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Internship Opportunities

ForKids internships provide an ideal opportunity for students to gain real-world work experience relevant to their academic and career goals. ForKids helps prepare students for an exciting future in the non-profit field by offering opportunities to explore the many diverse career options potentially available to them in areas of human and social services. This is also an excellent way for students to give back to their communities while adding tangible work skills to their resumes.

Opportunities for interns include, but are not limited to, fund-raising events, office work, marketing, computer technology and working with clients. Each intern collaborates with his/her supervisor to develop a curriculum/work plan designed specifically to the student's targeted learning objectives. Time commitments vary with each assignment and are decided by the supervisor and intern.
Program Information

Depending on needs, ForKids offers internships in the following areas:

Internships are structured to meet the needs of each department, and can be designed to meet the credit/hour requirements of the student. 

*All internships are unpaid*

Semesters:

Available Internships:

Mental Health Counseling (Not currently accepting interns in this position. Please check back later.)

This internship will present students with an amazing opportunity to work with Clinical Services Staff to increase their knowledge regarding the struggles of people living with mental illness and dealing with homelessness. 

Description:  The student intern will conduct intake evaluations on children and adults (psychosocial evaluations) and co-facilitate group and individual therapy that focuses on parenting issues, self-esteem, conflict resolution, boundaries, etc. The intern will learn how to manage clinical files and will assist with paperwork, treatment plans, and consent for services. Interns must be willing to travel to our various sites in Norfolk.

Requirements: Selected interns must be able to work independently and follow directions. Knowledge of the DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, a good understanding of the importance of confidentiality, and a desire to work with a highly traumatized but versatile homeless population is essential. Interns must utilize a family systems approach and communicate effectively with the therapists on staff as well as the case management team. Additionally, interns must be willing to learn and grow.

Schedule: Typically, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.  Work hours are flexible but some evenings are required. Students should work out mutually beneficial schedules with supervisors before beginning the internship.

*Note to supervisor and intern: please consider intern classes, job, family, Forkids’ supervisor’s schedule, times adults and kids arrive home, group and class nights, and total hours needed to accomplish school internship divided by number of weeks of internship to get number of hours students needs to work each week.

Case Management

The case management internship allows students to assist with client intakes, aid in job searches, help plan budgets, and support the Case Managers. This is valuable experience for students interested in Human Services.

Description:
The student intern will conduct intake evaluations on children and adults to understand the economic, social, and academic issues that have caused barriers for the family. Interns will learn how to manage a case file and will also assist with paperwork maintenance, individualized service plans, consent for services, etc. Interns will assist with budgeting, job searching, and generally support the case manager, as necessary. Interns must be willing to travel to our various sites in Norfolk.

Requirements: Must be able to work independently and follow directions. Educational background in Human Services, Counseling, Psychology, or Social Work strongly preferred.

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.  Work hours are flexible but some evenings are required.

Children Services

Description:  The student intern will provide direct support to the children’s program at the residential locations. Interns will assist with conducting intake assessments on children. They will learn how to manage files and assist with paperwork maintenance, service plans, consent for services, etc. Interns develop lesson plans to include games and creative activities to engage children of all ages and stages of development. Interns will assist parents with school enrollments, registration procedures and advocate for the children in the education system. Interns will be asked to organize, clean and sanitize children’s space before leaving shift, as well as assist with regular cleaning of games and toys. Interns also assist with transporting clients to activities and appointments. Interns must be willing to travel to our various sites in Norfolk.

Requirements: Must be able to work independently and follow directions. Must have a good understanding of confidentiality and a desire to work with a highly traumatized but versatile homeless population. Interns must utilize a family systems approach and communicate effectively with the therapists on staff, as well as the case management team. Intern must be willing to learn and grow.

Schedule: Monday-Thursday. Flexible daytime schedule.  Evening hours are required (4:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.).  Fridays are optional and occasional weekend hours are available.

Development

This internship will provide a unique experience for individuals with an interest in non-profit development and communications. Interns will learn how to effectively communicate an organization’s mission and how to solicit financial and in-kind contributions from the community.

Description: Student intern will divide time amongst three aspects of Development: 1) community and media relations, 2) special events, and 3) community fundraising.  The selected intern will learn how to effectively communicate to the community at large about the work that the organization is doing with the end goal of garnering support for the organization.  Interns will participate in speaking engagements, research and cultivate potential supporters and partners, and learn to write media releases and other marketing pieces, as well as solicitation requests for the general public.

Requirements: The ideal candidate will have the ability to work independently and follow directions.  The intern should have a demonstrated interest in non-profit administration and a desire to support the mission of ForKids to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children.  The intern must possess strong writing skills, a professional appearance, the ability to communicate effectively and a willingness to speak in front of large groups.  Interns must be comfortable working with computers and have basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Writing samples will be requested. 

Schedule: Hours are flexible.  Some evening and early morning hours required.

Grants & Research

This internship allows the intern to develop professional writing skills, research capabilities and data collection and reporting skills in support of the Grants & Research Division of ForKids.  The division submits over 70 grant applications a year and manages approximately 20 federal, state, and local government grants and 30 private foundation grants.  The division provides all data collection, data analysis and reporting for grants awarded, and provides statistical information about homelessness to public and private stakeholders.  The intern will assist in developing grant applications, compiling and analyzing data, and preparing grant reports.

Requirements: Ability to work independently and follow directions, ability to utilize the internet to find and evaluate source documents to support grant development, ability to work with statistical data and a highly developed attention to detail.  Candidates pursuing a degree in writing, public policy or research would gain the greatest benefit from this internship.

Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  Evening hours are not available.

Database Management

The internship will involve helping with the implementation of a new Salesforce database, staff training, data entry, acknowledgement processing, and other duties as assigned. The intern will also assist with auction software and the Art Auction check-in process.

Requirements: Applicant must possess excellent computer skills. Strong Excel knowledge and ability are essential. Experience with enterprise databases is a  plus.

Schedule: 20-40 hours per week. Hours are flexible.

How to Apply:

The Human Resources department will assist students with the application process.

The following documents are required to apply for internship:

Resumes will be reviewed by staff and if there is interest and availability the applicant will be contacted for an interview.

If selected for an internship, all interns will need to pass a Criminal Background Check and provide proof of automobile insurance.

Intern applications, Intern Interest forms, and Resumes may be emailed to jobs@homesforkids.org or mailed to PO Box 6044, Norfolk, VA 23508 – to the attention of Human Resources – Internships.  No phone calls, please.  If you have questions regarding a ForKids internship, please send an email to jobs@homesforkids.org.