Build your organization and grow new talent by submitting a project to the Common Ground Internship Consortium.

Selected projects will be assigned two to four interns for twelve weeks this spring. Common Ground will match qualified interns with projects, host the interns in our offices, and provide supervision and support throughout the internship.

Why participate?

Having an intern can be time-consuming. Support and accountability are what make an internship successful for both the intern and your organization, but you may not have the time to provide that. An intern needs a workspace, but your office may not have room for that. Finally, finding an intern who meets your needs can take a lot of searching.

The Common Ground Internship Consortium is designed to solve these problems through collaboration. We will match qualified interns with promising projects, set them up with a desk and computer, and provide day-to-day support for their work.

We are accepting applications from Athens area nonprofits for projects requiring between two and four interns, each working 20 hours a week for twelve weeks.

Hosting

Interns will work three days a week from the Common Ground resource center in downtown Athens. We will provide participants with a desk and basic office supplies, and Free IT Athens will provide computers for each project.

Please note that we will ask you to pay for any special supplies or equipment needed for your project. For example, if your project involves producing a publication, Common Ground will not be able to fund the cost of large-run printing. Standard office supplies, printing, copies, etc. will be provided, however.

Mentoring

The two program directors will be available at all times to support the participants in their work. With no more than twelve participants and five projects, we will ensure that everyone gets the attention they need. By hosting all participants at the resource center, and through weekly progress meetings, we seek to foster collaboration and accountability among all the participants.

Recruiting and Selection

As you read this, we are recruiting applicants from throughout the Athens area. Using partnerships with faculty and student organizations, as well as our network of volunteers and members, we will select participants who are eager to learn and to fulfill your project's goals.

We are committed to connecting interns and organizations in a way that supports the growth of each. Because of that, we cannot ensure that every strong project application will be selected. Our priority is to make each project relationship the best we can, so we are limiting the number of projects and participants selected.

Schedule

Cost

The program will cost Common Ground approximately 10,000 dollars per cycle. This figure includes overhead costs of keeping Common Ground open, the cost of labor for staffing the program, and the cost of office supplies including desks and chairs, etc. This figure divided among four projects would mean each project costs Common Ground approximately 2,500 dollars. We would ask for half of that from projects which would come out to be about 1,250 dollars. We realize that start up organizations may not have the ability to pay this kind of fee, so we will be more than happy to discuss how we can work out payment through in-kind donations or some other source. That being said, we will not accept or deny projects based on their ability to pay this fee.

How to Apply

1. Fill out the online application.  Contact Jenna if you have trouble with the online form.
2. The deadline to apply is Monday, December 1.
3. We will notify selected projects and participants by December 8.