We are currently looking for interns!

Function of Program & Role

• Project Knowledge (PK) is a transdisciplinary, evidence-based academic intervention and research program  focused on mentoring and building resilience in Petersburg High School students in Petersburg, Virginia. 

• The mission of PK is to make every student aware of their potential so they may act in ways consistent with this awareness. We believe that when students believe in, nurture, and actualize their distinctive traits and abilities, they will be successful in their future.

• For the last five years, Project Knowledge has produced outcomes from a small sample of Virginia State first-year students. Based on community participatory research, PK collaborates with Petersburg High School teachers and administrators, and Communities in Schools (CIS) to incorporate community perspectives into the project. 

• Facilitates a curriculum that covers psychosocial behaviors and academic skill set such as ethics and core values that influence behavior, skill acquisition, time management, and goal setting. We are looking for potential interns who will be paired with students attending Petersburg High School. If you are interested, please see below for the requirements of work. This is a paid internship opportunity. 

General Standards, Expectations & Requirements of Work 

• Interns are expected to have an open line of communication with both mentees and fellow work colleagues, and leadership team. 

• Interns are expected to communicate with mentees several times throughout the week outside of weekly sessions. Interns are encouraged to meet with mentees outside of sessions as appropriate. 

• Interns are expected to be professional, maintain integrity, and complete programming and research tasks. Interns are also expected to be compliant with requests made to them from the lab. 

• Interns are expected to complete training to utilize Basecamp, an online platform for project management and  IXL, and Team Excel, learning platforms

• Completion of weekly mentee check-ins accessed on Basecamp. Ensuring mentees are performing tasks related to data collection including completion of attendance sheets and collection of grade information. 

• Interns are expected to create a minimum of two (2) presentations that are informative, collaborative, and interactive. Interns may be asked to create more presentations as needed. Presentations are expected to have either a physical component or a hands-on component. Interns need to have quality presentation and oral communication skills. Presentations are presented to the whole cohort of interns and mentees during designated sessions. 

• Interns who are selected will need to be available for a week long summer training on August 1st-5th of 2022. 

• Interns are required to be available and attend two (2) weekly mandatory meetings during the 2022-2023 academic school year. One day for weekly intern meetings which will be determined based on group availability. The other day will be on Fridays from 2:00pm - 6:00pm for weekly PK mentoring sessions. Attendance is required on both days. 

Qualifications to be Considered for Work

• Currently an Undergraduate student at Virginia State University for the 2022-2023 academic year or an alumni of Project Knowledge and a recent graduate of Petersburg High School. 

• Must have a G.P.A. of at least 2.7

• A minimum of two (2) recommendation letters from (1) from a current professor and (2) a mentor or a supervisor you’ve had in the past. 

• Preferred to have some mentoring experience or community outreach experience. 

• Some proficient oral communication skills particularly to large groups and group problem solving processes. 

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. 

• Ability to foster and maintain positive relationships with mentees, team members, and community partners, and to work collaboratively within and outside the organization. 

• Ability to make decisions and determinations which require initiative, independent, and ethical judgments while maintaining the ability to meet deadlines. 

• Ability to create interactive presentations based on the topics provided. 

Features

• Performs duties under the supervision of the Director of Programming and the leadership team. This position requires some independent thinking and judgment and the ability to work in the community with a wide variety of populations in various settings. May require local travel within the city of Petersburg. Potential interns are expected to provide mentorship to high school students and demonstrate competency in related mentorship areas. Requires flexibility and willingness to learn a variety of functional mentorship skills. Requires patience, tact, and willingness to respond to mentee needs.

• PK is an ongoing academic intervention research project. The goal of the research is the investigation of the mentoring relationship on academic outcomes of both mentor and mentee. Interns are also considered participants in research. As in any research project, failure to comply with the necessary requirements of the project will result in interns being asked to leave the project.