This is a summer internship with the potential for a school year extension. There are three categories of specialists:
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Teaching Assistants (In-person)
- Taking accurate attendance
- Helping to Manage the classroom both in-person & virtually
- Making sure all virtual student’s cameras are on
- Supporting Teaching Artist’s needs
- Giving 10-minute time check to end class timely
- Creating knowledge-based trivia (will use lesson plans & in-class teachings)
- Producing student-led weekly podcasts
- Creation and facilitation of end-of-day reflections
- Produce & create a podcast with Marketing Interns
or
2 Arts Management (In-person)
- Creation & development of student artistic portfolios.
- Collection of students' work for portfolios
- Editing footage for student portfolios
- Meeting with students to review work/portfolio
- Producing student-led weekly podcasts
- Creation and facilitation of end-of-day reflections
- Produce & create a podcast with Marketing Interns
or
3 Events & Marketing (In-person)
- Planning and execution of end-of-session showcase/performance (virtual)
- Creation and development of the summer Academy literary magazine
- Working with marketing interns to ensure events and publications are properly promoted
- Gathering content for the weekly Academy newsletter (including teacher & student highlights)
- Producing student-led weekly podcasts
- Creation and facilitation of end-of-day reflections
- Produce & create a podcast with Arts Management and In-person Interns
PROGRAM: Words Beats & Life Academy
REPORTS TO: Academy Director, Academy Manager, and Academy Teaching Artists
PURPOSE: Words Beats & Life (WBL) is building a team of energetic and results-oriented Academy Interns. The Academy Interns will work with the Executive Director, Academy Manager, and teaching artists to strengthen and execute the operating practices of the Words Beats & Life Academy. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working semi-autonomously to gain experience in the field of non-profit management, youth development and communications.
About Words Beats & Life, Inc.
Founded in 2002, Words Beats & Life (WBL) transforms individuals and whole communities through the core elements of hip-hop culture. At the heart of all that we do is the belief that hip-hop can serve as the necessary filter between hope and despair for the youth of the District of Columbia. WBL accomplishes its goals through two main program areas—The Words Beats & Life Academy and The Cipher. The Words Beats & Life Academy is a pre-vocational, arts-based youth development program for youth and young adults. The Cipher is a growing resource for our ever-expanding network of hip-hop-based organizations, which equips organizational leaders with the tools and experiences necessary to build sustainable communities. It is our organization’s larger mission to set a high standard in arts education and presentations for youth and emerging artists.
About the Academy
The Words Beats & Life Academy utilizes hip-hop culture as a vehicle for positive youth development to foster the engagement of a new generation of artists and scholars thereby developing the necessary hard and soft skills to support extended learning, employability, and self-actualization. At WBL, we feel that hip-hop is the ideal means for creative expression to break the cycle of hopelessness because the history and culture are rooted in the community itself. We validate the students by valuing hip-hop culture. Through the development of intergenerational relationships rooted in hip-hop culture, Academy staff work closely with the students as coaches and mentors. These relationships allow the teaching artists to share their talents and skills as a means of increasing the students cognitive, communication, and interpersonal skills. The target age group we work with is 13-22, but we do make exceptions for younger artists. WBL is committed to producing learning journeys through hip-hop that lead Academy students to succeed in our five focus areas: Skill Mastery, Employability, and Post-Secondary Education, Community, and Self Mastery. WBL currently serves 200 students at its three Academy sites in Washington, DC.
If you are ready to make a change and learn new skills, join WBL’s team as an Academy Intern to help us build out our infrastructure for a long-term, sustainable impact in DC.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
We are looking for candidates who possess the following skills/experiences:
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite applications
- Propensity to learn and use software applications; a basic understanding of database management is a must
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- At minimum has completed either their sophomore or junior year of undergraduate studies.
- Students earning degrees in Non-Profit Management, Business Administration, or a related field are encouraged to apply.
The ideal candidate for this position is detail-oriented and extremely organized. S/he/They will be able to demonstrate the following qualities:
- Is an artist in one or more of the elements taught in the Academy
- Excellent ability to work proactively and take initiative.
- Strong work ethic and sense of responsibility
- Eagerness to learn and committed to sharing strengths
- Ability to recognize opportunities to strengthen the way the organization operates; generate ideas and create systems to address those needs
- Ability to follow through on multiple projects/deadlines with minimal oversight
- Creativity, resourcefulness, and a sense of humor
Knowledge of hip-hop culture, strong social justice analysis and previous experience in a non-profit setting are all pluses but are not requirements to apply.
POSITION BENEFITS
Academy Interns will gain valuable experiences and skills including:
- An understanding of non-profit management and back-end procedures
- An understanding of budgeting and responsible financial management
- Leadership, communication, and project management skills
- Upon successful completion of your internship, the Academy Director will be happy to provide valuable, personalized recommendations for you in the future.
HOURS & COMMITMENT
This is an evening internship with hours between 9 am-4 pm for 4-8 hours per day.
Day-to-day activities will include the following:
- Supplies Inventory Management for class
- Preparing students for an interview in WBL Podcast
- In Class Teaching Assistants
- Special Event Management
- Sending Calendar Invites to students, teachers, and parents
- Class evaluation
- Student Enrollment
- Daily Attendance Tracking
- Drivers License a Major Plus
- Serving Snacks
- Portfolio Management (https://www.portfoliobox.net)
Paid In-Person Internship
Start Date: June