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3 Responsibilities of Summer Interns
I’ve been thinking about creating a summer intern program where interns are challenged in their leadership ability, grow personally and get a chance to openly serve and learn fundamental skills. I should mention up front that we have a 2-year internship that is open to everyone, but occasionally grant a special summer internship for home-grown students that ask to serve in this way.
Here’s the arrangement I’m working on as we’re about to dive in with as many as four summer interns joining our High School Ministry staff:
You’ll get to lead a real project – we’re going to look at what you bring to the table and let you own something big. It might be a series of events, it might be a particular big weekend, it might be coordinating volunteers and staff around a signature event. You will not leave this summer without getting a chance to really lead and try out some of the skills God has given you and you’ve been developing in the classroom. Prepare to feel accountability from the culture and the team helping push you on to greatness.
You’ll get to partner with a staff member on something significant - partnerships are a little less pressure than running the show, but your name is still on the line. This will give you a chance to work with a direct report “boss” and help pull off something big. You could be working on a script, a video, a series – and the deadline could be the Friday after you start or the Friday before the summer ends. Navigating interpersonal work relationships and reporting is a skill best learned in the forgiving role of an intern.
You’ll get to function as a team player and pitch in to the culture - this one is really the freedom to serve. Bring your specialty to the table, bring your strengths over to combat a weakness. Perception and discernment will help you grow leaps and bounds this summer. Quickly analyze the situation and see how you can contribute to help the team reach its goals. The more you put in here, the more fulfillment and growth you will have, and the more partnerships and leadership will be granted.
Man, I’m excited about this summer!
JG
View More: internships, leadership, relationships, saddleback church internships, saddleback internships, summer interns, youth group intern
Josh,
Quick question – what do you look for in a summer intern? I know you said this is a “home-grown” person – for example, how far ‘removed’ from being a youth are they before interning?
Thanks,
~C
Good question…how bout it?
Shawn
I’d love an intern to be a couple of years out of high school before they come into the program – namely because that’s about the age we would start to hope they would volunteer if they were local as well. We want a college summer intern to be different than a high school student leader – and as I said before, this is not an open program (like the 2-year) it is closed to students/friends of the ministry only.
Because it is only a few months of engagement, I think we could accept a person just done with their freshman year of college, and be fine. As far as what I’m looking for – there are a few skills I’m most interested in our current crop with the summer calendar we’ve got planned.
We’ve got a business students coming, 2 youth ministry majors and a communications/PR major. They will all be very different in what I’m hoping they bring to the team and what I hope they get out of it.
JG