Summer 2023 Internship Opportunities
UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, ALL INTERNSHIPS ARE IN-PERSON AND FULL-TIME. PART-TIME OPTIONS CAN BE NEGOTIATED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS IF YOU ARE A STUDENT TAKING CLASSES OVER THE SUMMER.
Sustainable Communities Internship Program opportunities for Summer 2023 are listed below. They represent a diverse set of organizations and projects working on a broad array of issues addressing all 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), as indicated in each description. All Georgia Tech students are welcome to apply. This experiential, professional development program aims to help students gain experience working with community partners on sustainability challenges and translate that experience into their life and career goals.
We are committed to supporting partners and students who are traditionally under-represented in sustainability and STEM fields. These include but are not limited to partners and students from racial/ethnic minority groups, women, limited income backgrounds, and first-generation college students. Some of our partners are particularly interested in mentoring students of color – and their opportunities are marked with an asterisk in their descriptions.
This program is also part of another initiative run by SLS with five GT engineering schools called Public Interest Technology (PIT). PIT partners are specifically seeking engineering students as interns and are marked as such in their descriptions.
Partner: 28ish*
28ish is an organization dedicated to educating women of all ages on the power of their cyclical nature. We build awareness and facilitate the practice of menstrual cycle tracking throughout your entire month. The 28ish intern would play a role in helping to project coordinate our on-going technology build and contribute to 28ish brand amplification. Some samples of what the intern would do is to seek out femtech relevant partnerships, research grant and funding opportunities online, and establish a regular newsletter content schedule based on relevant topics and trends in the area of menstrual cycle awareness.
This internship will be located in The Lola offices, near Ponce City Market. This partner is particularly interested in mentoring female student internship applicants.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: A Sip of Paradise Garden
Our mission is to cultivate a happier, healthier bartender community by offering a growing space for food, flowers, and herbs, therapeutic gardening activities, creative inspiration, and social enrichment in a safe space. A Sip of Paradise Garden aims to become a thriving service industry collective that provides solace and well-being to professional bartenders worldwide. Our goal is to build safe and inspired gardening spaces in which members of the bartending community can flourish mentally, emotionally, and physically through programs that encourage continued education, healthy creative expression, and community service. We have intentional programming built to engage our community and the local community. We host wellness activities such as meditation, yoga, and pilates every Monday called Mindful Mondays, we host different garden and educational workshops every 3rd Wednesday called Workshop, we host monthly community volunteer days, donate regularly to Free 99 Fridge a local organization that has food refrigerators in neighborhoods considered food deserts, and partner with Slow Food Atlanta, Foodwell Alliance, local black farmers, spirit brands to help them with better sustainability practices, ACGA, we collect compost from local coffee shops, restaurants, and breweries, and volunteer with Community Farmers Markets.
The intern will work on our social media team, help build and develop programming built to engage and build community
This internship will be located in East Atlanta Village and Downtown Atlanta. Having access to a car is preferred but not required.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Industry, Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Carrie's Closet of Georgia
Carrie's Closet of Georgia has the mission of supporting Georgia's children and families through direct service and advocacy. Our main function is going into low-income communities and clothe its children through pop-up shops or giving away free clothing with a market style setup. Another function of our organization, is through advocacy. We work with local leaders to advance child welfare through legislation and policy.
Carrie's Closet addresses poverty in a unique way. We are one of the few mobile clothing closets within the city-providing clothing to those in need for free. Our intern will help us scale this summer. They will literally be the program manager for our direct services. They will assist in managing our operations in Columbus, Metro Atlanta, and pending Athens, GA. The intern will also assist with the Beta Testing of our phone app during the summer, and help with grant writing for the DFCS State of Hope.
Access to a car is preferred but not required. Carrie's Closet will provide Uber or other forms of transportation if needed.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Good Health and Well-being (3), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9)
Partner: Center for Civic Innovation*
Founded in 2014, the Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase public participation and strengthen civic engagement in Atlanta, so that public policy in our city better reflects the needs and voices of our people. Our work includes civics education, building and investing in a coalition of community leaders, and advocating for local policy change. CCI hosts community events, runs accelerator programs, and produces policy recommendations all aimed at ensuring that the needs and voices of communities with the most to lose remain at the center of local decision making.
The exact nature of the projects will be based on the team the intern works with, but the 2023 strategic focus of the organization will be around Education with a local school board election in the fall, as well as justice and safety.
This internship will be a hybrid mix of remote and in-person. The CCI office is located in the Sweet Auburn district of Atlanta. The intern should have access to some form of transportation (public or private) and the office is accessible via MARTA.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partners: Center for Sustainable Communities
Please note: Center for Sustainable Communities is a partner in the Public Interest Technology program that is part of the summer internship. This requires completion of BOTH the internship application and the PIT application (linked from the internship application) and is only open to engineering students.
Center for Sustainable Communities is a non profit that provides science and engineering services to make communities greener cleaner healthier and safer, using a JUST Science approach with science engineering and technology to mitigate environmental, climate and racial justice issues in underserved communities. This internship will focus on projects related to watershed management and workforce development air pollution monitoring.
This internship is located in Atlanta, and the intern will have the option of working on campus in the SLS offices.
Sustainable Development Goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Sustianable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: City of Atlanta - AgLanta*
The mission of the City of Atlanta's AgLanta initiative is to cultivate a more inclusive, resilient, equitable, accessible and just food system. Our goal is to ensure 85% of Atlanta residents are within a .5 mile to fresh affordable food. The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill (UFFBM) is a new model for a City of Atlanta park and the largest, public community food forest in the nation.
This will be a hybrid position. 1) Half of the time will be spent working the Urban Food Forest Community Partners (AgLanta, Celestial Care Solutions, Community Garden, Trees Atlanta, Friends of the Food Forest) and helping the City create shared map of edible, perennial species planted and stewarded on this 7.1 site. The students will be working with community partners and city team to help steward, ID, and map these plants. This student will also assist with Harvest Availability list with the AgLanta Grown team. This position will be half at City Hall and half at the Food Forest.
Access to a car or other means of transportation (MARTA) would be helpful for this internship for groundtruthing and getting to the Food Forest, but is not required. City Hall is accessible by MARTA, or parking is available for a fee.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: City of Atlanta - AgLanta Grown*
AgLanta Grown is developing a brand protocol for the local agriculture economy to cultivate a more resilient, equitable, and accessible food system for Metro Atlanta. Our goal is to build and promote an identifiable brand to increase market access for both AgLanta Grown producers and consumers while helping to develop a broad coalition of local food advocates and ambassadors to stimulate the local food economy and increase revenue for farmers. We are focused on Strengthening Market & Distribution Access, Coalition Building, Promoting Agritourism and providing Technical Assistance for the Urban Agriculture community to ensure our local food system can be self-sustaining as we work toward the goal of providing fresh food access within a half-mile radius for 85% of Metro Atlanta residents.
The City of Atlanta Department of City Planning's Office of Housing & Community Development's AgLanta Urban Ag & Food System Team would appreciate the support of an SLS intern with updating our Fresh Food Access Mapping and mobile app as well as local harvest availability logs. Both databases will be public facing and will support general consumers and food businesses with making informed decisions to support our local agricultural economy. These updates will require both virtual, phone communication and in person outreach to local farms and agribusinesses as well as updating google spreadsheets and ArchGIS databases. We have found that on farm support may sometimes be necessary to cultivate a culture of trust among our stakeholder groups. Interns will be required to assist with on farm workdays as well.
Interns will need to travel to and from the City of Atlanta's City Hall Building 3-5 days a week. We also facilitate 1-2 weekly on farm support days so interns will also need to travel to and from any farm sites where we will be facilitating workdays. City Hall is accessible by MARTA, or parking is available for a fee.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: City of Atlanta - Office of Sustainability and Resilience (ACEEE Project)*
The City of Atlanta is a municipal government entity. Under the leadership of Mayor Andre Dickens, the Moving Atlanta Forward agenda is hyper focused on opportunity, safety and investment for the future - for everyone. The Office of Sustainability and Resilience is included in this mission and is centered around fresh food access, clean energy, waste and recycling, and decarbonization.
The intern will primarily focus on assisting with the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) City Clean Energy Scorecard application. This scorecard analyzes the efforts of 100 major U.S. cities and their progress towards making buildings more energy efficient and scaling up renewable energy sources in an equitable way.
This internship will be hybrid, but the intern will need to travel each week to City Hall in Downtown Atlanta which is accessible via MARTA. Parking is available on site for a fee.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: City of Atlanta - Office of Sustainability and Resilience (AgLanta Ambassador/BeeLanta projects)*
AgLanta is a City program created to support Urban Agriculture and Food Systems initiatives in Atlanta. The MISSION is "Cultivate a more resilient, equitable, inclusive, just, and accessible food system for Atlanta." We serve residents, businesses, & visitors. Our APROACH includes Community & Neighborhood farms, gardens, food forests, healthy food stores, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, compost & carbon collection systems, controlled environment agriculture, advisory & steering committees, and more. The current GOAL is to ensure 85% of Atlanta residents are within a 0.5 mile of fresh affordable food by 2022.
The two (2) projects that are being considered to be opportunities for a SLS 2023 intern are: (1) Implementing the AgLanta Ambassador program (this was co-designed with the 2021 SLS intern). The ambassador program is a new program that will become the city-wide institutionalized mechanism for Atlanta residents to communicate with City of Atlanta government in matters pertaining to Urban Agriculture & Food Systems Access, to inform the development of UAFS policy & programming from City of Atlanta; (2) Co-creating the relaunch of BeeLanta/PollinateLanta, a city-wide, public-private partnership that protects, restores, and develops new pollinator habitats, provides community educations creates a steering/advisory committee to recommend environmentally responsible policies, explores land use opportunities & practices across city departments , and more.
Interns will travel to Atlanta City Hall for office days, participate in occasional local off-site partner visits, and will have the opportunity to work remotely 1-2 days a week. The city UAFS Team will facilitate 1-2 weekly local on-farm work experiences, that this intern will be invited to participate in (not mandatory)
Sustainable Development Goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: CreateATL*
CreateATL is a micro-adaptive cultural system (M.A.C.S.) in Atlanta's historic Adair Park neighborhood. The space is a resilient, community-centric development designed to adapt to the needs of our local neighbors through the space and programming. This collaboration space will hold a collective of businesses and hundreds of neighbors as a community-first commercial development seeks to answer the problems of accessibility, affordability, and sustainability for our entire community.
The intern will work on data analysis (categorization, mapping, and visualization) of publicly available neighborhood data, both historical and real time, and of CreateATL data captures. The purpose of this data analysis will be to inform programming and space development needs.
A car is useful but not required. CreateATL 3 blocks from the West End Marta station and also 2 blocks from the Allene Ave entrance to the freshly paved Southside BeltLine trail - public/bike/foot transport is strongly encouraged.
Sustainable Development Goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: Environmental Community Action, Inc.*
Environmental Community Action's mission is to provide organizing and technical assistance so that Georgia low-income communities and communities of color can empower themselves to eliminate air, land, and water pollution.
We would like for our intern to assist with our Atlanta Watershed Learning Network (Youth). Inspired by the nature of our community, ECO-Action's summer program is an opportunity for our youth to get a hands-on learning experience in various areas like environmental health, sustainability, leadership, finances, and nutrition.
The intern will need access to their own transportation to travel to the office.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Clean Water and Sanitation (6), Climate Action (13)
Partner: FiNCA to FiLTER
FiNCA to FiLTER celebrates humanities finest through specialty coffee and feel good moments. Through specialty coffee, we aim to reimagine how business is done by putting people and the planet first. The SLS intern will be based out of CreateATL and support our ongoing Waste Free FiNCA campaign. Building off the graduate level work of Emory MDP fellows, the SLS interns will engage in the qualitative research on materials, carbon accounting, industrial design and sustainability science.
We're looking for intern(s) to contribute to phase 2 of our Waste Free FiNCA campaign which aims to take single use plastic meaningfully out of our supplychain. In phase 1 we identified the consumer preferences related to paper/plastic to-go cups and what informs their personal decision to bring a personal cup or use a single use to-go cup. The SLCs interns would focus on R&D of possible swap solutions.
All work will be performed at the CreateATL location, near the West End MARTA station and Adair Park.
Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Fulton County Government*
Fulton County Government serves a population of over one million people in the city of Atlanta and surrounding suburbs. The county's Sustainability Program is led by an Energy and Sustainability Manager within the Department of Real Estate and Asset Management (DREAM). DREAM is responsible for the maintenance of over 280 facilities, 740 acres of grounds, and 2,100 vehicles. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners adopted a Sustainability Plan in 2019 and updated the plan with accelerated goals in 2022. The vision of the plan is to thrive as the premier county in Georgia for sustainability and resilience, protecting residents, visitors, and environmental systems. The plan's mission statement is to deliver a transformational and straightforward sustainability action plan that incorporates resilience, social, environmental and economic responsibility, allowing residents and visitors to thrive now and in the future. The plans goals include improving energy efficiency in county buildings by 50%, offsetting 25% of electricity demand with renewable energy, improving water efficiency by 30%, and improving waste diversion to 50%, all by 2030.
The SLS summer intern will have the opportunity to work on a number of high priority projects depending on their interest. Potential projects include cleaning up the county's energy data, creating a benchmarking report of county facility energy use, creating a fleet electrification plan, and creating a waste diversion plan.
The work location in the Fulton County offices is two blocks from a MARTA station. The intern will not be expected to travel.
Sustainable Development Goals: Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Georgia Tech - Building Engineer and Energy Strategy
Building Engineering & Energy Strategy is committed to helping our campus operate sustainably. We strive to improve our operations through clean energy technologies and energy efficiency. In first half of the summer, the internship will be focused on leveraging analytics with building data to drive maintenance activity. The second half will continue that work, but also focus on a comprehensive energy audit of a building on campus to find energy conservation opportunities.
All work will be performed on the main campus for Georgia Tech. A typical workday will be in an office on campus. Transportation will only be needed if the student lives off campus.
Sustainable Development Goals: Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Georgia Tech Office of Campus Sustainability
The Office of Campus Sustainability is an office of Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S) at Georgia Tech. Our mission is to incorporate and empower sustainability practices and thinking into every aspect of campus life. As key designers and implementers of the Sustainability Next Plan, Georgia Tech's strategic roadmap for sustainability over the next decade, we also perform a variety of work areas that enable Tech to meet its sustainability goals. Although we do not have a specific project for a summer intern at this time (one may develop), we anticipate that a student intern would contribute to our Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) reporting efforts. They will also support the Georgia Tech Climate Action Plan (CAP). Students may also support engagement functions of the office in support of Georgia Tech's Sustainability Next Plan. About STARS: STARS is one of the most widely recognized sustainability reporting frameworks for institutions of higher education. Providing accurate information to STARS is essential to meeting Georgia Tech's sustainability goals in areas of academics, engagement, operations (waste, buildings, grounds, water, etc.), planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. About the CAP: The CAP is Georgia Tech's first fully articulated roadmap to meet our stated climate goals of net neutrality by 2050 and reducing our emissions by 50% by 2030. Sample activities a student could work on for both of the projects above include: Data collection and visualization; Data analysis; Storytelling, engagement, and outreach; Research into specific focus areas of interest, potentially including sustainable procurement policy development, scope 3 emissions tracking.
This internship will be located on Georgia Tech's campus in the Office of Campus Sustainability. Depending on the student's location, they may need to provide their own transportation to campus and pay for their own parking, if applicable. Some walking/moving around campus may be required
Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Georgia Tech Planning, Design, and Construction (Planning)
Planning's mission is to guide the strategic use and development of Georgia Tech's campus environments. We advance the goals and programs of the Institute's colleges, schools, research centers and departments through the development of solutions designed to maximize Georgia Tech's facilities, infrastructure, property and physical assets.
Our office is heavily project based and at this time it is difficult to know what we will be working on 6 months ahead. We do know there will need to be some realignment around the Comprehensive Campus Plan deliverable and various other supporting plans wrapping up afterword. There may be an opportunity for our intern to assist with bringing all these plans together within the Campus Plan's framework, in addition to independent project work.
This internship will be located on Georgia Tech's campus, with some opportunity for remote work days/hybrid. Depending on the student's location, they may need to provide their own transportation to campus and pay for their own parking, if applicable.
Sustainable Development Goals: Clean Water and Sanitation (6), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9)
Partner: Georgia Tech Serve-Learn-Sustain (with artist Charmaine Minniefield) - GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY*
SLS works with faculty and students across all six colleges to integrate community partnerships for sustainability and equity into teaching and research. Charmaine Minniefield an an Atlanta-based artist-activist whose work preserves Black narratives as a radical act of social justice. We are partnering together this summer for the Global at Home program, "Think Global, Act Local: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at Home and Abroad."
We are seeking a graduate student, preferably, from a humanities-related program or with humanities-related interest and experience, to serve as a teaching assistant for our GT summer session Global at Home program: "Think Global, Act Local: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at Home and Abroad." The program will include two courses: ML2500, Introduction to Cross-Cultural Studies (May 11-31, taught by Kelly Comfort, Modern Languages) and HTS2086, Semester in the City: Engaging Communities (June 1-20, taught by Jennifer Hirsch, Serve-Learn-Sustain/City and Regional Planning). Through a combination of classroom learning, guest lectures, and a community-based, arts-focused service learning project, the program will support students in achieving three learning outcomes: 1) Identify relationships among sustainability's ecological, social, and economic systems by describing connections among UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the five pillars (People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnerships); 2) Demonstrate how the humanities can be used to advance at the SDGs via an Atlanta-based community project; and 3) Develop hyper-local SDG targets and indicators, making the SDGs relevant and meaningful to a local partner and a local community. The graduate student intern will both support the program/courses and work with our artist collaborator. Before the Global at Home program starts and during the program, the intern will assist with program/course/project planning and serve as primary host for viewing dinners with the students, showing documentaries and films from across the world; support an SDG-related service-learning art collaboration with a local artist and their team and community partners; handle logistics related to these activities and other aspects of the program; and support reflection activities and grading. The other part of this internship will involve working with the artist and her team in South Atlanta to support their community-based art projects, part-time while the Global at Home program is in session and then full-time after the program ends, until the conclusion of the Internship Program in August. The artist we will work with is Charmaine Minniefield (https://newfreedomproject.org/). The project will focus on ancestral memory, using art to call on the past to gain new perspectives on the present and create new visions for the future. It will be housed in the South Atlanta community at the historic South-View Cemetery. Much of the work throughout the summer will take place in the South Atlanta community, so it is essential that the intern have reliable transportation.
This internship will be located on Georgia Tech's campus in the SLS offices, with travel to South Atlanta. Student must have reliable transportation (car or bike travel).
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: Georgia Tech Serve-Learn-Sustain (with West Atlanta Watershed Alliance)*
SLS works with faculty and students across all six colleges to integrate community partnerships for sustainability and equity into teaching and research. The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is a community-based non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life within the West Atlanta Watershed by protecting, preserving, and restoring our community's natural resources. WAWA represents African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are most inundated with environmental stressors, but are least represented at environmental decision-making tables. WAWA is a Signature Partner of GT Serve-Learn-Sustain, which means that SLS engages in long-term initiatives with WAWA crossing semesters, classes, and programs.
This intern will work with WAWA and GT SLS to advance our ongoing partnership focused on designing and building Afro-centric outdoor classrooms for intergenerational environmental education aimed at advancing environmental and racial justice and community empowerment. The classrooms will be located at WAWA's Outdoor Activity Center in the West End about 15 minutes from campus. A major part of the project aims to identify and line up Georgia Tech people, units, and resources from across campus to support this work. During the Fall and Spring Semesters, this project is advanced through the undergraduate research VIP (Vertically-Integrated Project) Program, Building for Equity and Sustainability. The intern must have been enrolled in the VIP already and be planning to return in Fall 2023, or, if new, must be planning to enroll in the VIP course in the Fall. The summer work is intended to keep the project going from the Spring VIP work and set it up to continuing progressing in the Fall VIP. In addition to the VIP project, the intern will support other WAWA initiatives, such as the Atlanta Watershed Learning Network “an intergenerational weekend course to teach community members about environmental issues in their communities, culminating in a capstone project to make a positive impact in their communities“ as well as other activities such as OAC visioning and strategic planning, WAWA's summer camps and events, etc.
This internship will be located on site at West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. A car is recommended, although MARTA is possible.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
The intern will support SLS Projects and Programs broadly but will focus on three areas: executing the seminar program and working with partners on related logistics; working with Ruthie Yow, the direct supervisor of the intern, on Public Interest Technology-related programming; and supporting a Clarkston-based collaborative project focused on college readiness for Clarkston youth.
This position will be in-person on Georgia Tech's campus in the SLS offices.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Greenlink Analytics*
Greenlink Analytics is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on creating the foundations necessary for advancing a healthier and more equitable world by using advanced data analytics to push forward a fast and fair clean energy transition. Our expertise helps deliver detailed, accurate, and novel insights regarding the economic, social, and environmental impacts of energy use. The data serve as a springboard for empowering change that improves lives, especially for the people most harmed by climate change. We partner with community organizations, cities, and other leaders to inspire change from the ground up. Our organization's bread and butter is working through local action, mostly at the city and state level but often at the community level. Through these partnerships, we can use our analytics expertise to provide additional language to community issues and unearth the data-driven stories underneath the surface. We also work with communities to create an accountability framework for the steps needed to be taken to address these issues so that progress does not just stop at data discovery. In the past, we've been able to bring our student interns along throughout this process: data analytics, communication of results, and even exposure to community engagement.
We do not yet have a specific project in mind, but each of our three teams (Data Science, Analysts, and Equity) have multiple work streams and/or sub-tasks that can be turned into excellent internship projects. In the past, our interns have worked on increasing our geospatial data mapping capabilities and expanding our grid-level energy modeling.
Greenlink Analytics is a fully remote organization, so students will primarily work remotely. There will be in-person opportunities to meet with staff on a frequent basis..
Sustainable Development Goals: Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Grove Park Foundation
Please note: Grove Park Foundation is a partner in the Public Interest Technology program that is part of the summer internship. This requires completion of BOTH the internship application and the PIT application (linked from the internship application) and is only open to engineering students.
The Grove Park Foundation is dedicated to revitalizing the Grove Park neighborhood and improving the quality of life by working with local partners, leaders and residents to create a healthy, equitable and vibrant community. Grove Park Foundation operates within the Purpose-Built Community model of holistic neighborhood revitalization - working with the Grove Park neighborhood to create a cradle-to-college quality education pipeline, secure and increase affordable housing, and improve community wellness (physical, financial, cultural, social). The Grove Park Foundation is constantly working to establish new paradigms for projects and programs that impactfully improve the environmental conditions and economic circumstances of residents in the Grove Park and the greater northwest corridor of Atlanta. As an organization, we aspire to be big and bold in our efforts - understanding that stepping outside on the traditional box of community development/neighborhood revitalization is essential for wholistic and systemic change. We focus on exposing students/interns to both technical and social aspects of our work; and more specifically our intentional "people and place" approach to creating real lasting solutions. We continue to focus on areas of true insecurity (food, energy, housing, health and safety, education) for the most vulnerable residents and projects the have a broad-based impact on targeted resident groups, community stakeholder (non-profit and local business), and external partners.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Project: Hand, Heart, and Soul Project*
We are a boots-on-the-ground organization for healthy children, families, and communities. The Hand, Heart and Soul Project cultivates wellness in Clayton County through equitable access to nutrient dense foods, holistic education, and advocacy. Like most grassroots organizations, our greatest need it to raise our visibility and awareness through two channels. Public Relations - a massive publicity campaign is needed to put HHSP in spaces of high visibility. This includes radio, news, print, and more. A comprehensive campaign would include interviews, both on and off location, ensuring that our organization receives invitations to desirable events, etc. Another innovation which has gained momentum is our mobile farm stand, which is a benefit to the community. The effects of COVID-19 linger and it is in need of customer acquisition and to define its mobile marketing plan which includes procurement, sales and logistics. We need to build out our farm stand strategy so that we are working smarter.
During the summer we anticipate the intern working on a draft plan of action which would include individually reviewing the Veggie Van toolkit, individually watch some of the Veggie Van webinars (particularly the first Veggie Van Webinar: Vehicles and equipment), reviewing the list of potential interviewees and create interview questions, assign who is interviewing what sites, create a draft business/marketing plan for the van (just enough to provide more insight into the functionality we need for the van buildout), request two hours free TA from the Veggie Van to review points from our draft business/marketing plan and the build out quote, request updated quotes from 3 potential build out contractors. These are just a sample of the summer-long project.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3)
Partner: Helping Empower Youth Incorporated
We serve Black male teens on Atlanta's Westside by providing opportunities to gain skills that inspire and motivate them to mobilize to change their own worlds. We are the epitome of social innovation. We identified a city wide challenge and provided grassroot solutions involving and engaging those we serve at foundational levels. We utilize this work to bring attention to poverty, the negative impact of gentrification, failing schools and low academic achievement. But, we don't stop there. We empower our youth and their families to use their own narratives before others do and give them the opportunity to gain skills and tools to be transformative as we highlight and elevate their stories and the expensive impact of poverty to leaders and policy makers.
The intern will work on our HEY! Just Business Summer Intensive which is a month long cohort. We will engage the intern in program design, evaluation, marketing and session facilitation.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: Henderson School Alumni Association Trust (HSAAT)
HSAAT's goal is to transform and repurpose old Henderson High and Elementary School into a Community & Workforce Development Center for the Butts County community, focusing on five thematic areas: S.T.E.A.M. Education (Science-Technology-Engineering-Art/Design-Math); High Demand Job Skills Training; Entrepreneurial Business Development; Recreation for Youth & Elderly; and Alternative Health Initiatives. HSAAT's vision is to provide lifelong learning, support, and resources to our students, families, citizens, and communities.
The HSAAT intern will be tasked with supporting the work of HSAAT (Henderson School Alumni Association Trust) as it develops projects and programs related to the proposed Henderson Academy and Community & Workforce Development Center. The intern may be tasked with supporting fundraising and/or grant-writing, community engagement, storytelling and communications, and program creation related to HSAAT's specific thematic and program areas (these areas include: S.T.E.A.M. Summer Camp Reading & Education Enrichment, Training & Research; Job Creation and Partnership with Workforce Development & Agra-Education; Business Incubator Initiatives/Entrepreneurship Training; Adult & Youth Programs, e.g. Boys & Girls Club, Hobbies & Crafts, Veteran Services; Health and Wellness Programs (Medical Clinic to Include those without insurance)). The Henderson School has a deep and rich history in Jackson, Georgia, and a successful intern will bring enthusiasm and humanities and/or engineering skills to bear on collaborating with HSAAT and community members mobilizing to transform the school site into the Henderson Academy and Community & Workforce Development Center.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8)
Partner: Hope for Youth (HYPE)
Hope for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that empowers girls of color to confidently pursue 21st century careers and opportunities in computing and technology. We offer programs that help girls of color gain technology skills and prepare to become future leaders; thereby establishing a pipeline of diverse talent for tech and tech-enabled careers.
The intern will serve in the role of community manager, helping to support the community of Educational Partners and Alumnae through event planning, online community building, social media support, and potentially podcasting. Depending on the skills, the intern may also serve as a teaching assistant for our summer camps and/or junior developer for our website and web app (an online learning management portal called HYPE Homeroom).
The intern will need a car as the internship will be a combination of in-person at our co-working space in SW Atlanta and our in-person summer camps taking place in metro Atlanta
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Gender Equality (5)
Partner: Impact Energy
Impact Energy is a minority women-owned workforce development, consulting, and project installation firm whose objective is to helping organizations develop a strategic approach to their allocated diversity funds. Our goal is to meet customer needs while growing diverse employment in the energy efficiency and electrification industries. Our services include workforce development, project installation services, and energy efficiency consulting within commercial and residential categories. The intern will work on the Black EV Motorist Green Book, helping us in the research, data collection, mapping, and initial development of the online tool. They may also assist us in community convening.
The office is virtual but there will be in person meetings each week.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Lifecycle Building Center
Please note: Lifecycle Building Center is a partner in the Public Interest Technology program that is part of the summer internship. This requires completion of BOTH the internship application and the PIT application (linked from the internship application) and is only open to engineering students.
Located in southwest Atlanta, Lifecycle Building Center's (LBC) mission of environmental stewardship and community resilience by creating a sustainable lifecycle for the built environment is achieved through its five pillars: Material Reuse Center, Deconstruction and Pickup Services, Educational Classes, its Nonprofit Material MATCH program and its Workforce Development Program. LBC acts as host organization and convenor in order to leverage local community assets and resources together.
LBC is looking for two interns to support and work with the Executive Director and Board of Directors in the implementation of the Breaking Barriers and Rebuilt Atlanta Projects. The projects are being implemented through a network of community-based organization coalitions designed to built capacity for creating a deconstruction (decon) and reuse industry within Atlanta that will increase the diversion of materials from landfills, start building a reuse economy, and create economic opportunity for communities being served. Reuse and deconstruction are the most overlooked tools that communities can utilize to save materials, lessen the need for new raw materials, increase local economic opportunities and increase home and building efficiency (reduce energy burdens) and electrification. Also intern will also be supporting the design and deployment of a "Reuse for Communities Toolkit" that the Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) can bring to communities across the country to help introduce the reuse of building materials
This internship requires that the intern have a car for transportation.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Life on Land (15)
Partner: Mini City Inc*
Mini City is a compassionate tech hub that obtains legal forms of identification, government benefits and life critical resources for the homeless and those that serve them (municipalities, organizations, clinics, etc).
The intern will not only participate in general office administration but involvement in long-range strategic planning. Potential projects could include: work with the CEO and CTO to develop and implement a project centered around expanding our business admin processes; or a project of your choosing with Director approval. Past projects have included software feature updates (automating the outbound/inbound mailing system through a tech enabled feature), internal onboarding updates (the development of a virtual training page on our client portal), assisting with hosting a community event (seasonal events that bring together various community leaders, orgs and homeless citizens to gain access to our software) etc. The intern may also assist with outreach at partner sites, community resource events, etc. This could include a community resource fair at a partner location; on-going outreach at a partner shelter/site, a large scale luncheon or even an out of state engagement The may also assist with general admin (such as processing mail at our local PO Box in Atlanta, bookkeeping and data entry).
This internship will be located at The Lola offices, near Ponce City Market, with some partner site visits located in and around Atlanta.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Park Pride
Founded in 1989, Park Pride is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that engages communities to activate the power of parks. We work with local Friends of the Park groups, providing leadership, services, and funding to help communities realize their dreams for neighborhood parks that support healthy people, strong neighborhoods, vibrant business districts, a robust economy and a thriving environment.
Main tasks of this internship will likely include: 1. Conducting a survey of Friends of the Park group leaders regarding challenges, needs and opportunities for park activation / improvement; 2. Compiling survey data to create a program report that will be shared with Park Pride staff and City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation; 3. Develop and refine digital resources to support community groups in their park stewardship projects and activities
The intern will work in the Park Pride offices in downtown Atlanta. Regular access to a vehicle is preferable, as the intern will be coordinating on-site visits across Atlanta's Parks system. MARTA is viable for office access, but is limiting to navigate City wide greenspaces.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: PlantLanta
Plantlanta is an educational organization whose mission aims to inspire, encourage, and motivate children and young adults to promote food and environment justice within our urban communities by coordinating major events and social impact campaigns that combine pop culture and sustainability. Using social impact campaigns and major events, Plantlanta approaches the issue of urban sustainability from a new and innovative angle that focuses specifically on teaching metropolitan youth the value of an environmentally and socially sustainable community. In the past, Plantlanta has planned volunteer days with DJs, prizes, and refreshments on local urban farms, organized concerts and held virtual reality movie showings on the issue of climate change. Currently, Plantlanta State University has been Plantlanta's most impactful program where we take-over a local underserved school and replace the curriculum for the entire day with hands-on projects rooted in STEM to garner experiential learning. We want you to help us expand from these events to new cultural environmental and social justice education experiences.
The intern will primarily work on Plantlanta State University. We've partnered with Atlanta's most innovative farmers, organizations, and social entrepreneurs to bring students a hands-on learning experience that will inspire, encourage, and motivate them to promote food, environmental, and social justice within our urban communities. They will be participating in workshops, classes, and demonstrations that are rooted in one of the following: Food Conservation, Culinary Arts, Health & Wellness, Urban Farming & Community Gardening, Recycling, and S.T.E.M. PSU is designed to develop students into critical thinkers who are technologically advanced and able to compete in a global society, cultivate lifelong learners by utilizing relevant real-world experiences, and promote student wellness in a nurturing environment.
Switchyards is accessible via Marta. They will need transportation for any off-site meetings and/or events.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: RCE Greater Atlanta (Graduate and Undergraduate positions)
RCE Greater Atlanta is a United Nations-affiliated regional sustainability education network co-founded by Georgia Tech, Emory, and Spelman that brings together universities and colleges from across the Greater Atlanta region with nonprofit, community, government, and business partners to advance the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals through education and training. Our network was acknowledged by the United Nations University on December 18, 2017 as a Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. We are part of the Global RCE Network comprising over 180 RCEs worldwide. RCE Greater Atlanta approaches all the SDGs from an equity and justice lens, building on Atlanta's history as the home of the Civil Rights Movement to address the region's current crippling inequities. We aim to create a new regional model for collective impact, by harnessing higher education capacity and knowledge for regional benefit and in the process, better preparing our youth to be sustainable development changemakers, in Greater Atlanta and beyond. Work is advanced through Action Groups focused on Higher Education, Business Engagement, Youth Engagement, and Equity and Justice. Some of our activities include jointly teaching community-engaged courses, developing equity principles, establishing a shared regional agenda and action plan for community science, and supporting student career development related to sustainable development. The RCE is an innovation in and of itself: a regional network affiliated with the United Nations. It represents members' deep belief that we will only accomplish systems change if we work across sectors and silos to develop shared visions and new ways to educate and live, together.
RCE Greater Atlanta activities bring together members to work within and across their institutions and organizations to develop SDG teaching tools, collaborate with community partners across universities, host SDG symposia, provide students with professional development opportunities related to the SDGs, and support community-based projects. Some of our activities include jointly teaching community-engaged courses, developing equity principles, helping faculty incorporate the SDGs into their courses, establishing a shared regional agenda and action plan for community (citizen) science, supporting community-driven development efforts, and running a student mentoring program. Learn more about RCEs at https://rcega.org/ and https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/. Read an article that we published in Sustainability and Climate Change: “Reducing Inequalities and Empowering Youth through the Multi-Stakeholder SDG Network, RCE Greater Atlanta” - https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/scc.2020.0079
Coordination Structure & Position Description: Every semester, a number of universities and colleges that are part of the network hire undergraduate and graduate students to work as part of a cross-institutional network coordination and youth (18-29) engagement team. Student Coordinators are hired by specific institutions and offices. They are based at their home institution and supervised by a staff member from that institution. Under umbrella supervision from Georgia Tech’s Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS), which serves as the lead coordinating entity for RCE Greater Atlanta, Student Coordinators collaborate and coordinate with each other across institutions. Student Coordinators and staff supervisors also serve together on a Network Coordinating Council that meets a few times a year to review and continually improve our work.
Fellows will work together and with their supervisors to carry out the following responsibilities:
- Manage or assist with managing one or more core network functions, such as membership; maintaining strong ties with the Global RCE Network; strengthening relationships/connections among members, Action Groups, and projects ("network weaving"); and Marketing & Communications
- Develop and coordinate a College Student Engagement strategy that positions the RCE network to add significant value to students’ college education and experience
- Identify units and student groups on your campus that might have interest in the SDGs and the RCE and create and carry out efforts to engage them in the network
This work will involve interacting on a regular basis with RCE members – including students, staff, faculty, and partners – from across the region and the world. This summer, GT SLS will hire between one and three student coordinators (ideally one Graduate Student Coordinator, and one - two undergraduate students). We welcome applications for the Graduate Student Coordinator position – which will oversee the undergraduate student coordinators team – as well as for undergraduate student coordinators. We are especially interested in students who might be interested in continuing to work with the network during the academic year.
This internship will be primarily in person with the opportunity for some virtual work, and located on Georgia Tech's campus, in the office of Serve-Learn-Sustain.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Refugee Women's Network*
Refugee Women's Network (RWN) is a non-profit organization created by women, for women to serve refugee and immigrant families who have resettled in the state of Georgia. For 25 years, RWN has been the only organization in Georgia that specifically meets the needs of refugee women. We are women of color, immigrant, and refugee-led organization, with a mission to support women survivors of war, conflict, and displacement in overcoming cultural and systemic barriers to achieving healthy, self-sufficient, and fulfilling lives. RWN's spectrum of services meets women where they are; whether they've been in the US for three months or three years. Whether they need help enrolling their children in school or they're preparing to open their own businesses, we help women on their journey to become independent and self-sufficient. RWN programs are a) Social Adjustment and Leadership Development b) Economic Empowerment Program c) Community health Promotion Program, d) Civic Engagement and Youth Mentoring Program, e ) Administrative.
RWN's Chef's Club is renting a commercial kitchen and planning to formalize the program. RWN would like the intern to work with the team to design and create/update program descriptions, marketing materials and digital platform. Intern will also need to sit in on meetings/ facilitate discussion among entrepreneurs and collect feedback and suggestions to create materials.
The intern will need a realable mode of transportation to get to the office and to occasional meetings in the community. RWN office is on the Marta bus route and located in Legacy Park- in downtown Decatur.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Gender Equality (5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8)
Partner: Re'Generation Movement
Re'Generation Movement exists to empower global youth diasporas to become peacebuilders. Our programs focus on empowering youth through education, mentoring, storytelling, dialogue, and peacebuilding. In the summer this will include Peacebuilders Camp, storytelling events, mentoring youth and weekly Peace Playground program. At Re'Generation Movement you will be mentored by staff, empowered to lead, and discover your gifts in a people-centered organizational culture. The intern will be involved in Peacebuilder Camp, Story Exchanges, and Peace Playground, and we will work together to find ways specific to then intern to engage them in peacebuilding with youth in the Clarkston community
The Re'Generation Movement office is located in Clarkston, GA and the intern will need transportation to and from that location.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Gender Equality (5), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (16)
Partner: Restore More*
Restore More exists to help schools build capacity with Educator Wellness, Restorative Practices, Anti-Racism, and Social-Emotional Learning. We offer training and workshops for principals, teachers, parents, and curriculum for students. We also offer 1 on 1 coaching in addition to having some products such as: T-shirts, stickers, mugs, and online courses. We are unique because My organization provides training and curriculum to Educators and Parents at no cost, instead the schools pay.The greatest value of my service to principals is they can hire experts that are diverse who break down transferable skills and have done the work before. They believe the greatest value is the simplicity of process, time saved, and pushes towards equity. Educators and parents say we're unique because the content is meaningful, we're candid, and relatable. We have over 30 years of combined experience in the educational field, and have seen first hand the need for trauma-informed and restorative instruction, techniques, and discipline practices in Title 1 schools. We're unique from our competitors because of our experience in-field which allows us to offer content from a culturally relevant lens which is hard to find in the field. Being black women who have historically supported black and brown students, our point of view is valuable. Additionally, we have multiple touchpoints with our clients to ensure the services and tools are tailored to the audiences we serve. This boutique style of business allows us to customize content which is also another distinguishing factor.
The intern will be working on some constituency mapping. As we continue to advocate for policy it’s critical that we understand our relationship based assets. The intern would ideally help get that project completed. Additionally, if time allows we’d love their insight on developing a fundraising campaign for each segment of the constituency.
The intern will need transportation for community events and travel to work location.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (16)
Partner: Small Bites Adventure Club
Small Bites Adventure Club is a social impact venture that helps children discover, eat and love fruits and veggies. We create and ship kits to educators that help them lead nutrition education. We are building out a tech enabled component (clickable prototype) and will likely need help with that.
The intern will need a car to travel to the office. This internship will be primarily in person.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Life on Land (15)
Partner: Southface*
Southface Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is leading the way toward a sustainable, equitable and healthy built environment for all. Since 1978, our programs have closed the gap between environmental awareness and action by promoting scalable resource efficiency and clean energy solutions for homes, workplaces and communities. Our practice of regenerative placemaking amplifies real-world strategies to create a built environment where the synergy between ecological and human needs supports both health and well-being while creating resilient, equitable and thriving communities, striving to achieve a low-carbon future. Summer projects will vary but current interns are working on assignments such as website development, marketing/communications, analyzing data, site visits for nonprofits.
The intern will need a car to travel to the office and for possible site visits.
Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Step Ahead Scholars*
Step Ahead Scholars works to create college access equity by empowering talented students to and through college. We provide Black, LatinX, and other students of color, immigrant and refugee, low income, and first generation students and their families, seeking post-secondary opportunities, with Community-Based College Access and Success Training that prepare them to thoughtfully embark on post-secondary transitions and positions them to achieve their ambitions. This overarching goal empowers students with “To Through and Beyond College†exposure, information, guidance, and mentorship. Thereby positioning under-resourced students that otherwise lack informed comprehensive college access and success support, to build a lifetimes of economic self-sufficiency, stability, mobility, and generational wealth as they strive in today's workforce. Step Ahead Scholars creates community wellbeing by providing free college guidance to all students and parents that request it, in community-based settings they trust and frequent. Our work dismantles systemic racial and economic barriers to post-secondary education. While post-secondary education is the single most important step students can take to boost economic mobility, the ability of students to obtain it and school counselors to provide it is hindered by unmanageable caseloads. We combat this disservice for students that have the greatest need and face competing inequities.
These are some of the projects an intern may do during their internship: Work directly with diverse groups of students during a summer boot camp; Help us develop our strategic plan; Create living handbooks that can be used by both our students and volunteers; Assist with curriculum development; Design and enhance SAS's volunteer/mentor engagement ideas, resources and programing; Design and enhance SAS's alumni engagement program; Enhance and develop new online resources; Enhance and develop new student delivery model ideas; Enhance and develop SAS's internship resources; Enhance SAS's signature event; Develop a signature event; Research pre-college programs, scholarship programs, college fly-in programs, and higher education and advocacy issues and topics; Develop a SAS social media, calendar, campaign; Create and post social media content; Identify potential and viable nonprofits partners; Outline SAS's yearly event calendar - incorporate student college access events; Research grant opportunities and draft grants.
This internship will utilize workspace on GT's campus as well as at The Lola, near Ponce City Market. Intern will need to travel to some communities in and around Atlanta for work, and can use a car or MARTA.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: The Lola*
The Lola is a women's community committed to being anti-racist and intentionally inclusive to all women across race and identity. We create space for professional women to have unfiltered conversations and to build their support networks so they can thrive with more ease and less hustle. Our goal is to better share and communicate our DEI efforts to date and to package and pitch corporate sponsors to partner with in 2023. Our intern will assist in those efforts from connecting with sponsors, members who have been recruited through sponsored membership programs as well as working with our founders and board.
This internship is in person at The Lola offices near Ponce City Market. The office is accessible via MARTA.
Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality (5), Reduced Inequalities (10), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Truly Living Well
Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture is committed to bringing good food, good health and well-being to Atlanta's urban community. Feeding people right where they live is our mission. Our guiding principles are to emulate nature in the production of food, to educate old and young to grow their own food, and to create a welcoming space where people can gather and find harmony with the earth. This internship will involve working directly on the farm assisting with our projects and programs.
This internship will be fully in-person, and the intern will require transportation to and from the farm location.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Ubuntu Community Catalyst, Inc.*
Ubuntu Community Catalyst's mission is to partner with our neighbors and strengthen the local community. We collaborate and support the best experts in community building: compassionate neighbors such as yourself. Ubuntu is changing traditional structures in which top-down decisions affecting low-income communities resulted in little action to understand or meet residents' needs. Ubuntu fosters a people-centered community economic development initiative (LiveWell South Fulton), turning this structure on its head, and taking a "bottom-up" collective approach. The Initiative strives to meet the following goals: 1. Strengthen residents' skills and leadership abilities to participate and effectively address critical community issues across sectors; 2. Create and implement a robust education and communication outreach strategy to promote leadership training, provide technical assistance, capacity building, and foster collaboration, policy and systems change; 3. Increase community network linkages with civic, public, and private service providers to refer individuals and families to appropriate human services and supports. Ubuntu is seeking a Program Coordinator to implement a volunteer recruitment and retention plan. The Coordinator will be responsible for building upon a plan created by a previous SLS Summer Intern.
The work share location is accessible by MARTA rail and bus line. Intern will be required to attend community meetings, some in person or via Zoom or TEAMS.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Umi Feeds
Umi Feeds is an emergency food service that is dedicated to serving healthy and nutritious meals to anyone in need. Our innovation is providing mobile access to healthy and nutritious foods. We're also growing locally produced foods in a pantry garden for distribution. Umi Feeds plans to expose the intern by allowing them to see and get involved in the process. The intern will have first-hand exposure to both donors and recipients and will serve primarily in a communications role.
Umi Feeds works out of office space either at The Lola (near Ponce City Market) or Create ATL (Adair Park), both of which are accessible via MARTA.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (PIT Program Project)
Please note: West Atlanta Watershed Alliance is a partner in the Public Interest Technology program that is part of the summer internship. This requires completion of BOTH the internship application and the PIT application (linked from the internship application) and is only open to engineering students.
The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is a community-based non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life within the West Atlanta Watershed by protecting, preserving, and restoring our community's natural resources. WAWA represents African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are most inundated with environmental stressors, but are least represented at environmental decision-making tables. We address our three focus areas of environmental education, environmental justice, and environmental stewardship in increasingly innovative ways. Innovation for us is rooted in traditional and community-based knowledge, indigenous knowledge, and African ancestral roots. The history and culture of the space inform the creative approach we have to our programmatic framework and interaction with the various partners and community organizations we uplift and work alongside.
The intern will support final months of our Outdoor Activity Center visioning process. They will also support implementation development for defined projects from the community engagement perspective. The intern will likely work with team and community members to assess needs and best utilize and build skills to fulfill needs.
This internship will be located on site at West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. A car is recommended, although MARTA is possible.
Sustainable Development Goals: Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: WunderGrubs
Please note: WunderGrubs is a partner in the Public Interest Technology program that is part of the summer internship. This requires completion of BOTH the internship application and the PIT application (linked from the internship application) and is only open to engineering students.
WunderGrubs is an AgTech company that produces edible insects as an affordable, accessible, and sustainable protein for use as an ingredient in human food, animal feed, and soil fertilizer to combat food insecurity and reduce environmental harm.
The intern will assist WunderGrubs in launching its compost program with GOODR, sustainable living initiative with its strategic partner CreateATL and kicking off its grub farm expansion with key partners in Mississippi and Alabama over the course of the Summer. In particular, the intern will gain hands-on experience in testing grub kit prototypes, engaging with partners to construct KPI metrics and reporting, plus attend conferences and strategy meetings.
This internship is planned as a fully in-person internship, with work locations in Adair Park and downtown Atlanta, both accessible via MARTA. Some remote work days are possible as schedule permits.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Interested in exploring other internship opportunities beyond SLS? Consider applying for the Smart Community Corps program, offered by Partnership for Inclusive Innovation. The Smart Community Corps (SCC) is the first statewide effort of its kind for civic-minded students to gain hands-on, valuable experience working on real-life problems in a community environment as a way to apply their skills and improve the lives of residents. The program is a part of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN), a public private partnership launched in 2020 to lead coordinated, statewide efforts to position Georgia as the Technology Capital of the East Coast. Working as a summer cohort and, in most cases, in community pairs, interns are placed with project sites across Georgia and the U.S. to support innovation work that are dedicated to creating livable and equitable communities. For more information, please visit their website.
Internship Guide Acknowledgment
Please Click HERE to take a quick survey acknowledging that you have read and understand this information as well as agree to adhere to all policies, procedures, and timelines outlined here and asking a few questions about your plans.
Thank you for your partnership!