Samuel S. Fels Fund
Internships in Community Service
Summer 2009
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SAMUEL S. FELS FUND
Summer 2009 Internships in Community Service
The Samuel S. Fels Fund (Fels) will support 15 internships for graduate students for the summer of 2009. The internships are with nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and run for ten weeks over the summer. Interns are paid $6,000 (before taxes) for full time work.
Graduate students are defined as anyone who will begin, is in, or has graduated from a graduate or professional (law, medicine, etc.) program in calendar year 2009. Graduate students who are foreign nationals studying in the United States on non-immigrant visas may be considered as candidates if they are already in possession of valid authorization (e.g., H visa or Practical Training) from the Bureau of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Immigration and Naturalization Service.
If you are a graduate student who is interested in applying for a Fels internship for the Summer 2009, position descriptions for Summer 2009 internships will be posted to this web site during March 2009. Fifteen organizations are selected by the Fels Board of Directors at the end of February 2009. Position descriptions are posted as we receive them from the organizations: typically organizations send us their position descriptions during March and most of them are posted by the end of March. If you are interested in applying for a specific internship you must apply directly to the contact(s) listed for the organization(s) where you have an interest in working. Fels is not involved in the hiring process.
Examples of position descriptions for the internships completed during the Summer 2008 are listed below. For general questions on the Internships in Community Service, please contact Tim Murray or Helen Cunningham at 215-731-9455 or e-mail tim@samfels.org or helenc@samfels.org.
Arden Theatre Company (POSITION FILLED)
Arden seeks a graduate student who has an expertise in social networking to develop new media marketing tools to reach young audiences. The focus of this project will be to research, develop, and create an interactive, social networking webpage accessible from our main website. The webpage’s target audience will be teenagers, in the hopes of attracting them to our newly formed Arden Drama School, which is aimed at a younger demographic -- students ages 13-18. Designed as a learning bridge between Arden Children’s Theatre and our Mainstage programming, Arden Drama School will launch in January 2008. Arden Drama School’s webpage may feature a blog and interactive games in addition to social networking a la Facebook or MySpace. The intern will incorporate his/her knowledge about the emerging intersection between the arts, education, marketing, and technology. The intern will also gain web design experience and have ultimate ownership over the project from development to launch. The internship's goals include: researching the design and interface of other social networking sites; assisting Arden Marketing Director Beth Yeagle to apply this knowledge to the design of a new Arden Drama School webpage; and implementing a prototype of the webpage to be launched during the 2008/09season. The ideal candidate will show strong research and writing skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently to complete tasks under general supervision. Knowledge of computer science and web design, not to mention a strong interest in contemporary theatre, is a must. When applying, please submit resume, webpage design sample, and work references.
Economy League of Greater Philadelphia (POSITION FILLED)
The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia seeks a graduate student intern to develop the program and materials for the Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange. Launched in 2005, the Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange aims to develop leaders of business, civic, and government organizations into regional visionaries dedicated to making Greater Philadelphia a world-class region. In September 2008, the Economy League will take 100 of the region’s leaders to Atlanta, Georgia, to learn from that region’s successes and obstacles. In collaboration with the Economy League’s research and strategy staff, the intern will scan recent research on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing both Greater Philadelphia and Metropolitan Atlanta and identify best practices and themes which participants should learn more about during the Exchange. The intern will conduct a creative literature and media review as well as background interviews focused on these issues in the Metropolitan Atlanta area and use his/her findings to: 1) identify dynamic experts on issues facing Metropolitan Atlanta and create discussion questions for panels during the Leadership Exchange; and 2) create a resource guide for Leadership Exchange participants that provides background, comparative data, and information on major initiatives, best practices, and challenges facing Metropolitan Atlanta.
Elfreth’s Alley Association (POSITION FILLED)
The Elfreth’s Alley Association seeks a graduate student intern to develop a cell phone-based audio tour of the Elfreth’s Alley National Historic Landmark District in Old City. The tour will draw upon a rich base of existing research to interpret the history of home, family, work, and community life for “ordinary” Philadelphians from the City’s founding to the present day. Topics may include urban planning, rowhouse communities, immigration, industrialization, affordable housing, poverty relief, and historic preservation and community revitalization. The intern will conduct basic historical and audience research to develop the primary interpretive themes, prepare the script and accompanying printed materials, and oversee the recording and testing of the tour. The intern should have coursework and experience in museum education, historical research and writing, and excellent public speaking and communications skills.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (POSITION FILLED)
The Historical Society is seeking a graduate student intern to research and gather a body of rich archival and community-based materials that will become a special feature of the Web site for PhilaPlace, a neighborhood history and culture project. These materials will illustrate the in-depth history of ten sites in two historically and multiethnically significant urban neighborhoods (Northern Liberties/Kensington and South Philadelphia). For the internship, the candidate will have the opportunity to formulate the interpretive build of these “Go deeper” sites which have the potential to be in a multi-media format including archival materials, photographs, audio, and video. This “Go deeper” aspect of the Web site will animate one of the important planned interactive features of the site, a feature that directly engages community members in the interpretation of their neighborhood history. At minimum, the intern will conduct archival research in HSP collections and other area collections when necessary and will be responsible for securing all permissions. In part, the results of the interpretation of the sites will be dependent on the intern’s own areas of expertise. For instance, if the intern has oral interviewing skills, the project has a list of individuals with whom contact has been made and who have agreed to be interviewed. If the intern is skilled as a photographer or videographer, he/she could go into the community to take still photographs or video extant sites. Candidates should be in a graduate program in history, folklore, or a related field with excellent research and writing skills. Flexibility and willingness to work in a collaborative team environment is a must. Knowledge of Philadelphia neighborhoods would be extremely helpful but is not required. The internship can run from the beginning of May to the beginning of August.
Opera Company of Philadelphia (POSITION FILLED)
The Opera Company seeks a graduate student intern to create a Sounds of LearningTM student activity guide for its June 2009 production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. The student activity guide will be created for high school music students, and will contain articles and lessons covering a range of musical topics including biographical information on the composer and librettist; a socio-political analysis of the opera’s themes; an overview of orchestration and Britten’s compositional style; and the theoretical analysis of an area. The intern will first work with Director of Community Programs Michael Bolton to determine the book’s content and design, and will then research and write the content over the course of the summer. At the conclusion of the internship the student activity guide will be professionally printed with cover credit given to the intern. The intern should be an individual who is studying music history, music theory, or music composition, and must have excellent writing and organization skills. Experience working with high school music students is a plus.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (POSITION FILLED)
PCMS seeks a graduate student intern in Digital Media, Marketing, or Arts/Business Administration to help develop and implement a New Media Marketing Plan. As part of a broader initiative to involve and excite new audiences in PCMS’s activities, the intern will have two key responsibilities over the ten week internship: 1) develop a cohesive New Media Marketing Plan that outlines initiatives and sets specific quantifiable goals; integrate the plan with the organization’s overall marketing strategy; and provide review milestones for evaluating progress; and 2) implement selected strategies including: contribute to the PCMS optimized blog: build out a social networking presence; tag events through online calendar/event services; and assist in administering our Google Grants award to help attract and retain new audiences. The ideal candidate has a strong interest in technology and the internet, a passion for introducing great music to new audiences, and experience in marketing, arts management, or business management.
Philadelphia VIP (POSITION FILLED)
Philadelphia VIP seeks a graduate student intern with experience in Microsoft Access to create a comprehensive database to track our work with low-income Philadelphians with “tangled titles.” Tangled title, a significant issue threatening low-income homeowners in Philadelphia, occurs if title to a home has not been transferred into the name of the person who has an interest in the home. Without clear title, individuals cannot access basic systems repair grants, and they cannot negotiate payment plans for real estate tax liens or mortgage foreclosures. VIP administers a fund to help these individuals pay for legal costs involved with clearing title to their homes, but we do not currently have an efficient database to track applications to the fund and disbursements made. Thus, the intern will work with staff to analyze existing data on the fund, review current data collection procedures, and create a new, efficient database that is integrated with our case management system, Kemps. In addition to his/her work with the tangled title fund, the intern will review VIP’s monthly case management statistical report (which includes tangled title cases) to ensure that we are accurately tracking cases.
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia (POSITION FILLED)
The Preservation Alliance seeks a graduate student intern for its project: Chestnut Street Historic Property Survey and Nomination. This project will consist of undertaking research and preparing nominations to protect historic buildings on Chestnut Street from 7th Street to Broad Street. The first part of the project will consist of the preparation of a statement of historic significance following the National Park Service’s format for Multiple Resource Surveys. The second part of the project will consist of preparing nominations to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places for 8-12 historic properties located on Chestnut Street. This work will draw on data already assembled by the Fall 2005 studio of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. It will also have the benefit of advice and consultation from Emily Cooperman, PhD, a prominent Philadelphia preservationist and architectural historian with special experience in preparing Multiple Resource nominations.
The Urban League of Philadelphia (POSITION FILLED)
ULP seeks a resourceful graduate student with strong public policy, advocacy, community relations, research, and written and oral communication skills to facilitate and support the implementation of the “Action Agenda” outlined in the State of Black Philadelphia (SOBP), a research-based report that measures disparities between Blacks and Whites in Philadelphia in the five index areas of economics, education, health, civic engagement and social justice. This publication was compiled by the ULP with the support of reliable, quantifiable data and statistics by an international economics and research firm. In an effort to attack the disturbing and persistent disparities highlighted in the report, the ULP sought the support of a variety of nonprofit, government, academic, corporate and grassroots activities to develop an action agenda to implement throughout 2008 -- and beyond. The intern is requested to assist the ULP staff in developing our strategy to successfully execute the SOBP action agenda by conducting research, organizing focus groups, town hall meetings (including a multiracial town hall event), identifying and developing a community-based task force comprised of public, private and government sectors, grassroots community activists and Philadelphia citizens at-large.