Good Idea

While many of her peers were lounging on the beach or selling flip flops at part-time jobs, Ann Magnayon spent the summer between high school and college hard at work on community development projects in Winnipeg's inner city. Magnayon was an intern at Urban Circle Training Centre, an organization that provides educational opportunities for Aboriginal people. The position had her taking on a wide variety of community development tasks, including working closely with children and families and assisting with summer recreation programs—all while being immersed in the challenges of running a nonprofit agency in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.

It might seem like a tall order for a teenager's summer job, but when Magnayon compared notes with her friends, she was overwhelmingly positive about her experience.

"I always tell them I had the best job ever," says Magnayon, one of four interns selected by the Winnipeg Foundation and matched to eight-week, paid job placements at local charities in 2005. A pilot project that evolved out of Youth in Philanthropy (YiP, www.wpgfdn.org/prog_yip.php), the foundation's grantmaking program for high school students, the Summer Internship Program was modeled on a larger-scale program run by the Cleveland Foundation.

Summer School, Too

Magnayon says that the internship provided important educational experiences—including opening her eyes to some of the challenges faced by those living in poverty.

"I've learned a lot of things," she says. "I've learned that community development is hard, and it involves a lot of communication. I've also learned a lot of things about myself, and about some of the skills I have." The internship has also opened Magnayon's mind to the possibility of a career in community development—building on her previous experience as a volunteer and as a grantmaker through YiP.

And that's precisely the outcome the foundation was hoping for with the internship program, explains Megan Tate, a YiP program coordinator at the Winnipeg Foundation.

"Canada's Voluntary Sector Initiative has identified developing human resources as a key issue of the sector, [along] with the need to strengthen organizations' ability to attract and keep committed, skilled employees. One way to do this is to introduce young people to a career in the sector by providing hands-on experience," says Tate. "We hope that by showing students what it is like to work for a nonprofit that they might consider it as a career."

Each of the intern positions provided a very different experience; in addition to Magnayon's position, jobs included working with refugee and immigrant families, conducting composting workshops with a local environmental organization, and compiling an organization history and other resources for an employment agency that assists people with disabilities.

A Win/Win

In addition to working on specific projects and programs, interns were also introduced to all aspects of running a nonprofit organization. Magnayon, for example, had the opportunity to learn about budgeting, conduct interviews for student placements and tackle various administrative tasks. Interns were paired with mentors at the host organizations who acted not only as managers, but also as resources, advisors and guides to working in the voluntary sector.

"We wanted to provide students with an inside look at how nonprofit organizations work, as well as with meaningful paid employment and an opportunity to build their resumes," says Tate. "At the same time, we wanted to increase the capacity of local organizations."

All four host organizations appreciated the extra set of hands to carry out special projects, but they also benefited in unexpected ways. The energy and enthusiasm of the interns were a source of inspiration, as were their youthful perspectives on each agency's work and role in the community. The success of the pilot initiative has the foundation already developing the 2006 program; it plans to link four more passionate students with powerful summer job experiences.

Ann Magnayon (foreground) with three other 2005 YiP interns. ©The Winnipeg Foundation