Assistant (up to 2 positions)
  Work with the SDVS Outreach Coordinator to develop and implement events and programs designed to educate UVA students about sexual and intimate partner violence, as well as the services of SDVS.
  
  
• Assistant to the Director
  Assist the SDVS Director in daily operations, grant writing, public education, and coordinating the Survivor Support Network, as well as the Sexual Assault Education Council.
  
  
• Men's Leadership Project Assistant
  Assist the Coordinator of MLP in implementing this mentoring program for UVA undergraduate men and 5th grade boys.

Marketing Communications
These three interns will focus on outreach to UVa alumnae and current students, market research on women's issues, and ongoing review and updating of the Center's web site. This internship may involve a range of tasks, including writing press releases and alumnae profiles, coordinating event promotion with UVa schools and other entities, taking digital pictures of Women's Center events, implementation of marketing plan, and developing content for the website.

Diversity and Advocacy Program
These interns are part of the Women’s Center's core staff and work on the website and print publications; coordinate the legal clinic; and organize events. The EVENTS STAFF includes four interns each semester to work alongside one graduate coordinator and two undergraduate coordinators. Applicants should be highly organized, detailed oriented, extremely reliable and responsible, and possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Specifically, there are three areas an intern can focus on as a part of the Events staff. All interns are expected to attend and staff the events.

• Catering – The individual who supports catering will coordinate with various vendors throughout the University and community to provide food and rentals for different events. Alongside an undergraduate coordinator, this intern position typically heads the Student/Faculty Dinners (2 per semester) which are one of the trademark events of each semester.
  
  
• Publicity – The individual who supports publicity will work with local media sources the Events staff utilizes to spread the word about our events. This includes contacting local papers, sending a weekly publicity email to subscribers and maintaining a list of contacts within the University and Charlottesville to stay up to date with services that aid us in reaching our community.
  
  
• Preparation – The two individuals who support preparation for the Women’s Center Events will help with the more detail-oriented aspects of the events. These things include travel and lodging arrangements, invitations, fliers, nametags, programs, place cards for the various events.

YWLP Programming Assistant
The Young Women Leaders Program (see the YWLP web page) is a mentoring program that matches UVa women with middle school girls from the community. The intern will serve as support to the Program Coordinators, maintain attendance and feedback databases, help organize special events associated with YWLP, conduct fundraising initiatives, and complete projects as they arise. The intern will actively organize and support the program, as well as balance numerous projects simultaneously, which may include researching and helping to create and implement additions and/or changes to the program. The intern must be assertive, self-directed, and flexible. Interest in and/or familiarity with YWLP is helpful but not required.

YWLP Web Development and Publications Coordinator
The Web Development and Publications Coordinator position is responsible for documenting and communicating the continued success of the Young Women Leaders Program through multimedia and print publications. The duties of this position include: (1) the development and maintenance of the YWLP website, (2) semester newsletter, and (3) slide show presented during “UVa Day” (spring finale event). Ideal intern should possess significant knowledge of multimedia programs, including: Apple programs (iMovie, iWeb) and/or Microsoft programs (Publisher, Acrobat, Windows Movie Maker, Powerpoint). However, interns with a strong willingness to learn these programs and high level of comfort with technology will be considered.

Application and Deadline

Applications will be accepted until these internships are filled. Please direct any questions and completed applications to gorman@virginia.edu. Click here to download the Application.

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