By Lanet Greenhaw, Director of Education
The Dallas Regional Chamber is partnering with The City of Dallas and Education is Freedom (EiF) to offer more than 400 public school students in DISD and charters a real world job experience this summer through the Mayor’s Intern Fellow Program. You can make this a reality, and we call upon you to host or sponsor an intern(s) for 20, 32, or 40 hours a week and profoundly impact a young person’s vision for his or her future. Companies that cannot employ an intern can sponsor an intern to work at a community organization or the City of Dallas office.
Open to businesses and community organizations of all sizes, the program provides paid internships and professional experiences. Your business will help develop the workforce of tomorrow by providing much needed job and communication skills; the soft skills that we all have to learn outside of the classroom. In addition, EiF provides training in resume writing, interview skills, and continues to monitor the interns’ progress through regular site visits.
Designed to provide a paid 8-week summer internship, this experience allows students to visualize their future, see the possibilities a quality education can present, and provide tools to chart the course to accomplish their goals. Equally as important, these young people will receive the opportunity to witness the powerful link between higher education and success in the workplace. The valuable experience gained from the internship will benefit the students in the coming years, as they apply for colleges, get into colleges, and apply for professional jobs.
The National Student Clearinghouse reports that 82 percent of the previous Mayor’s Intern Fellows who have graduated from high school since 2008 are verified as enrolled in college. This includes prestigious institutions including Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Howard University, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas Woman’s University and Southern Methodist University.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is challenging us as corporate and community leaders to make this the most beneficial summer intern program in the nation. Register online at www.mayorsinterns.org for your intern(s) by March 1, 2012. For more information, please call program administrator EiF at 214-432-8552, go to the official website at www.mayorsinterns.org, or direct inquiries to Adam Powell at APowell@educationisfreedom.org. Here also are a Program Brochure and an At a Glance Fact Sheet, providing a timetable and information on what is required of your organization.
The goal in 2012 is to employ 400 interns at 150 or more companies. Take the challenge now and commit to sponsoring interns for the next summer. Your commitment today will help secure the City of Dallas’s success tomorrow and dramatically change the life of a young person.
