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Fall Virtual Community Development Internship (focus on Ecuador community and International Development)

Application Deadline: August 21, 2020


3-month virtual position date: September 14, 2020- December 11, 2020


I. Overview 

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on countries, organizations, and individuals around the world. These are especially unprecedented times for international NGOs and community development organizations who find their operations temporarily suspended.

MPI is committed to advancing our mission of serving our community members in Ecuador and developing social change leaders this fall. To fulfill these goals, we have created a Virtual Community Development Internship. Through this virtual internship, we will offer our interns professional and personal development through meaningful work alongside our staff, volunteers, and community members.

Each intern will be responsible for completing tasks within a specific organizational role - Communication & Development, Program Design & Evaluation, or Community Development & Outreach - based on their skills and preferences. Through group work, organizational role tasks, professional development seminars, private Spanish classes, virtual language exchanges, and virtual interactions with community members, we will provide interns with an in-depth overview of all that goes into running a community development

II. Volunteer Expectations

Goals for Virtual Interns 
We are committed to providing you a meaningful & life changing internship through an innovative, virtual platform. We will arrange ample opportunities for you to connect with our community members, our local partners, and experienced staff and board members to give you a deeper understanding or what it means to work in a community development organization. Through engaging conversations, meetings, seminars, and group work we will help you accomplish the following goals: 

  1. Gain international perspective and cultural competency..
  2. Learn another language.
  3. Improve your leadership abilities.
  4. Learn about another culture and its customs.
  5. Apply your passions, skills and knowledge.
  6. Learn about yourself and others by working and growing together.
  7. Gain hands-on experience in community development.
  8. Surround yourself with interesting people.
  9. Use your passion to impact a community.
  10. Change your life…
  11. Change someone else’s!
  12. Advance your career goals. 

Our Expectations of You
We are sure that you will bring several skills, experiences, and passions that will be valuable for our organization and that you will help us prepare and improve our programs going forward. We ask you to be committed, passionate, open-minded, and flexible this fall as we navigate this new terrain together. You will be given ample opportunities to share your ideas and skill-sets with our team members. We ask you to communicate with us openly and honestly throughout your virtual internship so that we can make this an impactful and meaningful experience for you. 

Typical Week
We want to provide a healthy mix of structure and flexibility for your virtual internship. Although no one week will look the same for every virtual intern, you can expect to work around 25hrs/week, divided among the following tasks: 

1) Private Spanish classes (3hrs/week)
Virtual interns will take online, one-on-one Spanish classes with Ecuadorian instructors from the Simon Bolivar Spanish School. Located in La Mariscal neighborhood of Quito, the Simon Bolivar Spanish School is a respected language institute committed to providing personalized and culturally-relevant classes that meet the unique needs of their students. Interns will schedule three hours of classes per week based on their preferences and instructors’ availability. 

2) Work on your organizational task role (4-6 hrs/week)
Each intern will be responsible for completing tasks within a specific organizational role - Communication & Development, Program Design & Evaluation, or Community Development & Outreach - based on their skills and preferences.

3) Leading Virtual Programming
Interns will lead virtual programming for community members in Ecuador. Specific program options will be determined closer to the start date of the internship, but possible virtual programs include: English classes, Conversation Club, and partner organization program support. 

4) Professional Development (1-3hrs/week)
We are committed to providing ample opportunities for professional development to our interns. Each week, interns will participate in a variety of seminars, discussions, and cultural activities led by MPI staff, board members, alumni, and our partner organizations. Trainings will address topics such as leadership development, cross-cultural understanding, team building, career basics, and community development. 

5) Group meetings & reflections (2hrs/week)
Virtual interns will participate in a full-team meeting for one hour per week. These meetings provide an opportunity for you to present your progress to the rest of the MPI team. In addition to these groups meetings, you will also participate in a group reflection every Friday afternoon where you and your fellow interns will discuss the lessons and insights you gained from the previous week. 

6) Language/Cultural Exchange (2hrs/week)
One of our most successful programs here at MPI Ecuador is our weekly English conversation club. This program is invaluable to our community members who appreciate the chance to practice their English with native speakers. In order to continue this program virtually, we will assign one or two of our conservation club participants to each virtual intern. You will participate in a language exchange with your ‘buddy’ which will provide you with an opportunity to practice Spanish, and for your ‘buddy’ to practice English.You will also be able to exchange information about yourselves and your cultures. 

7) Individual check-in with supervisor (30 min-1hr/week)
You will have a half-hour to hour check-in with your direct supervisor who will provide you with support and guidance throughout your virtual internship. 

8) Individual work
We expect our virtual interns to work at least 15-20 hours/week, which in addition to your organized work and meetings, includes at least a few hours of individual work. Depending on the needs and availability of each intern, you are welcome to work more! 

9) Alumni Mentorship (Optional)
You will have the opportunity to participate in an optional mentorship program where you will be paired with an MPI alumni working in a field of your interest who will act as a mentor. MPI staff will help make initial introductions, and then you and your mentor can decide how to schedule further meetings. 

Schedule:

We want to provide a healthy mix of structure and flexibility for your virtual internship. Although no one week will look the same for every virtual intern, you can expect to work around 15-20 hrs/week, divided among a variety of tasks outlined on the next page. 

Please note that most of our English programming takes place in the afternoon or early evening, so if you are interested in running virtual classes you should plan to be available at least two afternoons per week for around 2 hours. 

Organizational tasks can be completed independently and on your own schedule. All professional development trainings will be recorded and made available for anyone who is unable to join the live presentation. 

**The timing of meetings may change based on the availability of our staff and community members; we will also consider time zones to respect the schedules of our virtual interns
**We expect virtual interns to commit a minimum of 15-20hrs/week to their internship and track & submit their work hours to their supervisor on a weekly basis 


III. Volunteer Timeline & Finances
Intern Timeline for Fall 2020

  • Contract and $250 deposit due- Two weeks after acceptance email
  • Full payment due- One week prior to internship start date
  • Virtual Intern Start Date- September 14, 2020
  • Virtual Intern End Date- December 11, 2020

Your payment as a summer intern will be made in the form of a donation to Manna Project International, on our website.

  • Virtual Internship Session - 3-month position - $1,500

What your donation covers:

Virtual Internship: 
  • Private Spanish classes (38 hours) 
  • Comprehensive on-boarding (10 hours) 
  • Professional development trainings & seminars (20 hours)
  • Personal advising with a staff member 
  • Language exchange with Ecuadorian community member 

Your $250 deposit is to be postmarked no later than two weeks after your acceptance. This non-refundable deposit secures your position and is applied to the total program costs. If you are paying for your own trip, the money is not considered tax-deductible. However, funds donated toward your internship by third parties are tax-deductible. 

We ask that you please have all your money (deposit and other donations) turned in at least one week prior to your arrival in Ecuador. Please make all checks payable to Manna Project International (also write “Summer Intern” and your name on the memo line) and send them to:

Manna Project International
PO Box 536144
Orlando, FL 32853