Internship/ Volunteer Opportunities for Students - the HELP Institute

Volunteer Opportunities for Students

Mission
We are a nonprofit community empowerment organization that advocates for socially
disadvantaged people and communities. We work to enhance the holistic (physical, mental and economic) wellbeing of disadvantaged people by ensuring they receive needed and effective services; we do this by providing program evaluation and organizational development services to those working with and/or for them, which is accomplished collaboratively to achieve true and lasting change.

Vision
The HELP Institute (HELP) envisions a world where all socially disadvantaged people are empowered and, therefore, realize social equality, self actualization, and optimal living(including health, behavior, economics, mentality, and spirituality). HELP also provides an ideal internal work environment with benefits for all that consistently manifests employee actualization.

Our goal is to offer free program evaluation and organizational development services to government and nonprofit agencies in strategically targeted socially disadvantaged communities(based on socioeconomic status, physical health, and behavioral health). We currently have various volunteer opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students around research and program evaluation. The following subsections include descriptions of our committees and programs wherein students can both provide services and learn through service. All students will
also have the opportunity to obtain guidance and supervision from The HELP Institute, Inc. (HELP)’s Co-Presidents (Dominica McBride, PhD and Steven Cofrancesco, MPA, PhD candidate).

Organizational Committees
Community Research and Development Committee
This committee is responsible for designing, implementing, and/or conducting research on community and organizations’ needs and using those findings to inform the development of HELP initiatives, programs, and planning. In particular, the data will be used to guide service delivery – both who should be given services and where HELP should direct its time and resources – in order to obtain optimal and lasting change in communities. Volunteer opportunities in this area would include tasks such as conducting literature reviews, interviews, focus groups, creating and disseminating surveys, obtaining local existing data, organizational needs assessment reports), and attending meetings. The students will be encouraged to be creative and innovative and work collaboratively.

Volunteer Committee Because HELP’s goal is to provide free program evaluation and organizational development services, volunteers are central to HELP functioning, sustainment, and achievement of the mission. Thus, the volunteer program is vital to HELP’s livelihood. The program is currently under development and is in need of assistance and growth. Serving on this committee will provide students with the opportunity to be creative and social, as the volunteer program needs to
be a learning experience as well as a vessel for community and organizational empowerment. This committee is responsible for developing and furthering the volunteer program, assisting in developing its structure, recruiting volunteers, evaluating the orientation process, and planning social events for volunteers.

8630W. Monterosa Street PO Box 15293
Phoenix, Arizona 85037 Chicago, IL 60615
602.300.2402 480.430.9709