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Young talent is needed to address community development challenges for the next generation. The West Virginia Housing Internship Program at CommunityWorks of West Virginia (CWWV) focuses on building that leadership pipeline.
The program provides graduate-level students an opportunity to learn more about and become interested in the field of affordable housing. The 12-week internship provides places 51 graduate-level students through a partnership with graduate schools at West Virginia University, Marshall University, West Virginia Wesleyan and University of Charleston. Over the past five years, the CWWV internship program has become highly valued by both participating students and nonprofit organizations.
Program components include a stipend, work placement, research publication, and independent evaluation of both the intern and the overall program. Each sponsoring organization contributes $500, which is combined with CWWV support of $4,500 to provide a living stipend for the interns. Interns are given the opportunity to work on creative and innovative projects as they gain an understanding of policy issues and services that assist families seeking safe and affordable housing. Toward the conclusion of the internship, interns write a "reflection paper" and develop a portfolio that is shared with their professors.
Prior interns have carried out community development projects that extend beyond affordable housing, reflecting the comprehensive nature of today's challenges. Past evaluations have shown that all participating students express interest in working in the housing field after completion of the internship.
One intern formed a nonprofit housing corporation in a formerly underserved area. The same intern later returned after graduation from his master’s program to become the executive director of the organization.
Other successes include a student who developed a curriculum, now valued at $7,500, for a nonprofit serving women substance abusers and another who earned a position with Congresswoman Shelley Capito. Several others were hired at their sponsoring organizations.
Launching and supporting this program has come with lessons learned. Initially, CWWV offered the program each semester, but found that during the fall and spring, students couldn’t travel long distances. Transitioning to a 12-week program allowed students to plan accordingly well in advance. Students also were better able to select organizations in proximity to them, including those in rural areas.
CWWV looks forward to expanding the program in new ways to accommodate more students and to collaborating with additional sponsoring organizations to grow reach and exposure.
The program provides graduate-level students an opportunity to learn more about and become interested in the field of affordable housing. The 12-week internship provides places 51 graduate-level students through a partnership with graduate schools at West Virginia University, Marshall University, West Virginia Wesleyan and University of Charleston. Over the past five years, the CWWV internship program has become highly valued by both participating students and nonprofit organizations.
Program components include a stipend, work placement, research publication, and independent evaluation of both the intern and the overall program. Each sponsoring organization contributes $500, which is combined with CWWV support of $4,500 to provide a living stipend for the interns. Interns are given the opportunity to work on creative and innovative projects as they gain an understanding of policy issues and services that assist families seeking safe and affordable housing. Toward the conclusion of the internship, interns write a "reflection paper" and develop a portfolio that is shared with their professors.
Prior interns have carried out community development projects that extend beyond affordable housing, reflecting the comprehensive nature of today's challenges. Past evaluations have shown that all participating students express interest in working in the housing field after completion of the internship.
One intern formed a nonprofit housing corporation in a formerly underserved area. The same intern later returned after graduation from his master’s program to become the executive director of the organization.
Other successes include a student who developed a curriculum, now valued at $7,500, for a nonprofit serving women substance abusers and another who earned a position with Congresswoman Shelley Capito. Several others were hired at their sponsoring organizations.
Launching and supporting this program has come with lessons learned. Initially, CWWV offered the program each semester, but found that during the fall and spring, students couldn’t travel long distances. Transitioning to a 12-week program allowed students to plan accordingly well in advance. Students also were better able to select organizations in proximity to them, including those in rural areas.
CWWV looks forward to expanding the program in new ways to accommodate more students and to collaborating with additional sponsoring organizations to grow reach and exposure.
