UNC Chapel Hill: APPLES Service-Learning Program: For Students

Service-Learning Internships
Summer 2008 Internship Sites

About the agency: The mission of the CFS Summer Programs is to provide a high quality, enriching, fun, and diverse experience consistent with the philosophy of Carolina Friends School and available to students from a wide range of backgrounds. Carolina Friends Summer Programs hosts an eight week program for children of the community ranging in ages from 4 – 15. Carolina Friends School is a non-profit School which builds on the primacy and the integrity of relationships, addresses the “whole child,” and recognizes and nurtures a variety of modes of learning. Last summer we had over 920 children attend our workshops. Each week we offer approximately 16 workshops in art, music, crafts, theatre, video, web design, nature study, as well as other specialized camps.

Internship Description: In the past the Apple interns have worked as camp assistants, counselor-in-training supervisors, and workshop assistants. The Apple interns are placed according to their work experience needs. If there is an interest in a specific age group or subject matter, we place the intern with that group. If the intern has a specific talent or interest to share with the students, then we work with the intern to help him/her formulate an experience that will benefit both the intern and the students. For example, last summer we had an intern who was also a UNC fencer, the intern hosted mini-lessons within the appropriate workshops (Pirates! Fort Building, Backyard Broadway) to expand the campers’ experiences (and introduce them to fencing!). We work with each of our interns based on his or her experiences, academic major or career interest, and personality. We interview each intern and work with the intern to find the right job situation in our program. As there are so many facets to a summer organization such as ours, there are a myriad of positions and tasks to choose from. We also vary the tasks during the summer so that there will not be a “burn out”. If someone loves working with kids or wants to learn how to work with kids, this is a great opportunity to observe them. Also, if someone is interested in the business aspect of a summer program, this is a great small business model to mentor in.

Skills Needed: We would love to have someone who has a knowledge of Spanish or any foreign language as we have a broad range of campers at our camp. We also offer courses in web design, video production, art, music, etc. We can work with any talent or interest! That’s the fun of it. We all have something to offer; the trick is to place the intern in a situation where he/she feels comfortable, is learning, and is contributing to the growth of a child. Our campers love the college students….you are closer in age to them and they look up to them. We’d love to have someone who likes to be outdoors, is interested in building forts, or has an interest in science.

To obtain contact information for the current Internships Chair, please refer to the APPLES' Organizers directory.