The Aspire Internship
Catered to those who want to develop essential life skills, while progressing professionally.
Here’s how it works.
Over the course of our comprehensive 16 week program, our interns will complete our skill development course and work with a partner on a community engagement project. There will be opportunities for valuable mentorship, professional development, and a scholarship. By the end of the internship, each intern will walk away with improved life skills and the personal and professional relationships they build along the way.
Skill Development Course
Interns spend two weeks on each skill, guided by our experienced facilitators, our interactive curriculum, and the Life Skills book. Our internship program integrates experiential learning into the structure of the course to maximize skill development, while also providing opportunities to normalize and refine practical professional skills like presentational speaking, time management, collaboration, and critical thinking.
The bulk of our internship program is a course focused on seven essential life skills:
Self-Development: Establishes the foundation for the mastery of our entire skill curriculum through the development of tools ranging from self-reflection strategies to habit management.
Interpersonal Skills: Focuses on developing and maintaining strong professional and personal relationships, as well as strengthening effective communication skills.
Organizational Skills: Offers a guide to organizing your life through the evaluation of how and where to best spend your time.
Personal Finance: Provides an introduction to all things finance including budgets, credit, debt management, and taxes.
Global Awareness: Supports the development of media literacy through a focus on finding sources that allow you to develop strong, fact-based global knowledge while acknowledging biases.
Problem Solving: Develops your ability to face problems head on and understand the deeper roots of complex problems.
Leadership Skills: Gives you the tools necessary to develop into an inspirational and invested leader in a variety of contexts.
Community Engagement Project (CEP)
In addition to completing the skill development course, interns will partner up to create and present a community engagement project.
For the project, each pair of interns will select a few of our skills and explore how those skills can be implemented in a way that helps their communities.
The community engagement project provides a way for interns to critically engage with the course content, customize the internship experience, and creatively serve their communities. In addition, the project allows interns to expand their professional portfolios, which will endure for long after the internship ends.
Professional Mentorship
A unique benefit of our internship program is the emphasis we place on professional mentorship. All of our interns have access to the Aspire Skill Development peer mentorship program, both during and after the internship.
Our mentors have all gone through the Aspire internship and encompass a wide-range of experiences. values, and interests.
