Internships with Hands to Hearts International

Hands to Hearts International (HHI) a Portland-based international development agency is seeking interns and/or volunteers for a variety of projects. See the full list at http://www.handstohearts.org/internships.htm and the various position descriptions listed below.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Qualifications

* Interest in international development; women's and children's issues.
* The ideal candidate will be working towards an MPH, MSW or MA in Non Profit Management, International Relations or International Development.
* At least one year of international work experience in a developing region, preferably India.
* Strong writing and editing skills
* Successful and proven experience in research and evaluation, program design, M & E, use of logic models, and participatory methods in development.
* Individual must be capable of effective communication, organization, detail-oriented work, creative thinking, and working independently.

Projects

* Development of situational analysis toolkit for current and future partnerships.
* Development and implementation of M & E plan for HHI India, including research on appropriate tools for measuring outcomes and impacts in early childhood development (ECD).
* Provide research and writing assistance for grants
* Maintain and update spreadsheet of potential HHI partners and funding opportunities
* Stay abreast of advancements and publications in best practices for ECD, maintaining appropriate resources for agency use.

Type of Internship: Unpaid, school credit possible
Length of Internship: minimum of 6-8 hours/week, total of 200 hours

Intern may self-design a portion of his/her internship according to personal interests or academic requirements. Intern may receive credit for this internship, subject to the terms and conditions of their college or university.

How to apply:
Submit resume, cover letter, 1-2 page writing sample and names of three references to Laura Peterson - laura@handstohearts.org.

JOURNALISM INTERN

Qualifications

* The ideal candidate will be working towards a degree in Journalism, English, or Communications, preferably at the graduate level.
* Interest in international development; women's and children's issues.
* Strong writing and editing skills
* Experience conducting interviews and reviewing materials to creating unique and compelling written content for website, blog, newsletters and other outlets.
* Success in publishing original and professional stories in a variety of media outlets.
* Experience in using a media lists and communicating with editors to pitch stories to their publications.
* Familiarity and success at building engaged followings on social media sites - FaceBook, Twitter, etc.
* Individual must be capable of effective communication, organization, detail-oriented work, creative thinking, and working independently.

Projects

* Writing monthly newsletter copy,
* Updating website and social media content, as well as updating media list.
* Create minimum of 2 original magazine articles, submit to appropriate magazines or media outlets.
* Potential for grant writing.
* Create a monthly giving campaign and donor/sponsorship levels to build fundraising capacity.
* Create other support documents and materials to support growth of HHI.

Type of Internship: Unpaid, school credit possible
Length of Internship: minimum of 4 hours/week, total of 100 hours

Intern may self-design a portion of his/her internship according to personal interests or academic requirements. Intern may receive credit for this internship, subject to the terms and conditions of their college or university.

How to apply:
Submit resume, cover letter, 1-2 page writing sample and names of three references to Laura Peterson - laura@handstohearts.org.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPER

Qualifications

* Interest in international development; women's and children's issues.
* The ideal candidate will be working towards an MA in Education, Early Childhood Development, MPH, MSW or equivalent.
* At least one year of international work experience in a developing country, preferably India
* Strong writing and editing skills
* Successful and proven experience in ECD, curriculum design, lesson planning, the adult learner model, ESL, low-literacy populations, and participatory methods of development.
* Individual must be capable of effective communication, organization, detail-oriented work, creative thinking, and working independently.

Projects

* Gather lessons learned from curriculum stakeholders, including HHI master trainers.
* Modify HHI curriculum for use in low literacy populations
* Create template for design of lesson plans
* Create a picture based Participant Resource book.

Type of Internship: Unpaid, school credit possible
Length of Internship: minimum of 4 hours/week, total of 100 hours

Intern may self-design a portion of his/her internship according to personal interests or academic requirements. Intern may receive credit for this internship, subject to the terms and conditions of their college or university.

How to apply:
Submit resume, cover letter, 1-2 page writing sample and names of three references to Laura Peterson - laura@handstohearts.org.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Qualifications

* The ideal candidate will be working towards an MA in Human Resources, MPH or equivalent.
* Interest in international development; women's and children's issues.
* Strong writing and editing skills
* Experience in creating or customizing HR policy and procedure manuals, job descriptions, employee handbooks and Board of Directors manuals to address non-profit agency needs.
* Individual must be capable of effective communication, organization, detail-oriented work, creative thinking, and working independently.

Projects

* Gather like materials from other similar agencies, learn about what would be most applicable and supportive to HHI team, and tailor materials to address HHI's needs.
* Create other support documents and materials to support growth of HHI.

Type of Internship: Unpaid, school credit possible
Length of Internship: minimum of 4 hours/week, total of 80 hours

Intern may self-design a portion of his/her internship according to personal interests or academic requirements. Intern may receive credit for this internship, subject to the terms and conditions of their college or university.

How to apply:
Submit resume, cover letter, 1-2 page writing sample and names of three references to Laura Peterson - laura@handstohearts.org.

PA 509 Organizational Experience Profile: Toni Flitcraft

Toni Flitcraft
MPA 2009, Specialization in International Relations and Policy

MPA Classes:
International Relations (PS 530)
U.S. Foreign Policy (PS 505)
Global Leadership and Management
Public Relations and Public Affairs (PA 505)
National Policy Process
Public Contract Management
Operations Research

Toni completed her organizational experience project this past summer (2009) in Vienna, Austria at the U.S. Department of State's Office for Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

What did you do at the OSCE?
I worked on research for current issues, drafting interventions and briefings, and representing the U.S. as a short-term observer at Kyrgyzstan's 2009 Presidential Election.

What was your personal goal for choosing this project as the capstone to your MPA studies?
I've always been interested in the Foreign Service as a career. This was a great way to get a first-hand look at what life is like as a Foreign Service Officer.

How has participating in an internationally-focused organizational experience project helped you tie together your MPA experience?
I went into the MPA program with the goal of working for the State Department after graduation and I created a specialization which reflected that goal. So this was the perfect experience in which to end my educational program.

What do you see yourself doing in the next five to ten years?
Ideally I would like to be working for a public or non-profit organization with an international focus. I haven't given up on the idea of working as a Foreign Service Officer for the Department of State, but my experience at OSCE and my education at PSU have opened my eyes to the many different opportunities available.

PA 509 Organizational Experience Profile: Jennifer McFarland

Jennifer McFarland
MPA 2009, Specialization in Global Leadership and Management

MPA classes:
Global Leadership and Management
Sustainable Development Implementation
Contemporary Governance
Development Management in Vietnam
Managing Public Programs
Cross-Cultural Communication
Values-Based Management
Program Evaluation and Management

Jen worked for Portland State University as the Project Manager for a Miller Grant project, Public Leadership for Sustainable Development during the spring of 2009. This project was supported by the Hatfield School of Government and the Executive Leadership Institute.

What did your PA 509 Organizational Experience project entail?
I served as the project manager for the "Public Leadership for Sustainable Development" project. My primary tasks were to support Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) faculty in the development of a public leadership for sustainable development framework. I also coordinated the development of a website, organized meetings, wrote reports and grants, assisted with initial conference design, and performed other project implementation tasks aligned with the project goals, including:

--Creating a Sustainability Leadership Collaborative (SLC), a community of scholars and practitioners, who provided a forum for future learning and curricular development.

--Coordinating a public leadership curriculum conference at PSU for domestic and global partners June 9-10, 2009, to co-produce curriculum intended for integration into current coursework.

--Writing a Miller Round II grant proposal for project continuation.

This required building on skills developed during my previous project management experiences, such as time management, attention to detail, report and grant writing, and facilitation. Additionally, this position afforded the unique opportunity to draw on competencies obtained from relevant coursework such as Managing Public Programs (PA 510), Contemporary Governance (PA 510), Global Leadership and Management (PA 514), Development Management in Vietnam (PA 510), and Cross-Cultural Communication (PA 549).

What was your personal goal for choosing this as your PA 509? What did you hope to accomplish?
I selected this project because I have a passion for sustainable development, project management, and bringing diverse groups of people together for a common cause - this project allowed me the opportunity to build upon these passions while also cultivating skills and relationships that I hope will help me achieve my long-term career goals.

How has participating in an internationally-focused organizational experience helped you tie together your MPA experience?
The international component of this project involved collaborating with the Ho Chi Minh Academy (HCMA), an academy in Hanoi, Vietnam, dedicated to building leadership competencies for public leaders throughout Vietnam. Representatives from HCMA attended the project conference in June, and participated in building leadership and sustainable development frameworks. Because I had only recently returned from my first trip to Vietnam, it was a wonderful way to finish my MPA experience.

How has participating in an internationally focused organizational experience helped you in your job search?
Although I haven’t started my job search, this experience was a building block to my future career aspirations.

What do you see yourself doing in the next 5 years? In the next 10 years?
In the next three to five years, I would like to work as a program manager overseas, either for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the United States Peace Corps, preferably in Asia, because of my experiences in Kazakhstan and Vietnam. One position of particular interest to me is the Program and Training Officer position at the Peace Corps, which provides strategic planning, program management and analysis, and education policy guidance to the Peace Corps Country Director, and USAID and Embassy staff. Working internationally is just one of many possible career paths I see for myself. As someone passionate about helping others, I am always willing to serve!

What other advice would you give to a current MPA student with an interest in international work?
I think the best thing you can do as an MPA student is maximize your experiences. Meet as many people as possible - students and professionals. If you aren't working - get a job that will help you in your future career endeavors. Get to know your professors - they can be great resources for getting to know the things you need to know, the things that aren't in the textbooks. Take advantage of travelling. The best experience in my two years in the program was going to Vietnam with Dr. Ingle. I wish now I'd been able to go to Washington, D.C., with Dr. Shinn, or Mexico with Dr. Corbett. Even if you don't think you can afford it, these trips are well worth the money because it's always better to have your boots on the ground.

Internship / PA 509 Project : Transitions Global

Here is a potential internship or PA 509 project with Transitions Global, a local nonprofit that is working in Cambodia.

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Today, right here in the United States, 300,000 American minor children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation. In Oregon, federal and local law enforcement believe they are encountering 3-5 girls per week who are victims of trafficking.

Transitions Global (TG) is based in Portland, OR and has been working with survivors of sexual trafficking in Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh, since 2004. Transitions' program works with 11-18 year old girls who are victims of forced prostitution, offering them a continuum of care including safe shelter, counseling, support, job training and placement.

Transitions Global is looking to fill an unpaid student grant writing position (this would also be a great opportunity for an MPA student looking for their PA509 project). The position would be 10-15 hours a week and would entail researching grant opportunities, drafting applications and working closely with founder James Pond to establish funding for the building of a safe shelter in Portland, OR.

If you are interested, please send your resume and contact information to corie.wiren@co.multnomah.or.us

Internship / Possible PA 509 Project : Progressive Health Worldwide

This was also posted to the MPA listserve. It is an internship that might work as an international PA 509 project with a Portland-based nonprofit called Progressive Health Worldwide.
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Progressive Health Worldwide's Portland office seeks a development intern for a minimum of 8 weeks.

Project Description:
--Fundraiser event planning;
--Assisting with foundation research/outreach and grant applications;
--Major donor research and relationship building (no cold calls);
--Materials development and communications with supporters
--Communications with supporters.

Qualifications and Skills:
--Both Undergraduate and Graduate level students will be considered.
--Interest in Public Health, International Development, Agriculture, and/or Nonprofit Development.
--Skills and interest to work at all levels from strategic planning to administrative support.
--Enthusiastic, industrious, organized, resourceful go-getter able to work under minimal supervision, with excellent communication skills. Energy to take on exciting events and see them developed from start to finish.
--Pluses: Grant writing skills or other prior fundraising/financial development experience.
--Ability to work at Portland, OR office for a minimum of 8 weeks, with a minimum of 10 hours per week (20 preferred, but flexible).

Compensation:
Internships available at PHWW are currently unpaid, volunteer positions. However, PHWW participates in work-for-credit or internship funding programs offered by applicants' academic institutions. Please note any programs available to you in your application. We would also be able to consider performance-based stipends for compensation following work on successful fundraising initiatives.

Application instructions:

Position open until filled. Although we would like to start interviewing applicants immediately, the start date of this position is flexible. Applicants should send cover letter and resume to Ms. Hema Subramanian at jobs@phww.org. Please note your schedule availability and any University-related internship programs through which you would like to participate. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please note that although we look forward to reading everyone's application, due to the volume of responses, we will only be able to send personal replies to selected candidates, and conduct application reviews as positions become available.

Contact information:

Progressive Health Worldwide

www.phww.org

115 NW First Ave., Suite 200

Portland, OR 97209