How’s the relationship between your college or university and the town or city that it’s in? Let me guess. Not so hot. It always seems that students and “townies” don’t get along too well. Beyond that, there can also be situations like at Yale in New Haven, CT where the students are generally much wealthier than the people who live in the surrounding neighborhood. This just exacerbates the fundamental gap between the university and the community. National Student Partnerships is a non-profit organization that was started in New Haven by two Yale students who wanted to close this gap. They “designed a program where college student volunteers work one-on-one with community residents, coordinating access to employment opportunities and social services, including job training, housing, health care, child care, and transportation.” It’s a wonderful idea, and it’s working – look at the success stories.
In a lot of ways college students are an untapped resource. They generally have a lot of free time, a lot of energy, and a lot of brains – they’re just lacking a bit when it comes to “real world” experience. Putting them to work whether it be an internship or a volunteer program like NSP just makes sense. Additionally, college students are our future, which is why “NSP seeks to unite a national movement of students dedicated to direct service now, so that the systemic challenges we inherit do not become ones we will pass on.” Beyond offering volunteer opportunities, NSP also has some internships for college students. You can find the listings on NSP’s Internships page, and they include Summer Director positions in Baltimore, MD; Bronx, NY; Cambridge, MA; Chicago, IL; Evanston, IL; New Haven, CT; Philadelphia, PA (2 Offices); Pittsburgh, PA; Richmond, VA; Somerville, MA; Washington, DC, and General Internships in Washington, DC. You can find all of the details on the internships and how to apply on NSP’s Internships page.
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
How is your college’s relationship with the community?
Do I Know Anyone at National Student Partnerships? - Check LinkedIn | Check Facebook
Tags: Connecticut, Illinois, Internships, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, non-profit, outreach, paid, Pennsylvania, unpaid, Virginia, Washington DC
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