Summer 2022 Internship Opportunities
Sustainable Communities Internship Program opportunities for Summer 2022 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, 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: A Sip of Paradise Garden
A Sip of Paradise Garden is a non profit bartenders community garden in East Atlanta Village, we are entering our 3rd year of operations and and growing fast. Our mission is to provide a share space for bartenders to grow their own food for themselves or even their bars. We offer education, wellness activities and workshops that everyone is welcome to attend, the one requirement is you have to have been a bartender at some point in your life to be a member. Our company is a support system for the hospitality industry, even though we are a membership-based organization we are very intentional about inviting the community to join us, we stay involved in current events and encourage and support change in our industry, our community, and our city. The intern will get first-hand insight on working with a nonprofit, developing programming, social media content building, working with women of color, building relationships and understanding the struggles of being a niche concept.
The intern will work on developing a strong funding campaign, Social Media support, admin work, building a community and sustainability inclusion plan, working out in the garden, and event planning and organizing.
This internship will be hybrid with work done remotely, but travel to and from the garden to for events, volunteer days, and general garden upkeep.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Carrie's Closet of Georgia
Carrie's Closet of Georgia is a mobile clothing closet that works advocating for the advancement for Georgia's Children. Our mission is,"to impact the lives of Georgia's most vulnerable children through direct service and advocacy." For direct service we simply provide clothing and hygiene resources for children in need. We are truly a community resource.
As the child welfare system opens back up, students will be working with Carrie's Closet in 3 direct and innovative ways this summer: 1) Working with our grant writing projects efforts - writing grants, meeting with potential funders and supports, and assisting with decision making with the allocation of funds. 2) Direct Service - The student will assist CCGA in starting our community outreach program. We will conduct 5 'Pop-Up Shops' (think clothing closets) in communities of need and assist with drafting a community analysis of failures, successes, etc. 3) Assist with Beta Testing of the CCGA App. This app will help case managers get our clothing services more readily. This application will mimic Amazon where our services will be directly provided to children.
This internship will be in-person and the intern will need access to transportation. Carrie's Closet will provide appropriate PPE as well as a monthly gas stipend.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Center for Civic Innovation*
The Center for Civic Innovation is a community of good troublemakers in Atlanta fighting to solve inequality in our city. Our mission is to (1) increase civic participation through public programs and policy research and (2) elevate more effective solutions through trainings and support services for civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and movement builders.
The Center for Civic Innovation pushes Atlanta to be a smart, equitable, and engaged city by investing in community-driven ideas, supporting social enterprises and engaging people in dialogue and action. Since we opened out doors in 2014, we have held over 100 programs and workshops with over 1,500 entrepreneurs and we have helped facilitate over $100,000 in early stage investments. Our organization also houses 25 social ventures, supports over 50 individual social entrepreneurs, and engages and strengthens a community of 25,000+ people through events, programs, and conversations.
Interns will be supporting CCI's work around research and coordination of our trainings, public programs and support services. Our three-year goals are to: (1) inform and engage 50,000 people in Atlanta to inspire individual change, (2) uplift and invest in the work of 250 homegrown leaders to drive organizational change, and (3) advocate for 10 policy improvements to generate systems-level change. Our key initiatives include the following: Public Programs: Educational Events and Campaigns: monthly, topical events around time-sensitive issue areas related to Atlanta's inequality that educate and inspire the general public to take action. These events engage grassroots and political leaders and a number of local partners and peers. Trainings and Support Services: CCI Fellowship: an 18 month leadership and training program for homegrown civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and movement builders with community-driven programs and services to solve inequality in Atlanta. We have an alumni program that provides continuing community and support to past participants in the program. Civic Trainings: a series of skill-based trainings for civic leaders and organizations in Atlanta focused on elevating the effectiveness of their work and enhancing their understanding of civic institutions.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Reduced Inequalities (10), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Center for Community Progress
Since 2010, the Center for Community Progress has impacted the lives of millions nationwide by transforming vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties into assets for neighbors and neighborhoods. As the leading national, nonprofit resource for urban, suburban, and rural communities seeking to address the full cycle of property revitalization, we work with state and local governments, national partners, and resident leaders to reform vacant property systems and policies, ensuring these properties are returned to productive use that benefit the surrounding community. The Center for Community Progress focuses on finding innovative ways for cities (be it government or residents) to repurpose vacant, abandoned, and deteriorating properties (which can be parcels of land or structures). We explore creative placemaking as a tool for community engagement with land banks, and are beginning to learn how our organization can also support climate resilience via VADs (vacant, abandoned, deteriorating properties). This intern will be working in a new state based office which means we're learning and sharing and building programming for the whole state from whole cloth. An SLS intern would be working with the state program director to accomplish programming goals related to setting up the CCP GA office. This could include support for affinity groups and listening sessions, joining the director on site visits to land banks, and helping to plan, schedule and implement informational webinars.
This internship will be in person and the intern will need a car. CCP GA has offices in English Ave/Vine City in the new Quest Westside Impact Center.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), 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' mission is to be global provider of project and program management, research, engineering, and technical assistance to help redevelop communities from an economic basis. CSC advances social justice through the direct use of science, engineering, and technology to mitigate environmental challenges and impacts on communities...our overall approach is called JUST Science. The student intern will work on projects related to offshore wind workforce development or the Inspire and Empower Global Initiative to Reduce Gender Inequality.
Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality (5), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8)
Partner: Chattahoochee Brick Company Descendants Coalition
Please note: Chattahoochee Brick Company Descendants Coalition 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 mission of the Coalition is to restore and preserve the Chattahoochee Brick Company site for its uniquely scare historic and cultural value with an environmental justice focus. The Chattahoochee Brick Company site represents a lost chapter in history. Many people do not know about Convict Leasing and this site could change this void for them. Fall 2021 we had a GT studio design class create and deliver a city planning analysis of the site. With the aid of an intern we would like to look at green infrastructure options to insure an environmental justice lens.
Sustainable Development Goals: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Reduced Inequalities (10), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (16)
Partner: ChopArt*
ChopArt provides arts immersion and mentorship to middle and high schoolers experiencing homelessness. We are in the process of reviving our summer camp to a Covid safe model for the summer of 2022 for 25-50 teens ages 13-18. ChopArt's approach to addressing teen homelessness uses creativity to provide trauma reduction and risk intervention which promotes long term resiliency and goal setting behaviors. Interns are able to learn more about some of the merits of using the arts as a tool for mental wellness, the realities of youth programming, and the specific experiences of homeless teens. Since ChopArt is so unique in our mission and programs, we are constantly inventing a new wheel to accommodate the unique needs of our teens. This gives interns the opportunity to create new systems and see their ideas workshopped and possibly implemented in our pilot program restructuring process.
Camp Envision is a week long overnight summer camp specifically for homeless middle and high schoolers. It focuses on performing arts as a way to build community and mental wellness and is the only summer camp of it's kind. It is hosted at a Georgia overnight summer camp location and is staffed by volunteer counselors, instructors, cooks, and teen leaders. Camp Envision is one of our most successful programs because it gives our teens the opportunity to experience an overnight summer camp.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: Circle of Joy*
The mission of the Circle of Joy is to pool our time, talent, and treasure to partner with agencies who are impacting youth (ages 4 - 18) in the Metro Atlanta Area. The Circle of Joy (COJ) works with non profits doing the work in Atlanta with Black youth. We believe in the time, talent, and treasure model which leads to a testimony. The intern would be able to experience this first hand by engaging with community and other collaborations that COJ has with national networks of collective givers.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: City of Atlanta - AgLanta
AgLanta is a City of Atlanta initiative. Our mission is to create a more resilient, equitable and accessible food system. Our goal is to ensure 85% of Atlanta residents are within a half-mile to fresh affordable food. We are one of the first urban ag and food access staff in a city in the U.S. However in the last 5 years, many other cities and the federal government have set up offices of urban ag. This is innovative but catching on as more cities recognize the role of planning for food, just as we have housing and water. We are all still learning ourselves as we do this work. Intern projects will include data updates for the Fresh Food Access map, AgLanta Grown, AgLanta Fresh Corners, as well as other data metrics.
Access to a car or other means of transportation (MARTA) would be helpful for this internship fo groundtruthing or getting to a site, but is not required.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: City of Atlanta - Department of City Planning
The Office of Housing and Community Development has two key functions in the Department of City Planning: policy and programs. OHCD's policy work, from the zoning and land use changes outlined in Atlanta City Design Housing to the small-scale solutions like outdoor dining permits spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, help to codify and implement changes to improve the quality of life for city residents. And the programs managed in the Office, such as Atlanta Main Street, AgLanta, and the vending program, provide crucial support for small businesses and residents alike. The Office of Housing and Community Development is the sandbox for creating policy and programmatic impact through City government. We are tasked with developing progressive, innovative solutions for housing through our Housing Innovation Lab, dismantling barriers to entrepreneurship by developing new tools and products for small businesses, and laying the groundwork for political consensus on policies to help all Atlantans.
The office has several projects we could use assistance with. First, we are launching a Small Business Services group. This group will focus on creating tools to help identify policies and programs to encourage neighborhood scale commercial development, including but not limited to public-facing applications, gathering insights from proprietary data and applying them to make recommendations for process improvements, and creatively applying private sector strategies to serve small businesses better. The second project is our annual Fresh Food Access mapping, which we continue to seek to improve as both an important data release as well as a consumer-friendly tool. This year, our work is being leveraged through a USDA grant where we are seeking to solve for local delivery solutions for farmers to connect them to local retail and aggregator opportunities. This project will include identifying transportation capacity and creating a tool to efficiently deliver produce and value-added products to market. Finally, our office is attempting to implement a comprehensive tracking of all public investment in housing and other goods and will be designing and implementing a tool to aid in reporting and publication of this essential public data.
Interns will need to travel to City Hall in Downtown Atlanta. Some field work may be required on an ad hoc basis, but all travel will be within City limits.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: City of Atlanta - Mayor's Office of Resilience
The City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Resilience works everyday to ensure equity, encourage dynamic civic engagement, secure sustainability outcomes, improve public safety, and become a leader in intersectional resilience. Through action oriented policies, Atlanta continues to update its city infrastructure to align with these values and become a region that works for its residents, as well as a model for cities globally. The City of Atlanta's Office of Resilience is innovating and creating initiatives revolving sustainability and resiliency that tap on the environmental, social, and economic sectors from an equity lens. The student intern will mostly be involved in work revolving climate action and clean energy, two topics that are very prevalent in actioning social equity and building a more resilient city for all Atlantans. Projects may include a Greenhouse Gas Inventory, a Climate Action Plan, and/or Energy Benchmarking Compliance. The internship may include going to advisory board meetings or events aligning with sustainability and resiliency.
Sustainable Development Goals: Affordable and Clean Energy (7), 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. Our space is a sustainable community-centric development designed to continually adapt to the needs of our neighbors through the businesses we house. This collaboration space will hold a collective of up to ten businesses and hundreds of neighbors on the coworking side. This model for community-first commercial development seeks to answer the problems of accessibility, affordability and sustainability for our entire community. These neighbors will have access to outdoor public space and coworking space where they help shape the minds of tomorrow's business leaders. This intersection of neighbors and the next generation of entrepreneurs will use the space to grow their business and work toward answering our current theme: "How do we better connect the community to the outdoors and nature?" We know that what comes next represents the best of humanity. CreateATL is an opportunity to let the leaders around us offer solutions in a rapidly changing world. Through this space, we lift up Atlantans dreaming about building a better tomorrow. Equity, accessibility, and optimism serve as our core tenets. We give space to community members and entrepreneurs who work to create a better Atlanta. We recognize that the heart of every community are places to gather, where voices can be heard, and all are welcome.
Beginning in January 2022, and every two years thereafter we will work to identify a challenge for the Adair Park community and the City of Atlanta at large. We will bring in the CreateATL Collective - ten small businesses, nonprofits and solopreneurs that answer that call. Our first two years ask: How can you better connect the community to the outdoors and nature? This might be represented by agtech, urban gardens, hydroponic farmers, drone forest planters, outdoor adventure groups, beekeepers and beyond. The Collective is a 2 year commitment and it is our desire to offer an environment that will engage a generation of diverse, ambitious and innovative thinkers as they focus on the modern challenges facing society and the environment. Understanding those future needs and challenges is critical and can only be done through listening and gathering those details from our neighbors through surveys and boots on the ground efforts. Focusing on that research could be an ideal project an intern could focus on while also also supporting our event and coworking workshops at CreateATL.
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. To encourage public transportation or biking, CreateATL will reimburse for a MARTA Breeze card or assist with any bike related upkeep expenses.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: DataWorks
DataWorks is a unique data services provider. DataWorks recruits young people from communities historically minoritized in computing and employs them as data wranglers. Through DataWorks, we hope to broaden participation in computing, and in the process, foster diverse approaches to data science, support equitable labor practices, and develop just forms of engagement between universities and communities. DataWorks strives for broaden practices of data science beyond the narrow notions of expertise common to computing, to co-create an equitable work environment, and to provide data services to non-profits, government, and communities that might otherwise have difficulty accessing such services. Students who join DataWorks will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the work. The summer work, in particular, will focus on co-designing tools and practices to support ethical data work in collaboration with community partners.
Summer Project: Designing Workshops to Support Ethical Data Use. Government, civil society, and community groups often struggle with data because the logics and practices of data are "or at least have been peripheral" to their practices and mission. Furthermore, it has become apparent that data is not neutral: it reflects and is imbued with values and bias. Our project looks to address these issues, working in collaboration with local partners. The objective of this project is to develop a participatory process for creating tools and templates to engage and empower a broad range of ethical data practices. This involves an initial workshop to articulate an organizational data profile and plan (Data 101 Workshop), and a subsequent workshop to create a checklist for the collection and use of data, guided by the principles and mission of partner non-profit organizations (Data Checklists Workshop).
Although this is an on campus internship, the project will involve collaboration with community organizations. Interns may be required to attend community meetings off-campus and will be responsible for transportation to and from those meetings.
Sustainable Development Goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Reduced Inequalities (10), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (16)
Partner: Food4Lives
Food4Lives vision is a grassroots Foodbank and Community service platform with the vision to create a Culture of Service. Our mission is to cultivate student volunteers at the high school and College level, educate the public about the values of community service, and serve the homeless every day with fresh-cooked food, clothes/shelter, and health supplies. Food4Lives has a very unique angle: Promoting the spirit of Service for its own sake. For as much work as we do to serve the homeless every day across three dimensions of need, our mission is to cultivate the spirit of service, and this is something we hope to spread across all service work in the non-profit and for-profit space. This is deeply integrated into how we've designed these programs. We are focused on developing the students to be effective, because that impact, and cultivating their positive mood of service, creates a much larger impact than what they accomplish in three months. We believe this is powerfully transformational, and it has been tangible in the partner relationships we've developed in our first three years.
Program 1 - Grant Winner Program: Did you ever wonder why students Major in Statistics? I tried for two years and personally believe that no one has a deep burning desire to know stats. But it is undeniably powerful. In the non-profit world, there is incredible value in Grant Writing, and I don't expect anyone to burn deeply to learn it. But I know several organizations that were founded by a single talented grant writer - or as some of them call themselves, Grantmakers. If you would like to learn about Grantmaking and have some definitively powerful accomplishments to add to your resume, like "Earned $50,000 as lead author for new grants", this is a great project for you. If you're still exploring the nonprofit career world, it's important to note this is also parallel to sales in the private sector. Needless to say, many sales people (and grantmakers) create their own value in the companies they work for (and their salaries.) Grantmaking is all about storytelling, and it is one of those shoes that fits some people wonderfully and some not at all. If you like to write and measure things, it is quite fun and exciting, as you can bring projects to life by discovering funding for them. If you are entrepreneurial at all, if you know you want to go into non-profits, or if you this sounds like an interesting role to explore for a summer, this would be a very valuable experience. You would join our grant making team and have a personal Grantmaking mentor to help us raise funds for the 2nd and 3rd Quarter Grant making cycles. As a breadwinner, the more money you raise, the more funds we can pump into our homeless-service and student volunteer programs, and the popular you become. And having that fundraising dollar value on your resume will be a real-world accomplishment that will hopefully give you some confidence and credit in your future life goals. This Program has potential for online work and more flexible hours, transportation not required.
Program 2 - Sustainability Leadership Program: Forget what you think you know about leadership and sustainability; There is no grinch throwing recyclable plastics bottles in the trash. Improving sustainability means coaxing busy people into continuing to be busy in slightly smarter and more efficient ways. We are one of the premier small-sized food banks in Atlanta and one of the most popular volunteer spots for food-oriented volunteering. Lots of chefs, vegans, urban agriculture-buffs, and similar minded people stop by, and it's wonderfully diverse and optimistic. But converting optimism into sustainability is a specialized niche. That would be your role. Learn about our mission (Creating a Culture of Service), and our community culture (you'll have to see it for yourself), and learn how to lead through Serving others. This role is on your feet, getting involved in all our programs, and then reflecting to make marginal improvements to reach sustainability goals. You'll have a personal mentor to teach you how to make weekly observations and improvements (called Iterative Design, it's beautifully scientific). You'll be meeting lots of kind-hearted people, engaging with all aspects of our organization, and get a deep dive into the food access systems of Atlanta. Our goal for this project is to make you a markedly more effective leader, and in the process you'll have a chance to create a meet your own sustainability improvement goals, which could include food waste, recycling, food access, nutrition, or environmental concerns.
This Program is an in-person offer, and requires transportation (10 minute drive from GT).
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: Friends of Atlanta Urban Food Forest
Friends of the Atlanta Urban Food forest is dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture in Atlanta. Our ultimate goal is to help eliminate hunger and aid families to become self-sufficient in the Food Forest service areas. This project will highlight the mobile app and the digital magazine in the communities that we serve and the users who are involved with or rely on Friends of the Urban Food Forest at BPCC. These users live in low-income communities in the Atlanta area. Most users are above the age of 65. The mobile app and the digital magazine will help us communicate effectively with local and national leaders, generate support and resources for the community, and help us expand wrap-around services to meet the needs of the families. Our ultimate goal is to help eliminate hunger and aid families to become self-sufficient in the communities that we serve.
We would like to use this project to add new programs and applications to an existing interactive Android and iOS mobile app that will help run and organize the nonprofit organization. We would also like to create a new digital magazine that is informative, user-friendly, and will highlight key attributes of our organization. This project is important to us because it will be integral to the non-profit's operations. The magazine will allow us to showcase our programs that will help us eliminate hunger and bring awareness to the organization on a global level.
This internship is partially in-person with the expectation that the intern will work in the Atlanta office a few hours each week. The intern would need transportation to and from the office.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3)
Partner: Georgia Aquarium*
Georgia Aquarium is a nonprofit committed to inspiring awareness and preservation of our ocean and aquatic animals worldwide. The intern will be handling projects in the design and engineering department and could include water quality, design for the future (building or exhibit), etc. They would be exposed to the climate change innovations being developed by Ocean Visions, Inc. Although anyone is encouraged to apply, special consideration will be given to female students of color.
Sustainable Development Goals: Clean Water and Sanitation (6), Climate Action (13), Life Below Water (14)
Partner: Georgia Tech Facilities - Infrastructure and Sustainability
Georgia Tech applies a comprehensive, continuous-improvement method to campus energy performance. The Building Engineering & Energy Strategy department is in charge of retrofitting the campus to save resources and money in the pursuit of institutional effectiveness. We are an engineering group within the Infrastructure & Sustainability department focused on energy efficiency and operational improvement. We use a variety of data sources and platforms to perform analytics to gain key insights about our operations. Providing the Institute with reliable and cost effective utilities helps to reduce our impact to the environment and to our bottom line. All efforts support our centralized mission to reduce the Institute's resource consumption in order to meet energy, greenhouse gas and sustainability commitments. Our opportunity is definitely a chance to experience innovation. Historically, there has not been much innovation in facilities management and HVAC. However, we are in the middle of an evolution where analytics is transforming the way we operate and maintain buildings. Many colleges and other organizations are still in the process of learning this technology and the best way to use it. This internship represents an opportunity to be a key contributor to building a better continuous improvement program to help Georgia Tech and the environment.
While not specific, the intern will become a part of an engineering team that is focused on analytics and energy efficiency around campus. They will be a key contributor to leveraging the data we have in order to improve our operation.
All work will be performed on the main campus for Georgia Tech or remote. 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), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Georgia Tech Office of Campus Sustainability
The Office of Campus Sustainability at Georgia Tech serves a unique purpose to the institute: to integrate sustainability as a value and a cultural norm into the organizational functions and campus practices of Georgia Tech by being a resource and engagement hub to the campus community. The Office of Campus Sustainability (OCS) at Georgia Tech fulfills this overarching need adapted to the institution's unique landscape and priorities. OCS' purpose is to incorporate and empower sustainability practices, and OCS' role is to ensure Georgia Tech "walks the talk" of sustainability in its own culture and actions. OCS and the students who work for us are innovators because of the transformative change-agent work we do to achieve Georgia Tech's sustainability goals.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Global Change Program Smart Sea Level Sensor Project
The Smart Sea Level Sensors project is a partnership between Chatham Emergency Management Agency officials, City of Savannah officials, and Georgia Tech scientists and engineers who are working together to install a network of internet-enabled sea level sensors across Chatham County. The real-time data on coastal flooding will be used for emergency planning and response. Student will develop hands-on experience while learning about climate change challenges and developing ideas on how to mitigate them through this paid summer internship opportunity.
Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13), Life on Land (15)
Partner: Global Change Program Urban Heat ATL Project
Thie project focuses on mapping Atlanta's urban heat islands via community science. As members of a large, diverse team, interns will have the opportunity to work directly with experts on a multitude of interdisciplinary projects calling on skill sets ranging from computer science, remote sensing, programming, and data analysis, to environmental justice and community-building. Interns will be matched with one or more mentors from the team, working on a project that reflects the student's skills and interests as well as the team's needs.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Climate Action (13)
Partner: Global Growers Network
Global Growers Network (GGN) partners with people from diverse cultures who grow fresh food for their families and for local marketplaces. Together, we build and sustain networks of land, resources, markets, and people in order to create a more equitable food system that is driven by cultural diversity, inclusive economies, and regenerative agriculture practices. The work of Global Growers launched in 2010 out of the desire of a group of resettled refugees to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Their initial plot of land became the inspiration for several hundred more families and partners that officially formed the Global Growers Network, a non-profit organization based in Decatur. Global Growers currently operates 8 community garden plots in Decatur and Clarkston for a network of over 300 growers who face barriers to accessing land, resources and markets.
Interns will have the opportunity to join our staff team in ongoing strategic planning, as well as ongoing reflection and analysis. GGN’s theory of change positions our work in a broader context of food system challenges like corporate consolidation, extractive land use practices, and the rise of diet-related illness that disproportionately impact low-wealth communities. Our leadership is focused on creating a culture of learning, including internal staff-led sessions to share their expertise in a given field. We have opportunities for interns to support the launch of Growers Pathway Model and the launch of our new farm in Conyers, GA.
A car will be required to travel to our farm in Conyers as needed.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11)
Partner: Greenlink Analytics
Greenlink Analytics is an Atlanta-based research and consulting firm focused on energy and social equity that combines deep industry knowledge with machine learning models to empower decision makers to take more informed actions towards a better future. Greenlink creates high quality data-driven solutions with its award-winning models, simulating changes in complex energy systems and communicating the impacts to multiple stakeholders in a visually appealing way. This allows us to give you thorough and accurate insight into the effects of your actions. Cities, states, and organizations around the country are using our technology and data to transform their energy consumption and reduce their environmental footprint. Businesses are building a bigger and smarter green economy because of our insights. Communities and governments are coming together to build a more equitable future, aided by our software. Our sophisticated analytical technologies and deep industry knowledge is helping to create and sustain a clean, fair, and renewable future.
We use our data and modeling expertise to understand and predict the carbon emissions of entire states and cities to help identify pathways towards a carbon-free future. We work with these stakeholders to develop their clean energy transition plans as well as identify the most important social equity indicators affecting at-risk communities. Our interns work closely with Greenlink's team leaders to support existing projects, join team trainings to learn concepts in the field, and conduct a lunch-and-learn at the end of the internship to describe how their work plugs into Greenlink's mission. In the past, interns have worked with our Data Science & Analyst teams to develop new features for our energy forecasting or analytical models, or with our GEM (Greenlink Equity Map) team to contextualize the communicate findings in our equity map data.
This internship is fully remote.
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*
The Hand, Heart, and Soul Project does three things: We provide children and families access to nutrient-dense foods; we work with early childhood centers to develop holistic programs focused on health, education, wellness, and nutrition; and we serve as expert ambassadors around local, state, and national platforms to promote food access, wellness, and high-quality early education.The Hand, Heart, and Soul Project nurtures and advances the needs of our Clayton community by creating equitable access to quality educational, nutritional, and collective resources. Our organization believes in not creating new work, but going deeper into the work and connections that are already existing. We believe that is more important than developing something "new". We are not seeking paper pusher interns, but rather interns who truly want to get out in the community, forge relationships and make things pop and grow. We want the intern to leave a mark on the community and for our organization to sustain the program and work that is put in place. We expect the intern to be a go getter and forge relationships with local, state, and national representatives and be confident in their work.
This summer's internship will focus on three things: 1)Develop and implement a farm stand. 2)Framework for a community grocery store 3)Develop a platform for HHSP (one pager).
This internship requires travel to various locations around Clayton and to meetings, so the intern will need a car.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: Historic District Development Corporation
Founded in 1980, HDDC is one of Atlanta's only non-profit real estate development organizations. We passionately set the standard for strengthening, revitalizing and preserving the identity and history of our communities through equitable and inclusive development. HDDC has a robust real estate portfolio including the construction and/or preservation of 120 single-family units, 500 units of multi-family housing, 71 units of affordable housing, and the addition of over 40,000 sq.ft. of commercial real estate in the Old Fourth Ward. HDDC successfully balances the task of revitalizing while preserving history and culture in historic districts. Our commitment to equity guides every project from conception to execution. We are proud to continue building possibilities for all residents to thrive in the Sweet Auburn Corridor. Sweet Auburn's dichotomous pattern of redevelopment is unsustainable, driving pockets of wealth and poverty, in terms of race, income, and the built environment. Lacking a significant district-wide intervention, development pressures on all sides of the district will accelerate the erosion of the historic fabric, replacing it with gentrification. HDDC's efforts are inherently innovative because they require a cross-sector collaboration, social innovation, and intentionality to ensure our equity goals are met. Students working with HDDC on SAGE would have hands-on experience developing strategies and foundational research for Atlanta's first equity-district. Together with Central Atlanta Progress, Sweet Auburn Works, and a growing list of stakeholders in the Old Fourth Ward, the Historic District Development Corporation is spearheading SAGE, the Sweet Auburn Green and Equitable District. SAGE is envisioned to be a comprehensive and coordinated strategy that will guied investment outcomes and leverage impact for the historic Sweet Auburn District and the wider Old Fourth Ware Community.
A key component of SAGE is the creative application of urban agriculture principles to create a vibrant ecosystem in the Old Fourth Ward. While the project is malleable to the interests and skills of the intern, our hope is that the project will include an analysis of best practices in urban agriculture implementation programs, a survey of available land for urban agriculture in the O4W, and recommendations on an implementation strategy for SAGE.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: Hope for Youth (HYPE)
Hope for Youth, Inc. (HYPE) is empowering middle and high school girls of color to become future leaders in tech. Through its interactive coding camps and programs, high school internship placement, international teaching experiences, college and career readiness training and women in tech conferences and roundtables, HYPE: Addresses early disparities in K-12 education that limit opportunities for girls of color to enter the tech workforce, Inspires girls of color to confidently pursue technology careers and opportunities, Supports retention of women of color in tech by building community and increasing representation. Our mission is to plug the leaky tech pipeline problem for women and girls of color by building a tech talent network through intentional exploration, education, and empowerment; Our purpose is to inspire every girl of color to believe she can use her creativity, talent, and gifts to solve real-world problems and make valuable contributions in the world of technology. HYPE goes beyond focusing on simply STEM education/exposing girls to tech and prioritizes representation, community, and culturally relevant curriculum to address issues that exist for underrepresented women in the tech workforce. We believe that we can use STEM education as a vehicle to address other social and psychological barriers keeping girls of color from pursuing tech by centering our students' experiences around identity, acceptance, security, and purpose.
Potential projects include the roles of Business Analyst and Data Analyst. These internship roles are important to the sustainability and scalability goals that we have at the organization. The intern would help define and refine our processes for student recruitment, partner recruitment, and program satisfaction analysis and reporting.
This internship has the option of being 100% remote.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Gender Equality (5), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: The Lola
The Lola is a womxn's club and community with a mission to gather womxn as allies and accomplices, to raise our voices, tell our stories and dismantle systems that don't serve us. One of The Lola community values is that we commit to being an anti-racist community and our priority has always been to be intentionally inclusive to all women (of all races, ages and background) in everything we do. In 2021, we launched our Creators + Social Justice (C+SJ) Partnership program where we work with 50 Black female entrepreneurs who are Members of The Lola with the thesis: If we can better support and serve our most under-resourced Members, then all of us will benefit. In addition to our C+SJ Partnerships, we partner with CCI on content, programming as well as how we can better support our Black female leaders in our community. Our intern would be able to focus on our areas of intentional inclusion and work with V3 (https://www.vivandginny.com/) who we are bringing on this year to continue to improve on all of these efforts. Our current C+SJ Partnerships end at the end of June 2022 and we are in the process of gathering learnings in order to improve and relaunch the partnership program later this year. The intern would help us asses, plan and relaunch the program with the help of board members, V3 and our team.
This internship is planned to be in-person. The office is accessible via MARTA.
Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality (5), Reduced Inequalities (10), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Nourish Botanica*
Nourish Botanica provides a physical space for engagement and education around food equity and economic justice. The for-profit eatery and greenhouse will set the stage for the programming which amplifies Black voices, highlights Atlanta's food justice organizers and farm communities, and supports the good work of organizations and leaders fighting against food and economic justice. Our mission is to create a gathering space for our community to assemble for change. Gathering spaces have always been critically important in social movements that have resulted in systemic change. Nourish Botanica will provide this space for those who care about and are fighting for equity, justice, and individual and collective wellbeing. Our intern will get to participate in establishing a carefully curated space with topics and facilitation that is at times deep, playful, healing and welcoming. Centering healing and wellness in justice movements is creative, innovative and much needed.
Nourish Botanica aims to provide a space for education and conversation surrounding food equity, social justice, and wellbeing. In the United States overall, 10.5% of individuals live in poverty. Within the Black community, the poverty rate is nearly twice the overall rate at 18.7%. Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 Black people was food insecure, meaning a household is unable to provide enough food for every person to live a healthy and active life, and this includes 1 in 4 Black children. In 2019, 19% of Black households were food insecure - more than twice the number of white households. Atlanta's statistics are just as dire: 37% of African-American households have a net worth of zero. A child born into poverty in the city of Atlanta currently has less than a 4% chance of reaching the upper middle class and more than half will remain in poverty their entire lives. But the good news is that metro-Atlanta has a passionate and committed community of leaders, farmers, businesses, nonprofits, and agencies who are fighting these inequities everyday. Nourish Botanica serves as a space where these pioneers can collaborate, compare insights, find solutions, and put their dreams of a stronger and more equitable community into action.
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: Park Pride
Park Pride is a local nonprofit supporting community park stewardship in metro Atlanta. Our mission is to engage communities to activate the power of parks. We partner with community "Friends of the Park" groups--as well as local government agencies, nonprofits, and corporate supporters--to work toward our vision of an Atlanta where every neighborhood has access to a great park. Our programs and services are designed to build community capacity for stewardship of public greenspaces, and we advocate at the local and state level for greater resources toward equitable park access and maintenance. Park Pride takes a partnership-driven, community-centered approach to our capacity building programming. Rather than coming into a community with pre-determined projects or priorities, we respond to the needs and visions of community groups that seek our support. Summer interns (public health conditions allowing) have the opportunity to meet with our community members, hear about their goals for their neighborhood parks, and support our programming and operations to improve our capacity building services to Friends of the Park groups. There are also initiatives like Atlanta Community Schoolyards, which re-imagines school greenspaces for public access, and our work with Watershed Management on green infrastructure projects to mitigate stormwater issues and increase access to parks in affected neighborhoods. Interns would be able to learn more about these projects, meet with partners, and potentially work on related needs if appropriate.
In the past, summer interns have supported the Community Building team by conducting and analyzing the annual Friends of the Park check-in survey with community members. Other projects could include supporting marketing & communications with web/graphic/social/messaging needs, supporting Park Visioning staff with community-based park planning, supporting our Grants manager by updating program processes, online resources, equity analyses, etc.
Depending on the project, the intern may need to have transportation to attend in-person (outdoor only if needed/desired) meetings and site visits with community members. Our service area covers City of Atlanta, unincorporated DeKalb County, City of Brookhaven, and City of Tucker. Other in-person work may be needed in our office (South Downtown), particularly if the intern will be working on drawing park plans. Park Pride can provide support via MARTA cards or parking reimbursement.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13)
Partner: PlantLanta
Plantlanta is a nonprofit community organization working to create an educational platform that inspires, encourages, and motivates children & young adults in the Metro Atlanta area to promote food and environmental justice in our urban communities by curating events that combine pop culture and sustainability. As an organization, we pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box to maximize the impact within our children and young adult community. In 2019, we were able to organize and execute Atlanta's first virtual reality screening of "This is Climate Change", a four-part series of short 360° VR films titled Fire, Famine, Feast, and Melting Ice. Each of these short films covered a different aspect of climate change and gave viewers a direct look at how humans are affeting the planet. Last year, during the height of the pandemic, we partnered with Fulton County Schools and hosted Plantlanta State University, a 1-day school takeover where we replaced Oakley Elementary's curriculum for the day with hands-on projects to garner experiential learning. We invited Atlanta's most innovative farmers, organizations, and social entrepreneurs to bring students a hands-on learning experience with workshops rooted in food conservation, culinary arts, health & wellness, urban farming & community gardening, recycling, and S.T.E.M.
In 2022, we're looking to continue Plantlanta State University as well as coordinate a Block Party rooted in social justice and responsibility while still combining music, entertainment, and all-around fun. Plantlanta State University is a program within our local underserved elementary, middle, and high schools that teaches students how to live more sustainably through experiences. PSU is a 1-day school takeover where we will replace the curriculum for the day with hands-on projects to garner experiential learning. Goals: Our goal is to educate children and young adults on the capabilities and importance of being able to grow your own food, caring for our environment, and inspiring their peers to do the same. With the implementation of Plantlanta State University, we aim to ignite a positive shift by exposing the youth to a more progressive quality of life, in turn, creating a ripple in their family's lineage for generations to come. We want to motivate them to become social impact leaders within their group of peers and in their communities by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to be strong examples of how to live sustainably. 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. Curriculum: 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. We're also in beginning stages of planning our 1st annual Block Party. Responsibilities for interns include sponsorship research and outreach, securing partnerships that align with our goals, event planning and coordination, identifying, booking and coordinating performing artists and vendors. These 2 events will be annual staples of not only Plantlanta but for the Atlanta community. Being able to focus on larger and less frequent events allows us to make more memorable experiences that impact our youth on a more heartfelt level.
Interns may need a car, but could also take MARTA. Most of the internship can be virtual, but there may be a need for some in-person meetings.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Climate Action (13), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: RCE Greater Atlanta (Graduate Students Only)
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.
Georgia Tech has committed to being the "backbone" organization for this collective impact network. As such, we are now looking to hire a graduate student - beginning as an intern this summer, and hopefully continuing as a Graduate Research Assistant all of next year - to take the lead on managing network coordination and communication. Working closely with SLS staff, in coordination with staff in other GT units that work with the RCE, the intern/GRA will oversee a group of 2-3 undergraduate student assistants to manage the following responsibilities: 1) Membership, 2) Global RCE Network relationship, 3) Strengthening relationships/connections among members, Action Groups, and projects ("network weaving"). The intern/GRA will also support: 1) Marketing & Communications (run by an RCE member who is a communications specialist), 2) Youth Engagement in the network (run by Kennesaw State).
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 501c3 organization serving refugees and immigrants resettled in the state of Georgia. RWN inspires and equips refugee and immigrant women to become leaders in their homes, businesses, and communities. For more than 20 years, we have continued to be the only organization in Georgia that specifically serves refugee women. We are community driven and community led to provide holistic services and programming that meets the women at their unique intersection of needs. As RWN's working principle follows the community's need, students can be involved in the participatory program need assessment, planning and designing exercise in the organization. RWN is in the process of designing a qualitative and quantitative data collection system and the SLS student interns can contribute towards this system set up. Moreover, students will have direct and indirect interaction with the refugees and immigrant population that RWN serve which will enhance their understanding of diverse population and their potential. For summer, RWN would like to design a database collection system for qualitative and quantitative data collection from the program participants.
Depending on the in-person or remote nature of the office work policy (Due to COVID CDC Guideline in the summer) the student might have to travel to the office few days a week. RWN office is located in Legacy Park- in downtown Decatur.
Sustainable Development Goals: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9)
Partner: Restore More*
Restore More exists to build capacity with Restorative Practices, Anti-Racism, Teacher Wellness, and Social-Emotional Learning. We train principals, educators, and parents to better support them or students and their behavioral needs. Doing anti-racist work in the education space is challenging, especially now due to the racial tensions highlighted during the summer of 2020. We innovatively help schools and their communities talk about the tough stuff without placing blame, but rather allowing folks to self identify where they are on an ABAR continuum. This work is hard, but crucial to creating a more equitable society, we plan to expose a student intern to these challenges, but also teach them ways to navigate them. We will expose them to curriculum creating, sales calls, weekly staff meetings, and networking events.
The summer project could include developing a Restorative Circle Kit for Elementary Students. We develop ABAR restorative circle kits for teachers to use with their students. We'd potentially ask this intern to support with some R&D, and then pilot building a draft version, with support. This project may be subject to change, depending on needs that develop. This will help us an an organization, because many of the primary schools we work with keep asking for this product, but we haven't had the bandwidth to create it.
The majority of this internship will be remote, with weekly in person meetings at least 1x per week, plus 1 networking event a week. Intern will need transportation to these events.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (16)
Partner: Romp+Tumble*
Babies grow fast but their clothes don't! Romp + Tumble curates and rents bundles of baby and toddler clothes for newborns to age 3. Our circular model encourages parents to rent and share as opposed to buying new for their fast growing children. Additionally, we are curating sustainability programs for other small and emerging brands. We are committed to leaving the planet a little better for the next generation. Romp + Tumble is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and serves families across the United States. Sustainability is becoming more important in fashion as we learn more about fashion's negative impact on all aspects of the planet and people. Circularity is one way we can extend the life of the clothes and reduce the number being produced which ultimately go to landfills. Children grow fast particularly in the first few years of life. While circularity is more prevalent in women's fashion, we believe children's wear is ripe for a rent model. Our model is one of the few geared towards baby and children.
We will either need an intern to help with digital content and growth or on the supply chain and ops size. If in content - it will be blogs, social media, email newsletters, PR, partnerships. If ops it will be in the design and implementation of our new inventory and supply chain model as well as in streamlining our entire logistics process.
Ops project intern would need transportation to and from warehouse / office space as needed. The digital content and growth intern could be remote.
Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality (5), Responsible Consumption and Production (12), Climate Action (13)
The SLS iGniTe Summer Intern would support the Sustainable Communities track of Georgia Tech's Summer iGniTe Program in a variety of ways. The largest component of the intern's role would be serving helping with several GT 1000 courses with a Sustainable Communities theme. The SLS intern would work with instructors to introduce incoming students to opportunities for engaging with sustainability-oriented and community-engaged learning and co-curricular experiences during their time at Georgia Tech. This internship position offers opportunities for growth in leadership, communications, and mentoring. The intern also will have opportunities to shape the Sustainable Communities track of iGniTe in years to come.
This position will be in-person on Georgia Tech's campus, and will be part-time (20 hours per week).
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Partnerships for the Goals (17)
Partner: Small Bites Adventure Club
The mission of Small Bites Adventure Club is to help children discover, eat and love fruits & veggies. We will expose the student intern to innovation through: showing how the process of research, development, and production to sales works; demonstrating how small businesses can pivot quickly to serve the needs of the community; working with over 10 non profits serving children and farmers in Georgia; and researching and applying tech to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption.
We have several potential projects in mind related to building out our tech enabled platform. All student interns help with the daily basics 10-15 hrs a week including fulfilling orders, sales and visiting schools when possible.
The intern will need a car to travel to the office, which is located in East Point. This internship will be primarily in person.
Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4), Responsible Consumption and Production (12)
Partner: SMART Community Corps
SLS partners with the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation for the Smart Community Corps summer internship program. There are multiple internship opportunities located in Atlanta and around the state.
Project #1: Atlanta Airport City Systems Design
Project #2: City of Valdosta: Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Traffic Monitoring and Communication System for the City of Valdosta; Part 2
Project #3: City of Woodstock: Woodstock Traffic Data Analyzation
Project #4: Data Maturity Assessment for Georgia’s Governmental Agencies
Project #5: Flourishing Communities: Westside Neighborhood – English Avenue: Building a Sustainable Community through Design and Technology
Project #6: Gwinnett County Smart Corridor Project
Project #7: Savannah Logistics and Technology Innovation Corridor Project
Project #8: Smart and Sustainable Travel through Engaged Communities Using Integrated Multidimensional Information-Based Solutions
Project #9: Socially Aware Mobility Lab: Deploying On-Demand Transit System in Atlanta
Project #10: Spalding County: Rural/Remote Wireless Broadband Initiative
Project #11: The Ray: “Suggest-a-Tech” Collaborative Expansion Program (Communication Intern)
Project #12: The Ray: “Suggest-a-Tech” Collaborative Expansion Program (Research Intern)
Project #13: Tracing Georgia’s Evolving Regional Innovation & Entrepreneurship Landscape
Project #14: The Conservation Fund: Working Farm Fund Program
Project #15: Columbus Consolidated Government: Smart River Safety Digital Twin
Project #16: City of Albany: Alcohol Establishments and their Effects on the Community
Project #17: An Inter-Agency Approach to Planning for Transportation System Resilience for Underserved Populations and General Populations: Case Study Applications to Georgia, Texas, and Florida
NOTE: Although SMART Community Corps interns are part of the SLS Summer Internship Cohort, this is a SEPARATE application. Please complete their application for this internship, along with the SLS application if you are interested in applying for multiple project opportunities.
SCC Program Overview 2022 Intern Opportunities and Application
Partner: Step Ahead Scholars*
Step Ahead Scholars provides Black and Brown, low income, first generation and under-resourced students and their families with culturally sensitive "to and through college" exposure, guidance and mentoring that prepares them to thoughtfully embark on post-secondary transitions and empowers them to become self-advocates that are able to achieve their ambitions while minimizing pitfalls and post-secondary debt. We dismantle systemic racial and economic barriers to post-secondary education by providing free college guidance to all that request it, in the community-based settings they trust and frequent and in the schools they attend. While post-secondary education is the single most important step students can take to boost economic mobility, the ability of school counselors to assist with it is hindered by unmanageable caseloads. In Georgia, the average counselor to student ratio is 1:432. We combat this disservice for students that attend schools with often the greatest need and where counselors are addressing competing inequities. We increase college counseling accessibility by facilitating large group student/parent overview presentations, targeted student cohort workshops, one-on-one coaching and mentoring sessions, which lowers informational and resource gaps, and increases confidence, knowledge and family college engagement. We enable students with similar aspirational goals to learn and achieve together.
Step Ahead Scholars is one of several organizations providing college access guidance in Metro Atlanta. The unique design of our model and program along with our approach is our differentiator. We believe, to best serve students a grassroots approach is needed and that is where our innovation comes in. Other college access programs are available to selected students as an add-on during the school day or afterschool. We offer both in-school and community based programming to students and their families, which creates increased accessibility to a larger base of constituents. Workshops are available to students that work, those that have after school family obligations with weekend and non-traditional time programming being offered in public libraries, churches, mosques, recreational centers, community spaces and through existing and trusted social service organizations. All students that request help are helped, not just a select few that fit predetermined parameters. Students self-selection eliminates less outspoken and less campus-engaged students from being left to fend for themselves.Our student/parent presentations increase the community's college going culture and enables families to be college informed, so parents understand the college steps and their role in the process. Also students are paired with peer-to-peer college students; mentorship reduces student apprehension, anxiety and increases confidence, follow through and accountability. We also collaborate with existing nonprofit organizations to increase impact, ensure comprehensive services, and to create a trusted community of providers for everyone we serve. Finally, at the onset of the pandemic we began and continue to offer virtual programming that includes weekly workshops, mentoring, financial aid seminars, college visits, virtual college fairs and college resource walk-throughs. In addition, our current delivery model is hybrid; programming is delivered simultaneously during an after school program and online. These offerings are innovative because they meet the students and their families where they are in terms of preparedness in the process, neighborhood convenience, scheduling accessibility and social-influencer familiarity. While the aforementioned seem like simple ideas they are not mainstream. These are just a few of the ways we see Step Ahead Scholars as a social innovator.
We will expose student interns to our innovative work by having them help us scale, which will require them to participate in grassroots research, outreach and networking. This type of engagement will require them to understand the nuances of the people and communities that we serve. They will work with our constituents, existing partners and potential partners. They will begin to understand that social inequities are interrelated and dismantling them needs to be approached in an intentional and targeted way. As they work with our students, volunteers and us they will begin to discover how race, access, education, gender, ethnicity, and zip codes unfairly become determinants of economic equity, mobility and well being.
Summer project could include: working directly with diverse groups of students during a summer boot camp; creating living handbooks that can be used by both our students and volunteers; assisting with curriculum development; designing and enhancing SAS's volunteer/mentor engagement ideas, resources and programing; designing and enhancing SAS's alumni engagement program; enhancing and developing new online resources, new student delivery model ideas, and internship resources; researching pre-college programs, scholarship programs, college fly-in programs, and higher education and advocacy issues and topics; developing an SAS social media, calendar, campaign, creating and posting social media content, and outlining a yearly event calendar to incorporate student college access events; identifying potential and viable nonprofits partners and research grant opportunities.
Depending on Covid guidelines, this internship has the potential to be fully in person, or hybrid. If so, the intern may need transportation occasionally to travel to partner organizations in Clarkston and Dekalb County.
Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education (4), Gender Equality (5), Reduced Inequalities (10)
Partner: TruDiary*
TruDiary provides culturally relevant value-based care to Black and Brown maternal patients in underserved communities. TruDiary's digital health platform eliminates barriers to quality prenatal care by connecting patients to the right doctor, offering inclusive educational content and providing social determinants of health (SDOH) services such as food security, mental health, lactation services and transportation. TruDiary is an innovator in Maternal Health, because we are the only organization that offers Social Determinants of Health services as part of the maternal health journey and the only company committed to reducing patient disparities in underserved communities. The company plans to expose a student intern to this work by introducing them to community, mentor support, research and our connections and networks with providers, payers, and customers, with a focus on Black Girls Nutrition and Wellness Program.
Depending on Covid protocols, this internship could be fully remote, or hybrid (preferred). This office is located on a bus line, if the intern does not have a car.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3), Gender Equality (5)
Partner: Truly Living Well
TLW is committed to bringing good food, good health and well-being to Atlanta's urban center. Today, 81% of Americans live in metropolitan areas. The urbanization of our world makes bringing farming to our cities, not just a good idea, but an essential one if we are to secure and sustain a sufficient fresh food supply for all. Our guiding principles are to emulate nature in the production of food, educate our community old and young, and create a green space where the community can gather and be creative. The work of TLW builds a local sustainable food economy by demonstrating the viability of producing high quality, naturally grown fruits and vegetables in the urban environment. Our farm sites in Metro Atlanta produce naturally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and other added-value products. Our model establishes the transformative power of urban agriculture. Since its beginning in 2006, Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture (TLW) has used its expertise to demonstrate how food can be a bridge across diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Our goal is to use food production as the plate on which we create a culture of health and wellness in our community. Our programs and activities provide agriculture training, nutrition, education and job creation. By regularly harvesting healthy produce throughout the year, TLW provides our community with a dependable, consistent source of fresh produce, much of which can be earmarked specifically for those who cannot afford to purchase it otherwise. Truly Living Well grows better communities by connecting people with the land through education, training, and demonstration of economic success in natural urban agriculture. We demonstrate sustainable and economically viable solutions for helping people to eat and live better.
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 activates the power of collaborative community transformation to enhance sustainable well-being for all. The initiative focuses on residents' holistic health and well-being in the South Fulton County region, especially those most affected by structural, systemic, and racial inequalities in targeted zip codes.
Ubuntu is an innovator in the way that we approach community transformation. Ubuntu Community Catalyst is the answer to traditional structures in which top-down decisions affecting our community often resulted in little action to utterly understand or meet residents’ needs. We believe that collective resident authority + power equals a thriving community. Ubuntu has initiated a people-centered community economic development initiative (LiveWell South Fulton) in the South Fulton County region. The issue areas of focus for Ubuntu are Behavioral and Mental Health (BMH), Early Childhood Education, Economic/Workforce Development, Environmental Justice and Housing Affordability. Our intent is to promote collaboration, increase resident/civic engagement and provide capacity building for people and organizations. As such, we are striving to build better advocates, for self, family, neighborhood, city, etc. To prepare a student for a successful and meaningful internship experience, Ubuntu provides the student with a job description, an orientation to clarify expectations, and outcomes of the project, resources, and information needed to settle in. Additionally, we share UCC’s strategic plan, organization accomplishments, create opportunities for interns to meet with other staff/volunteers, community partners, sponsors, and other friends/supporters.
The project that we have in mind for a summer intern is Early Childhood Education Coordinator. Ubuntu is launching an early childhood education program. Through a unique partnership with United Way's Brighter Futures South Fulton, Ubuntu's LiveWell South Fulton is introducing Pathways for Leaders Advocating Change in Education (PLACE) is a pilot place-based initiative designed to mobilize parents/caregivers, resident leaders, and strategic partners to address issues affecting early childhood education (ECE) in College Park, Georgia. The goal is to improve child well-being via a pipeline of community mobilization using an intersectional and strengths-based framework to strengthen the capacity of parental/residential leaders, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and community. The Early Childhood Education component adds momentum to Ubuntu community efforts that address inequities and advance policies and practices that improve child wellbeing. Examples of the intern responsibilities will include providing support to the Early Childhood Education program development. The intern will assist with research, recruitment, strategy, action planning and implementation of the ECE Community Action Team.
This internship will be fully remote.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Good Health and Well-being (3), Quality Education (4)
Partner: Umi Feeds
Founded in 2015, Umi Feeds began organically. What started out as a concern for not wanting to waste good food has grown into a continuous effort to feed the hungry and the homeless in Atlanta and beyond. As a teenager growing up in Queens, NY, I volunteered with my Aunt Nadia, who was also affectionately called Ummi. I helped prepare small meals that we took to Manhattan to feed the homeless. That outing with my Aunt sparked the awakening of my social awareness in regards to hunger, homelessness, and the needs of others. To date, we've served over 40,000 meals and counting to homeless men and women in Atlanta. In addition to providing meals, Umi Feeds has also provided coats, blankets, yoga, barber services, promoted literacy through providing books, as well as an annual holiday event serving children and families. Umi Feeds innovation is taking surplus healthy and nutritious foods that would've been wasted and redistribute it to those in need namely, seniors, and those experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. The intern will be exposed by allowing them to see the process. By allowing them to see the process my hopes are they'll learn more about food waste, food insecurity, and care more about wasting food. In addition, a greater desire to be more civic and community minded. Potential summer projects include work on the senior food distribution program, the garden program where food is grown in a community garden, and a new program involving installation of pantries in schools. An intern will be matched to a project that fits their strengths and personal interest.
This internship will most likely be hybrid, with remote day to day work and occasional in person meetings.
Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-being (3)
Partner: West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
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. As an all-volunteer organization, WAWA was successful in preserving over 400 acres of greenspace from development in Southwest Atlanta and raised over $2 million dollars to do so, before becoming a 501c3 organization. Through an MOU with the City of Atlanta Bureau of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, WAWA now operates the Outdoor Activity Center, a 26-acre urban forest preserve and nature center. WAWA is also the steward of the nearby 135-acre Cascade Springs Nature Preserve and the 200-acre Lionel Hampton Beecher Park, all in Southwest Atlanta.
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 a tech-enabled, social enterprise that specializes in the production of edible insect protein to empower people to live healthier through improved nutrition and livelihoods to fight food insecurity and protect planet resources. Our mission is to manufacture and market trusted quality protein products and cultivate the most dynamic team in the insect industry. We convert mealworms into protein powder for use in everyday foods such as smoothies, dry mixes, and baked goods. Because of its versatility it also works well as a natural feed for small animals and compost to enhance soil. We also conduct training programs, and provide tools, and resources to educate smallholder farmers about how to start and manage insect farms for food security and nutrition, income generation, and workforce development, plus other ancillary services.
Industrial agriculture, over the past 40 years, has proven to be unsustainable with an economic loss of more than $27 billion every year in the U.S. due to overuse of chemicals in fertilizer and feed, soil, air, and water pollution, high health risks to farmers and consumers, and death to the small family farm. WUNDERgrubs farms insects as a more sustainable protein that could be produced as food, feed, and fertilizer faster, cheaper, and with minimal agricultural inputs. In particular, we will be performing a paid pilot to produce fish feed for a local aquaponic farm in conjunction with the launch of our web application to track farm performance. The SLS intern will be assisting in 1) communications with beta test users for the application, 2) along with forecasting fish feed capacity within our new vertical farm for the aquaponic farm, and 3) communications and tours of the aquaponic farm and setup of our new facility. This will be a dynamic and hands-on internship, plus lots of fun. The student will get exposure to our local partners, investors, and customers.
This internship is planned as a fully in-person internship, dependent on Covid guidelines at the time.
Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger (2), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (9), Climate Action (13)
