100 paid internships available for teens to explore careers
Cleveland.com for Youth Opportunities Unlimited
on December 02, 2021 at 09:03 PM
Emerald Hood never had a job before landing an internship with Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Then, suddenly, the 17-year-old found herself in meetings with the executive director of Empowering Youth, Empowering Justice (EYEJ) and working with the team there to spread awareness of the organization’s social justice mission.
Participating in the award-winning internship program was an eye-opening point of transition from kid to career for the young woman who goes by Emmy.
“I couldn’t believe how much my voice was heard,” said Emmy, a high school senior at Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland. “I really felt that I was part of something.”
Another 100 Cuyahoga County teens will have the same kind of opportunity this coming year through the Y.O.U. Internship Program, whether they’re interested in social justice, aviation, engineering or pretty much anything else. All it takes are people like you to volunteer as mentors for the interns.
Y.O.U. typically needs mentors in fields such as health care, I.T., engineering, business, law, culinary arts, creative arts and more. The main requirement for mentors is to provide a meaningful project for the intern to work on that exposes them to the career field they’re interested in pursuing. It’s also important as much as possible to involve the intern in your professional network through staff meetings, lunches and other ways that make them feel part of the team.
This can be done in person, virtually or a hybrid of both, depending on pandemic protocols at your workplace.
“We really customize the program to the intern’s interest,” said Missy Toms, vice president of development and communications for the Cleveland nonprofit. “That’s really important because so many youth have an idea of what they want to do but don’t know how to get there.
“What makes this internship program unique is it really is intensive career exploration, and each youth has a different experience.”
RELATED: Become a Y.O.U. Internship Program mentor
When a couple students last year expressed interest in aeronautical engineering, Kyle Zimmerle volunteered to become a mentor. It was a little outside the comfort zone for the mechanical test engineer who works for a contractor at the NASA Glenn Research Center. But providing an impactful learning experience to an aspiring engineer was something that he’s always wanted to do, and the Y.O.U. Internship Program offered the perfect opportunity.
Zimmerle worked with the students a few hours per week through the summer on hands-on engineering projects such as making 3D models of acoustic dampeners and designing wheels for a space rover. They talked to laboratory experts in those areas and experienced the engineering process first-hand, from troubleshooting design flaws to producing actual prototypes.
“The students were really excited to see these projects come together, to actually see their dampening model 3D-printed and be able to hold it and say, ‘That’s pretty cool how that turned out,’” Zimmerle said.
“It’s exciting to expose interested students to this, and I’m excited for future mentoring and the future of my field of work based on my time with these two this year.”
RELATED: Donate to support the Y.O.U. Internship Program
Y.O.U. also needs financial support to run the internship program. Private donations from individuals, businesses and foundations help Y.O.U. fund intern stipends as well as CPR training and any credentials that may be required for work done through the internships.
Because the program provides a stipend, interns get to earn while they learn. And because the stipend is paid by Y.O.U., there is no cost to the mentor’s employer.
As Emmy Hood progresses toward high school graduation and applies to colleges, she’s not sure yet what path she might take in the future. Her interest in social justice brought her to EYEJ where she served as a staff liaison to the EYEJ Youth Council. She’s also interested in becoming a biology professor, or maybe a lawyer.
Whichever direction Emmy goes, she’ll have a valuable professional internship experience under her belt thanks to Y.O.U. and the program’s mentors and donors.
“I never had a job before EYEJ,” Emmy said. “I was able to learn more about time management skills. I developed a new work ethic. It required me to be on time and to be as detailed as possible.
“It prepared me to be in that work environment.”
Applications for the Y.O.U. Internship Program became available on Dec. 1. The internships are available to current 10th and 11th graders and will start next spring or summer and continue into the fall.
After writing an essay about career interests and going through an interview, youth interns will get paired with a 1-on-1 mentor in their chosen field.