Programs Intern
Organization:
The Alliance
Site Supervisor: Kelly Olivo
Organization Address:
6240 Hillcroft Ave Houston Texas 77081
Organization Description:
The Alliance's mission is to create opportunities for refugees, immigrants, and under-served residents to achieve their goals for self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. Our goal is to support underserved residents who often get left behind; such as low-income individuals, unemployed residents, communities of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and incarcerated, and formerly incarcerated community members.
Our Center for Literacy and Advancement creates opportunities for community members through basic education, English language acquisition, occupational training, youth engagement, and financial literacy programs. In combination with other services provided by the Alliance, these programs improve clients’ prospects for increased household income, economic stability, and housing affordability. The Center’s staff assists community members at all stages – those who need help getting back on their feet, those who need support and guidance in managing their finances, and those seeking to build wealth for themselves and generations to come.
Housed within our Center for Literacy and Advancement are the Alliance AmeriCorps Programs, the Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps Initiative, and the Houston Adult Literacy AmeriCorps VISTA Project. These two AmeriCorps national service programs promote family and adult literacy in Houston, Texas. The AmeriCorps Houston Adult Literacy VISTA Project recruits and places national service members into nonprofits across Houston to build organizational capacity through program evaluation, grant writing, fundraising, and outreach activities. The Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps Initiative recruits and places national service members into nonprofits in Austin and Houston to teach English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, early-childhood literacy, parenting, and GED preparation.
Primary Function:
The intern(s) for the AmeriCorps Programs will support departmental operations and build capacity for communications, program recruitment, member engagement, alumni outreach, resource development, and organizational best practices. The intern(s) will be directly supervised by the AmeriCorps Programs Director and/or the AmeriCorps Programs Coordinator. The AmeriCorps VISTA Leader(s) will provide mentorship, guidance, and support to the intern(s).
Duties & Responsibilities:
Promote AmeriCorps awareness by developing and disseminating marketing materials and promoting events including but not limited to; outreach and recruitment, social media content, monthly newsletters, monthly “Impact Stories”, flyers, and webpages
Develop, enhance, and support the maintenance of social media accounts: FB, IG, LinkedIn, YT
Assists in preparing, implementing, reviewing, and updating departmental SOPs
Support and manage the department's database systems, i.e., active members, alumni, etc.
Help organize events, i.e., National Days of Service, professional development, training, etc.
Conduct general research on organizational best practices, i.e., digital filing and archiving, marketing trends, communications strategies, and volunteer engagement
Collaborate with staff to update the programs website
Engage in professional development and network opportunities
Complete professional readings as assigned, i.e., the Alliance Style Guide, AmeriCorps Branding Guidelines, the Alliance Communications Guide
Attend AmeriCorps staff weekly meetings, when possible
Attend AmeriCorps monthly team meetings, when possible
Attend AmeriCorps tabling events, when possible
Support the AmeriCorps team in daily administrative tasks and activities
Perform other intern-appropriate tasks as assigned
Preferred qualifications:
Knowledge and demonstrated ability to use various social media strategies
Knowledge and demonstrated experience with various content creation platforms and graphic design tools; Canva, Prezi, Google Suite, Adobe Illustrator and Design
Proficiency and demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Word and Excel
Ability to take direction and absorb information quickly
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Highly-committed to community engagement, volunteering, civic engagement, or public service
Works well independently and in collaborative groups.
Is adaptable and takes initiative
Has research and analytic skills
Strong critical thinking skills, creative problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills
Is open-minded, curious, and asks questions
Has excellent time-management, self-discipline, and self-direction
Majoring in: Communications, Philosophy, International Affairs, Pre-law, Social Work, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, Education, English or related fields
Freshmen and Sophomores are welcome to apply, Juniors and Seniors are preferred