Summer 2022 Calumet Collaborative Summer Intern
This internship is part of the University’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Please review the Metcalf Interns’ Responsibility Notice to learn more about program requirements for Metcalf interns. One position with this employer will be funded as part of the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Additional unfunded opportunities with this employer may be offered. In this instance, the position will be grant eligible. Please see application details here.
Fellowship Award Amount: $4,000
Internship Time Commitment: approximately 400 hours
Remote / Chicago, IL
Please make sure that if selected for an interview, you communicate to your prospective host organization/employer where you will be physically located during the internship as your location may affect your (or your host organization/employer’s) ability to pursue this opportunity.
If you are an international student, please make sure to visit the OIA website to familiarize yourself with your work authorization eligibility and requirements as soon as possible. If you’d like to make an appointment with your international adviser, please visit this page.
The Calumet Collaborative seeks an intern to support communications and public engagement in the Calumet Region. Projects the intern may contribute to include community storytelling and mapping; planning for community open space; and community driven economic development.
Intern qualifications include:
● Interest in the Calumet Region and a desire to support local people as they tell their stories, connect with natural and cultural assets, and articulate and advance their own visions for community improvement. Many kinds of experiences/ disciplines could be an asset in this, including community organizing, urban planning, environmental studies, and/ or public history.
● Robust experience creating communications content for social media and blogs.
● Comfort working both collaboratively and independently; openness and ability to modify approach based on feedback.
The intern will become familiar with the organization's range of projects and will spend approximately 50% of their time communicating about all projects through blogs, social media, etc. With the remainder of their time, the intern will support implementation/management of the project(s) in which they are most interested.
Currently, Calumet Collaborative staff work remotely, but occasionally travel to Calumet communities for partner meetings and community events. Willingness to participate in these kinds of meetings and events is preferred, but 100% remote work is negotiable.
Organizational Background
Originally the convening body for the Millennium Reserve initiative, the Calumet Collaborative became a non-profit in 2016, with a mission of advancing sustainable economic development across the bi-state (IN-IL) Calumet region. Since June 2021 we have reorganized our programs, prioritizing locally driven, asset based, sustainable economic and community development in racialized and/or low income communities.
Over the past two years, we worked with the Calumet Heritage Partnership and the Field Museum to convene local stakeholders and collaboratively develop the Calumet Heritage Area Management Plan. A central and emerging activity for us as we implement the Management Plan is partnering around placemaking/ placekeeping that supports local economic development.
We accomplish our work in partnership. We support local organizations as they build power and increase capacity for community self-determination. We also partner with organizations that have broader geographic reach, complementary technical expertise, and similar commitment to racialized and/or low income communities.