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Youth Services Internship Opportunities

 
Each term, Youth Services provides students with internship opportunities. Past interns have come from a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Competitive applicants will generally have completed at least one year of study prior to beginning an internship with Youth Services. Students must be enrolled for academic internship credits for the duration of the internship. This is a volunteer internship experience.
 
Opportunities are available throughout Youth Services in various roles. When applying, you will be asked to rank your preferences among the options listed on the next page. Please note that if offered an internship, it may be for a different opportunity than your top preference.
 
Internship applications will be posted when available.
 

Administration:

Interns may assist with tasks related to research, program evaluation, or grant writing.

Mediation and Restorative Services:

Diversion & Restorative Justice: This internship is designed for students interested in diversion and restorative justice. Interns will gain skills co-facilitating the Minor in Possession class, Youth Services Diversion orientations, and Springfield Restorative Justice. Interns will also receive training in restorative justice and will gain skills for working with youth cited with first and second time violations and non-person-person misdemeanors.

Domestic Relations Mediation: This internship is designed for graduate students interested in the field of family mediation with a focus on obtaining practical skills, observations, and co-mediation experience in family mediation. Interns gain experience co-mediating domestic relations cases with professional mediators, writing parenting plan agreements, providing supervised parenting time services, co-teaching the parent education class, and completing other duties as assigned. Interns will commit to a minimum of six credit hours per term, unless otherwise approved by the supervisor.

Prerequisites for the Domestic Relations Mediation Internship:

  • CRES Mediation Skills class (including certificate of completion for 30-hour Basic Mediation training).

  • CRES Family Mediation class (including certificate of completion for 40-hour Domestic Relations Custody and Parenting Time training).

MLK Education Center:

Interns will have the opportunity to learn about the breadth and scope of services provided to youth involved with Youth Services while working as tutors and aides to full-time staff in Youth Services’ academic and vocational programming.

Nutrition Services:

Interns will have the opportunity to work with full-time staff assisting with the culinary arts vocational training program and will also have the opportunity to be involved in the catering program.

Phoenix:

Interns will work at least one full shift a week. All interns will receive training and orientation in the goals, philosophy, and safety and security of Phoenix and will be overseen by Group Workers. Interns in Phoenix should be interested in trauma informed treatment or treatment of youth in a community setting. Specific duties may include: training in professionalism, shift change fundamentals, management of check-out items, control room coverage and traffic movement, supervision of activities, wake-up procedures, transition and bedtime routines, room searches, group content/format/management, meal time supervision, check-ins with youth, and paperwork.

Supervision:

Following a period of orientation and training, the intern may conduct casework interviews with clients and their families in order to evaluate and address individual and family problems, may supervise compliance with Formal Accountability Agreements, Case Plans, or Diversion Agreements, may have contact with community professionals working with the youth and family, may prepare written reports and maintain necessary records, and may participate in court hearings after substantial training and exposure.