http://www.midwestacademy.com/involved/internship-program/

Community Organizing Internship

Want to make a difference this summer? Then, apply for the Midwest Academy Organizing Summer Internship!

About the program: The Midwest Academy Organizing Internship is an intense and exciting 10-week organizing internship that places interns with community organizations in Chicago to work on a number of progressive issues and causes. The program is open to community college students, students enrolled in 4- yr colleges, and recent graduates. The internship starts on June 1st and ends August 7th. 

• Paid Internships: Students will receive a stipend of $4,000 for the ten-week period, to be paid biweekly. Paid internships are limited and usually reserved for juniors and seniors.
• Unpaid For-Credit Internships:  Students can apply to the program and get credit from their college or university. We will work with you if your institution will give you course credit.
• College-funded Internships:  If your college or university has funding for summer internships, you may apply to be a Midwest Academy intern, bringing your own funding.  In addition to the internship application form, please let us know what kind of funding you are applying for at your school, how much you might receive, what the decision date is, and when you need a decision about acceptance from us (we will try to accommodate the need for earlier decisions in this program).

More about the Academy and the Internship Program: The summer internship program starts with participants going through the Academy’s 5- Day Organizing for Social Change training. During the training participants learn about and practice building power, developing winning strategies for campaigns, choosing issues, doing one on ones and recruiting leaders, working with media and organizing public meetings to hold public officials accountable.

Following training, interns will be placed with community organizations in Chicago neighborhoods from 95th and State to Brighton Park, Kenwood-Oakland, and Uptown, as well as in several suburban locations and with statewide organizations. Preference will be given to applicants from the Chicago area, or in school in the Chicago area (this may be waived for the for-credit and college-funded internships).

Interns will receive day-to-day supervision from their placement organizations, and ongoing training and mentoring from Midwest Academy staff. Interns will also journal and meet weekly for reflection. For interns who are interested in pursuing a job in community organizing, we will provide job search assistance at the end of the internship or at college graduation. (For-credit interns will receive additional supervision from one of our staff members who have an MA if needed for credit.)

Ideal candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Have progressive values and be interested in spending the summer working on progressive issues like reproductive rights, LGBT rights, Worker Rights, Environmental Justice, Economic Justice
• We want interns who are ready to work hard and take on new challenges and responsibilities
• Must have a have a passion for social justice and be able to demonstrate how you’ve participated in social justice activities & want to learn solid skills in the field of organizing.
• We are also really interested in people who want to explore a career in progressive organizing.
• Fluency in Spanish or other languages relevant to recent immigrants will be a plus for some locations.
• Use of a car will be required in some, but not all, placements.
• Be a student at a community college, four year institution or recent grad
• Interns must live in Chicago. If you are not a current resident of Chicago, you must plan to be here for the summer and have a way to pay for housing. The Academy does not provide housing.

To Apply: Download the Internship Application and follow instructions.   Applicants are strongly urged to apply by February 1st. The deadline is March 1st; applications will be accepted past this date if positions are not filled.

Contact Jeanne Cameron at [email protected] for more information.

From first-ever partnerships with iconic retailers to internships with the Boston Herald, students from Academy of Art University’s School of Fashion are on their way to influencing the styles of tomorrow. We’ve compiled an article roundup of what’s been happening in the department!

The School of Fashion provides students with the access to tools and cutting-edge facilities needed to help them bring their passions and creativity to the next level. Offering degrees in Fashion, Costume Design, Product Development, Styling, Textile Design, and more, the School of Fashion is buzzing with updates from all angles of the industry.

Check out these five articles in case you missed them!

1.   GANT x Future: Iconic Retailer Partners with Design Students
By Vivien Moon, Fashion Journalist with an MFA from  Academy of Art University

This fall, in the heart of San Francisco, a Menswear Styling class worked on a project unlike any other in the industry: reinventing the classic white button-down. Except this isn’t an ordinary school project but a collaboration between the iconic US retailer GANT and the Academy’s School of Fashion. (Source:The Huffington Post)

2.   Academy Grad Helps People With Disabilities Find Stylish, Accessible Clothing
By Dorothy O’Donnell, Staff Reporter for Academy Art U News

In 2008, Stephanie Thomas realized she needed to come up with her own solutions for helping disabled people with their clothing challenges. Today, she is a stylist based in Los Angeles who specializes in working with disabled clients, including athletes and actors that she dresses for red carpet affairs. (Source:Academy Art U News)

3.   “Facts Are Essential’’: Online Fashion Journalism Graduate Student Kenlyn Jones’ Path to a Boston Herald Internship
By Tyler Drinnen, MA Fashion Journalism student and Fashion School Daily intern

On top of being an MA student in Fashion Journalism in the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University, Kenlyn Jones is currently is an adjunct faculty member at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. For anyone else this would be a full plate, but not for Jones, who recently began a coveted internship with the Boston Herald, one of the two largest dailies in Massachusetts. (Source:Fashion School Daily)

4.   Alyssa Watson: When Fashion Meets Technology
By Academy of Art University

When School of Fashion BFA student Alyssa Watson heard about the 2016 Met Student Design Competition, she knew the challenge was meant for her. Watson had been exploring using 3D printing and fiber optics in her designs; she used cutting-edge technology to construct a garment which won the competition’s top prize. (Source: Academy of Art University)

5.   10 Basics For The Modern Fashion Journalist
By Faye Harris, MFA Fashion Journalism candidate, Academy of Art University

Fashion journalism is a highly sought-after career, and one that’s not necessarily understood in its entirety―and that’s because it’s so multi-faceted. Even though the digital world of online publication is dominating, a fashion journalist can convey news through a plethora of media channels including magazines, newspapers, websites and online publications, blogs, social media, television, books, and more. (Source:The Huffington Post)