The Community Internship Program (CIP), for rising high school juniors and seniors, combines paid summer internships in dynamic and impactful Jewish non-profit organizations with workshops that develop life skills. Teens will contribute to the ways in which our diverse partner organizations — ranging from summer camps and museums to law firms and advocacy organizations — support our community. This program is part of the Los Angeles Jewish Teen Initiative (LAJTI), which strives to dramatically increase the number of post-b’nai mitzvah Jewish teens engaged in compelling Jewish experiences that give them the tools to lead healthy and fulfilled lives.
During the CIP experience, summer interns work full time (9:00 AM-3:00 PM) Monday-Thursday for four weeks and earn a paycheck for their time in training and in the workplace. The interns will spend Fridays (9:00 AM-2:00 PM) together as a cohort to engage in team-building activities, explore their Jewish identity, develop skills, and reflect on their experiences in their respective work environments. These interactive sessions focus on areas that teens care about most: communication, professional development, personal branding, and more.
When asked about the Friday workshops, teens often express how impactful they are. One teen stated, “I thought the personal branding [workshop] was really interesting, and it gave me perspective I didn’t really have before.”
Another teen enthused, “The Community Internship Program definitely helped me connect to my Jewish identity and helped form a community for me. I met so many of my Jewish peers from all around the L.A. area who I would never have met otherwise. Overall, it was a really great experience, and it helped me realize that I want to be part of a Jewish community for the rest of my life.”
When asked about the most memorable part of her internship experience, Maya Weiss, who worked for the fundraising department at the BJE: Builders of Jewish Education Los Angeles, said, “The connections I made throughout the Jewish Community. I networked with my supervisor and all of the people at the BJE, which opened doors for me to utilize in the future. I also became friends with so many interns, so I expanded my circle of Jewish friends outside of my temple and NFTY.”
Summer 2018 will be the fourth year of the CIP, and we are excited to see the program continue to flourish. We will accept up to 45 qualified teens and will partner with 25+ organizations around Greater Los Angeles.
The Community Internship Program is part of the L.A. Jewish Teen Initiative, co-funded by Jewish Federation Los Angeles and the Jim Joseph Foundation with seed funding provided by the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Special thanks to Dahlia and Art Bilger, initiators and funders of our Community Internship Program.
For more information about CIP, please visit bit.ly/INTERNSHIP2018 or contact Jordan Vaughter at JVaughter@JewishLA.org.
