The Service Engagement Internship (SEI) Powered by Repair the World hires student interns, both undergraduate and graduate, to engage their peers in service, civic engagement, and social change work. This program, which is a partnership between Repair the World and Hillel International, will support 6 student interns at Hopkins Hillel during the 2023-2024 academic year. This leadership training opportunity empowers students to take meaningful action that positively impacts their community, to design and facilitate Service Learning opportunities, and to build community through recruiting peers to volunteer alongside them.
Benefits + Responsibilities
- $500 →Each student intern will receive a $500 stipend for their participation in the year-long program. Additional funds are available to support programming designed by interns.
- 10 →Interns will each be responsible for designing and implementing 10 service projects over the course of the academic year.
- 25 →Each intern will be responsible for recruiting a total of 25 peers to join their service projects, each of whom will volunteer at least once.
- 2 →Interns will be required to attend one 75-minute September orientation and another 75-minute January training via Zoom. Each session will be offered multiple times to accommodate a range of student availability.
- 2 →Interns must join or watch recordings of at least 2 of 4 additional skill-building trainings.
- 6 →Interns must attend 6 cohort meetings over the course of the academic year consisting of educational content, check-ins about interns’ work, and group brainstorming and problem solving.
FAQs
What do I get from the Internship?
Interns get an opportunity for professional development in the areas of Jewish service learning, volunteer management/recruitment and other professional skills, a cohort of peers from around the world, and a $500 stipend upon completion of the program.
What is Repair the World and why are they collaborating with Hillel on this program?
Repair the World was founded in 2009 to mobilize and inspire Jewish young adults and their peers to volunteer in a meaningful and impactful way contributing to social change and Jewish life. Repair the World has worked with Hillel since we were founded and this is one of many ways that we’ve worked with Hillel to achieve our goals and strengthen our communities. To scale up its service work, Repair the World has expanded this grant to include students outside of the Jewish community. Students of all faiths or no faiths are welcome to apply for the fellowship or to participate in fellowship service projects.
When does the Internship start and how long does it run?
There will be two opening orientation sessions for student interns – one in September and one in October – but the precise start time is flexible based on what will work best for each campus as long as interns participate in one of those two sessions.
If you complete your program requirements in the first semester, you are not obligated to do more. That being said, the most impactful and meaningful service is sustained throughout the year, and over the course of many years. We hope that you will design your approach to take the needs of your community-based service partners into account.
What are the requirements to complete the program?
To complete the program, you need to (1) participate in learning and skill building webinars throughout the year, (2) volunteer 10 times, (3) submit a short campus plan (with your campus supervisor), (4) recruit 25 of your peers on campus to volunteer, and (5) share what you are doing through a quick online form.
Those goals seem hard. Will you help me achieve them?
100%. Our onboarding, skill-sharing webinars, and issue area deep dives are designed to give you the skills and knowledge to be successful in this Internship. Additionally, your peer interns and local Hillel supervisor will serve as support, thought-partners, and accountability-buddies to help you along the way.
The goals of volunteering 10 times and recruiting 25 peers to volunteer are the minimum, and most of our past interns have surpassed them.
What counts as volunteering?
Repair the World uses a definition of Service Learning that includes four components (don’t worry – we will teach you how to do this!):
- Direct Service
- Issue Area Education
- Ethics Education
- Reflection
Additionally, service should be in partnership with organizations (either on- or off- campus) who are fighting against systemic injustice and serving a community with a marginalized or oppressed identity (ex: people of color, trans/non-binary, people experiencing poverty or homelessness, etc…). If you have questions about your partners or service projects, reach out to the Hillel International team.
Do I have to be Jewish?
You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Service Engagement Intern, and the students who volunteer with you do not have to be Jewish to be a volunteer. Any student who is interested in volunteerism and building community is eligible.
When and how will I get paid?
Your $500 stipend will be sent to you as a direct deposit into your bank account in two payments – one $250 payment in January 2024 after completing mid-year training and one $250 payment in May 2024, provided you have satisfied the requirements of the program.
What are program funds and how do I access them?
In addition to the Intern stipends, each campus will get program funds. Those dollars are to be spent on anything that Hillel needs to support its interns’ volunteering and volunteer programs. In the past, Hillels have used those dollars for:
- Paying for transportation to and from volunteer sites
- Buying snacks or meals for volunteers
- Paying honoraria to service partners for their time
- Paying educators to learn more about a particular issue area and/or Jewish values and social justice.
Students should include a program budget in their project proposal in order to access program funds.
Do service engagement interns have to be undergraduate students?
No. Graduate students are eligible to be Service Engagement Interns.
Could a first year student be a service engagement intern?
First year students are eligible to be Service Engagement Interns. Successful first year students in past years of the program have been those with significant leadership and/or content area expertise along with the ability to quickly build strong relationships with their peers.
Can students intern for more than one year?
Absolutely! There isn’t a limit on the number of years a student can participate in the Service Engagement Internship.