For a fourth consecutive summer, energetic young Nebraskans will return home to strengthen their connections to the places that raised them and further the community-building work of local Nebraska Community Foundation affiliated funds.
In 2021, nineteen college students took part, living and working in Albion, Callaway, Chester, Columbus, Deshler, Diller, Ewing, Guide Rock, Hebron, Johnson, McCook, Nebraska City, Norfolk, Ogallala, O’Neill, Red Cloud, and Rosalie.
The students’ work positioned them to see their communities from a new vantage point by placing them among local leaders dedicated to building a brighter future. Catching the NCF network’s enthusiasm and active hope was inevitable in such company.
“I have loved this experience because I’m actually happy with the work I’m doing. In past job experiences, I was just working to get paid, but with this Hometown Internship I feel like I had a purpose,” said Diller Community Foundation Fund intern Hayley Denner. “This internship has helped me become the best version of myself that I can be.”
Interns’ unique perspectives have helped us all recognize and appreciate Greater Nebraska’s untapped abundance. They already knew their community and its residents—many of them their whole lives. By giving them an opportunity to contribute to their hometowns’ growth, interns began to see the allure of building a life in Greater Nebraska.
After the success of 19 exceptional 2021 Hometown Interns, we’re offering even more opportunities in 2022. Nebraska Community Foundation is now accepting interest forms from both students and NCF affiliated funds interested in participating in the 2022 Hometown Internship program. Please see details below.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
A 2022 Hometown Intern is a current college student who has completed at least one year of schooling and lives at home for the summer. The intern will discover and document the assets and abundance of their homeplace. They will help facilitate conversations with community members regarding these assets and opportunities, and they will co-create opportunities to mobilize these local assets to increase community quality of life. Students will be compensated for their work, but housing will not be provided.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Nebraska Community Foundation
- NCF’s anonymous donor will offer challenge grants of $1,500 to $3,000, to be matched on a one-to-one basis with local funding by Nebraska Community Foundation affiliated funds
- The student interns will be temporary employees of NCF.
- NCF will pay interns $15.00 per hour and handle withholding taxes and personnel administration.
- NCF will provide a job description template, administrative guidance, and facilitate peer learning.
NCF Affiliated Fund
- The fund has completed or plans to complete Action Planning
- Fund Advisory Committee members identify and recruit local college students who might be interested in a Hometown Internship. NOTE:NCF’s partnerships with University of Nebraska Extension; Nebraska Honors; UNL’s Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication program; and the Center for Civic Engagement are helping communities find young people who are interested in returning home for the summer.
- A member of the Fund Advisory Committee will serve as a champion and direct supervisor for the 2022 Hometown Intern.
- The Fund Advisory Committee will create opportunities for the intern to identify and discover community assets and share this information with community members to mobilize, connect and add value to these community assets.
It is important to understand that the work the student will be doing must be charitable in nature; they will not be interning for for-profit entities. However, the experience they gain will hold value as they pursue future career opportunities.
There is a myriad of potential summer projects that might be of interest to your Hometown Intern and your community:
- Working with early childhood education, enrichment programs for youngsters, summer camps such as EntrepreneurShip Investigation camp
- Partnering with the local library or school for STEM programming development
- Documenting local history or storytelling
- Mapping arts assets and making program connections
- Creating a “shopping local” campaign
- Tourism, eco-tourism and agri-tourism
- Creating a “community assets analysis”
- Community event planning
- Anything charitable, educational or civic benefit oriented that you or your hometown intern can imagine!
If you are part of an NCF affiliated fund or student interested in participating in the summer 2022 Hometown Intern program, please complete a very brief interest form.
The deadline to submit is January 31, 2022.
If you have questions or if you are ready to begin the internship recruitment process, reach out to your Affiliated Fund Development Coordinator as soon as possible.
Please note: If you are not affiliated with the NCF network but are interested in becoming or hosting a Greater Nebraska intern, please email jcrotty@nebcommfound.org. We will work with our partners at University of Nebraska Extension; Nebraska Honors; UNL’s Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication program; and the Center for Civic Engagement to match interns, communities, and opportunities!
Nebraska Today: Internship programs help rural Nebraska thrive
