Fellowship Placement Sites

ArtVan is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote equity and accessibility by delivering mobile art therapy for transformational healing to people in the communities where they live. At no cost to ArtVan's 10 neighborhoods, they provide yearlong safe, creative, feedback-oriented environment for youth and families living in under-resourced housing. Led by an art therapist and behavioral health professional, ArtVan provides year-round quality therapeutic arts program for youth of all ages, gender, religious background, and abilities without access to social services and recreational activities.

Fellows projects may include:

• Partaking in 70% programmatic work: meaning direct services and all planning, materials preparation, and follow up.
• 30% operations, working with the Executive Director and Community Engagement Coordinator on summer events (ArtWalks, ArtHops, ArtBars) and program documentation.
• As summer proceeds the fellow will design their own project to implement with a neighborhood program week. The fellow will attend all staff meetings and any other community collaborations ArtVan may be involved with for the summer.

Skills Needed: This position requires the fellow to be self-directed, open-minded, a good time manager, comfortable with ones own creativity (does not necessarily need to be an "Artist" or have an art background), able to work with a small team, flexible to adjust to a busy summer schedule that may not necessarily be Monday - Friday 9 - 5, but may be required to assist in an evening and/or Saturday event, and balance their schedule for time off and self-care. This fellow also needs to be comfortable working alongside youth of all ages, mental health, and abilities and willing to take healthy risks to discover and grow in their own personal and academic journey.

Black Owned Maine is dedicated to fostering and sustaining an ecosystem for Black entrepreneurs in Maine. Their mission is achieved through a multifaceted approach, encompassing business advising, entrepreneurial training, resource sessions, marketing support via their business directory, and active advocacy. Black Owned Maine's primary focus lies in supporting existing Black-owned businesses, contributing to their growth and success within the state's entrepreneurial landscape.

Fellows projects may include:

• The student could undertake a project focused on expanding BOM's social media presence, as well as developing new modules of community outreach or refining existing ones to enhance their effectiveness.
• Additionally, the student might collaborate on a comprehensive marketing initiative to increase awareness of Black-owned businesses in Maine, leveraging digital platforms and community outreach.
• In addition to project-based work, the student would regularly engage in tasks such as conducting market research, participating in business advising sessions, and contributing to the ongoing refinement of BOM's advocacy strategies to better serve our Black entrepreneur community.

Skills Needed: Black Owned Maine is looking for individuals with proficiency in Instagram for effective marketing and outreach, as well as the ability to analyze data through digital tools to inform strategic decision-making. BOM loves data, loves processes, and loves community engagement but this work is always evolving so they seek someone agile, who is not afraid to offer unique, innovative ideas. They love working with students who previously served on Boards of Black Student Unions or other student groups but realize not everyone has been provided those opportunities. In other words, BOM seeks students who are deeply passionate about their local community and creating a more inclusive Maine.

Written and/or verbal proficiency in French, Lingala, or Portuguese is a plus but not required.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Greater Portland Family Promise's mission is to help families experiencing homelessness and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. Their vision is a community in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future.

Currently they are serving the asylum seekers population due to a great need, but are not limited to any specific populations. When a client gets signed up with Family Promise they are connected with a case manager. The first step of the process is to make sure clients basic needs are met and the housing navigation search begins. The next piece is the housing of the family where the case manager will then stay with the family for up to one year providing support to the family to ensure their success in their new home. Family Promise holds a culturally-appropriate food distribution to provide foods for the families they enjoy cooking and eating. They do this once a month for all families working with case managers and twice a month for families that are in their static shelter. GPFP also provides the furniture and move in assistance and have some financial assistance available to families. 

Fellows projects may include:

• The student would spend some time on site at GPFP's shelter as well as some time in the field visiting families alongside a case manager. For activities that may arise, interns may assist with moves of families into their homes, helping at their food distribution, and helping with daily operating tasks at their shelter.
• Alongside the day-to-day activities GPFP help's their interns find a niche they are passionate about that they feel would be a need for families and have them plan an activity/class/program to enrich Family Promise further. A few examples include:
  
  • A current intern is starting a Women of Color group in partnership with another organization (In Her Presence) because she saw the need and felt passionate about women empowerment.
  • An intern planned a free vaccination clinic for GPFP families that was interested in the healthcare realm of things.
  • An intern helped set up a legal workshop where families could get free legal advice on their asylum applications.

Skills Needed: The most important skills GPFP looks for in their interns are: having an open mind, the ability to connect with others, and someone that can bring new ideas to the table! They are hoping to have their intern find a need in the organization and assist in the implementation of new processes or programs.
The successful candidate for this position is an enthusiastic individual with good judgment, cultural sensitivity, and compassion for others.

A huge plus is bilingual skills mainly in French, Portuguese and Lingala, though not required, the majority of GPFP families are limited in English skills and having the ability to translate can make the work much easier!

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Hope Acts offers asylum seekers access to housing and basic needs, assistance in navigating complex immigration processes, and resources for learning English to help them successfully transition to a new life in Maine. Hope Acts works with newly arrived asylum seekers to the U.S. Hope Acts works with individuals and families. They help people access basic needs (housing, food, medical, etc.) and offer asylum and work permit clinics to assist asylum seekers through these complex processes. They also offer remote English classes and provide housing for 13 asylum seekers who live in their apartment building, Hope House.

Fellows projects may include:

• The summer fellow will primarily work in Hope Acts' office (14 Sherman Street, Portland) with individual clients to assist them in completing paperwork, understanding immigration status, and helping walk-in clients with a variety of needs. Interns will be supported by Hope Acts staff and experienced volunteers and interpreters
• Special projects could include an analysis of client needs and demographics, writing a grant application, or developing volunteer training materials. Other possibilities are developing a social media plan, recommending updates to our website, or creating client education literature. New needs will undoubtedly will surface prior to the start of summer as well.
• Hope Acts also makes every effort to align a summer fellow's special project with their academic interests. As an example, a past intern conducted a study of partner organizations to help Hope Acts better understand mental health support services for immigrants in the greater Portland community.

Skills Needed: Hope Acts welcomes students who have a passion for social justice and a willingness to work in a busy, sometimes hectic environment. They would love to have a French speaker or someone with even basic Portuguese, but it is not required.

Students interested in immigration would benefit from an internship with Hope Acts. Students with experience working with people who have experienced trauma would also be a good fit for their organization. Their best interns have been eager to learn, and they have a passion for helping others. While Hope Acts provide significant support for interns and volunteers, a successful candidate will be one who isn't afraid to jump in or ask questions and one who genuinely enjoys getting to know people from other parts of the world.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Housing Resources for Youth (HRY) mission is to ensure access to safe and stable housing for homeless and at-risk students to enable youth to complete their education, reunify with their families when appropriate, and make successful transitions to post-school life. HRY emphasizes completing high school. They serve Bath, Brunswick, Topsham and Auburn.

The Brunswick Area Teen Center run by People Plus provides a place to area teens. This include activities as well as meals.

Fellows projects may include:

• Help prepare for the coming school year. Update training materials. Provide posters. Update social media.
• Table at events. Street outreach for homeless teens. Donor development research.
• Work with teens at Teen center. Help with providing meaningful activities.

Skills Needed: HRY and People Plus are smaller organizations and needs a fellow who is a self starter and able to manage their own schedule. Successful fellows will be outgoing, compassionate, detail and tech oriented. Good communications skills, both written and spoken, are needed,

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) helps low-income immigrants improve their legal status and works for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. ILAP is Maine’s only statewide legal aid agency dedicated to providing legal assistance on immigration issues. ILAP helps Maine’s immigrants keep their families together, gain protection from persecution and domestic violence, attain residency and work authorization, and otherwise improve their immigration status.

Fellows projects may include:

• The Bowdoin fellow will support the work of ILAP’s Full Representation team, helping to prepare one or more humanitarian application for immigration relief on behalf of an ILAP client. This may include gathering and organizing evidence, drafting written correspondence, coordinating meetings with clients, and more.
• Work is also expected to include administrative assistance to ILAP’s legal team including but not limited to data entry, filing, photocopying, scanning, and creating or updating pro se and outreach materials.
•  In addition, the fellow will assist in staffing ILAP’s monthly Change of Venue clinic.
• A fellow with relevant language skills would likely also assist in providing interpretation and translation.

Skills Needed: ILAP is looking for qualifications that include an ability to work well with individuals from different cultures and with varying levels of English proficiency; an ability to communicate using a variety of platforms including Outlook, Zoom, and WhatsApp; strong computer skills including experience with Office 365; strong writing skills; highly flexible; able to work independently; and a personal and professional commitment to racial justice and equity.

Fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Lingala, or Creole is extremely helpful, but not required. ILAP strongly encourages applications from people of color, immigrants, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. They believe that having a diverse and equitable organization strengthens our programming and services and advances our organizational values.

It is the mission of the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine (IRC) to support refugee and immigrant communities by offering culturally and linguistically sensitive services to promote a healthy and equitable Maine. Their constituents are any immigrant in Maine who needs services. They regularly work on housing navigation/stability, community learning, workforce readiness, and gender-based violence support. IRC has offices in Lewiston, ME, but this intern will be working with IRC at Brunswick Landing.

Fellows projects may include:

• The student fellow for summer 2024 will leverage the work of the 2023 fellow to help with IRC’s work readiness and skills development programs. The work readiness program helps clients (mostly asylum seekers in Brunswick) develop English literacy skills that will help them be successful at work.
• The student will help with English classes so English-language learners can practice speaking English. Student input will be helpful on how to enhance this program, or further engage Bowdoin students during the school year.
• Beyond that, the student will also help IRC staff get clients placed into employment that is culturally responsive and provides benefits and higher wages.

Skills Needed: The ideal candidate will be someone who wants to learn, has an open mind, is flexible and able to work with different cultures/ backgrounds The student should be an advocate, and interested in providing direct service and language skills to individuals or groups. Any student who is willing to grow, interested in education, public health, or diversity, equity and inclusion work should apply.

In alignment with the values of Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, the Merrymeeting Gleaners are focused on offering dignity and empowerment by making local, healthy and culturally significant food available to all members of the community. The gleaners work toward these goals by promoting strong community partnerships, both with the farms that we get produce from and with the recipient organizations that we deliver to. Additionally, they see that stigma can work as a barrier in the hunger prevention effort so they are committed to making local produce available in a variety off setting, including through our fully anonymous Sharing Tables.

**This fellowship site requires their fellow to have use of a personal vehicle throughout the summer. The McKeen Center will reimburse the fellow for mileage however.** 

**Merrymeeting Gleaners is considering making this a Tuesday through Saturday position to better meet the needs of their organization and clients. You may apply to the position whether or not that schedule works for you, but feel free to indicate a preference in your cover letter.**

Fellows projects may include:

• With the growing population of New Mainers immigrating to our area, the student would work on broadening the organization's effectiveness when it comes to harvesting, cooking and distributing culturally significant foods. This will include research on harvest and kitchen processing practices and interviews with community members, food pantry coordinators and members of other organizations as they strive to have the gleaning program to better serve the New Mainer population.
• On a more regular basis, the student will be trained to lead harvests on farms and processing shifts in the kitchen as well as other tasks such as deliveries, producing informational materials and communicating with partner organizations.

Skills Needed: Most importantly, the student should be highly interested in working on community and social issues. Ideally, they will have strong written and verbal communication skills and, since they will be in charge of some harvest and kitchen processing shifts, they should be comfortable leading small groups of volunteers. While much of their time will be structured, they will also be responsible their own scheduling and time management when working on their specific project so it is important that they can be self-motivated and proactive when necessary.

Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP) envisions a community where quality, nutritious food is available for all and their mission is to offer dignity and empowerment by providing all members of our community with access to healthy food. They provide free food to low-income and food insecure individuals and households throughout Midcoast Maine through various programs that rescue and glean food and others that offer groceries and meals.

**MCHPP is considering making this a Tuesday through Saturday position to better meet the needs of their organization and clients. You may apply to the position whether or not that schedule works for you, but feel free to indicate a preference in your cover letter.**

Fellows projects may include:

• The fellow will work predominately at MCHPP's Food Distribution Center, leading efforts to distribute groceries through their online ordering system. The student will manage day-to-day operations of online ordering helping to recruit and train volunteers and support guests using the platform.
• Additionally, the fellow would help develop an inventory strategy to assist with the efficiency of food distribution as well as an evaluation and review of alternative satellite locations to expand their distribution territory.
• Finally, the fellow will assist with MCHPP's other programs as needed.

Skills Needed: MCHPP is looking for a student with an interest and desire to support their local community with an understanding of the importance that access to healthy food has on individuals and families. Ideally, the student has strong written and oral communication skills with a comfort managing volunteers and interacting with guests. Finally, students should be self-starters who can work independently with the direction of supervisors and successfully prioritize to manage deadlines and workloads. 

Together with its community partners, the Portland Housing Authority (PHA) provides and expands affordable housing and services that improve quality of life, build community, enhance safety and promote personal success for the people they serve and the neighborhoods in which they reside. The constituents of the Portland Housing Authority are about 3,000 low-income households (around 6,000 individuals) in Greater Portland. 2,055 are youth, 1,136 are elderly, 2,201 are disabled, 1,823 are BIPOC, and 81% live off less than 20% of Area Median Income for their household size. Approximately ¾ of their public housing families have a country of origin other than the United States. The primary work of PHA is to provide safe and affordable subsidized housing to families, though PHA's robust Resident Services Department works to create and partner with programs and services to address the barriers individuals face to asset building and self-sufficiency. This fellowship works with Resident Services on direct service youth development work during the summer months.

Fellows projects may include:

• The Fellow will work with our summer youth leadership and job skills development program known as the CHEETA project. Neighborhood youth enrolled in CHEETA will identify community needs and design and implement projects to address the challenges in their neighborhoods. The fellow works directly with staff mentors and youth to follow project planning steps and facilitate reflections with the students on skill development. The fellow is a lynch pin to the program providing a big picture connection to overall skill development and collaboration/cooperative support between different neighborhood groups.
• The fellow will also work with staff to create end of program activities around resume creation, money management, and/or job interview preparation for youth.

Skills Needed: PHA hopes to find a fellow with an interest in youth development, counseling, or education for teens. Though creativity and problem-solving skills are essential, the ability to foster those skills in others is a must. Facilitation skills, goal setting, teamwork, adaptability, cultural competency, and time management skills are preferred. Any previous work, academic, or volunteer experience with youth may be helpful but is not required. Experience with social media would allow us to share our work with a broader audience.

Personal transportation is a plus but not required - PHA is accessible by Breez bus and carpool as well.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Driven by its mission for over 40 years, Preble Street has continuously responded to urgent and emergent social problems by meeting basic needs, developing and implementing solutions, and advocating for policies that eliminate the root causes of homelessness and hunger. Two positions are available for a Fellow, one with the Advocacy Team and one with the Food Security Hub. The Preble Street Food Security Hub is an innovative and holistic approach to addressing food insecurity and ending hunger in Maine. The FSH provides opportunities for both education and direct, hands-on work that centers around food insecurity and food justice systems, sustainability, and non-profit programming. Preble’s Advocacy Team works toward solutions to the social, economic, and political systems that have historically perpetuated the inequities of our society. Preble Street's advocacy work includes community organizing, policy, and systems advocacy. Fellows will work alongside the Advocacy team to learn more about the systemic reasons behind housing and food insecurity and assist in efforts to combat these challenges. 

Fellows projects may include:

• Homeless Voices for Justice (HVJ): 
  • Longest Day of Homelessness / Summer Solstice Event: Each summer, HVJ hosts the Longest Day of Homelessness event on the summer solstice as a way to draw attention to the ongoing dangers and difficulties of homelessness on the longest day of the year. 
  • Newsletters – The HVJ newsletter is published every few months to update the community on the projects and priorities of HVJ. A fellow will work with the Team Leader and the Advocates to organize and edit the summer edition of the newsletter. 
  • Other miscellaneous outreach: assisting with the Preble Street outreach van, helping to coordinate HVJ outreach efforts, and visiting Housing First and shelter locations.
• Maine Hunger Initiative
  
  • Food Justice Coalition (FJC) - A committee of people with lived experience of food insecurity and hunger, the FJC aims to create a space for feedback and conversation around Preble Street Food Programs. Fellows will work alongside the Team Leader to host FJC meetings, analyze data and feedback, and help to encourage more members of the community to join this group.
  • Working on other ongoing projects begun by year-long interns. Examples include assisting with measurement of food waste by Food Security Hub, working to track availability of culturally appropriate meals, helping to create and distribute recipe ideas for food box recipients.
• Preparing for You Don’t Need a Home to Vote
  
  • Candidate’s Forums – HVJ hosts a series of forums for candidates running for various elected positions in local and state government each fall. Fellows will help to organize and host Candidate’s Forums. 
  • Developing and executing Candidates’ Questionnaires for the fall ‘23 cycle. Fellows will help to create and disseminate questionnaires.

Skills Needed: Preble Street is looking for a fellow who is open-minded, compassionate, and willing to adapt to a dynamic work environment. Prior experience in social services or public policy settings is beneficial, but not required. Advocacy work at Preble Street calls for individuals willing to operate with the knowledge that many issues are complicated and multi-faceted challenges, many of which have no precise answer. The fellow will be supported by the Advocacy Team on a weekly basis in both a full team meeting and a one-on-one supervision with the Advocacy Supervisor.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Tedford Housing’s mission is to empower people to move from homelessness to home. They operate two emergency shelters located in Brunswick for those experiencing homelessness, one for individual adults and one for families, as well as case management and supportive services. Additionally, they provide homeless prevention and outreach case management and service navigation to those at risk of homelessness, and permanent supportive housing apartments with on-site case management for those who were previously homeless.

Fellows projects may include:

• One potential project is for a student to collect, organize and present the stories of Tedford's guests, tenants, and clients to aid Tedford Housing’s community outreach and to bolster Tedford Housing’s online presence. This will assist them in sharing their impact and will help the community understand better the vulnerable population they serve and why their services are so important.
• Another potential project is for a student to research myths, statistics, and related topics to assist Tedford in educating their community about homelessness.
• Research may also be expanded to reviewing other similar local organizations along with their outreach to the community, policies and procedures.

Skills Needed: Tedford Housing is looking for a student that has a passion for the human services, especially housing issues, an interest in community outreach and advocacy, and is comfortable working with people from all walks of life. A student who is willing to jump in and take on responsibility for their assigned projects and who has innate leadership skills will be a great fit with Tedford Housing. Good communication skills are essential.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

Teens to Trails connects Maine middle and high school students to life-changing outdoor experiences. They do this by working with 50-70 schools to help them establish and maintain Outdoor Clubs, by offering grants, gear, training, and trips. They hold a vision that all teens regularly access the outdoors with curiosity, and their experiences create love and care for each other, themselves, and our planet.

Fellows projects may include:

• Business Partnerships for Social Impact: creating mission aligned revenue. Teens to Trails worked with the Roux Center for Entrepreneurship to develop additional ways to earn revenue that is aligned with their social mission. The intern will carry these ideas forward to implementation.
• Equitable Outdoor Access: Social Justice. Teens to Trails designed a roadmap to equitable access to the outdoors for Maine students, and received funding to offer training to staff and board members, and test several strategies to increase the types of students who take part in their school’s outdoor clubs, and our programs. Leveraging training in the spring and summer, the intern will work with members of the board, staff and outdoor program committee to implement these trial programs for fall of 2024.

Skills Needed: 

• Project 1 Core Skills: Social impact investing research, communications, marketing & graphic design, basic business skills: understanding ROI and reciprocal relationships, knowledge of Maine’s vacation property rental market.
• Project 2 Core Skills: Knowledge of or desire to learn the barriers to accessing the outdoors, communications, program design, survey & impact reporting.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.

The Telling Room empowers youth through writing and shares their voices with the world. As a literary arts education organization focused on young writers ages 6 to 18, they seek to build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real audiences for their students through after school and in-school programs, as well as summer camps. They believe that the power of creative expression can change their communities and prepare their youth for success both now and in the future.

Fellows projects may include:

• Through this partnership, a fellow will assist with regular content creation for The Telling Room’s digital communication streams (social media, newsletter, etc.), while also promoting Telling Room books.
• In collaboration with The Telling Room’s Communications & Editorial Director and Publications Manager, this student will help develop marketing tools for Telling Room books and programs through digital and print materials.
• The Fellow will go into the field, visiting bookstores, libraries, and other community partners throughout the course of the summer.
• Other duties will include visiting and documenting summer programs and events through photos, video, and audio to share out program highlights with different audiences. Programs regularly take place in the writing studio in Portland's Old Port, and at partner organizations across Maine including art centers, farms, museums, and beyond. 

Skills Needed: This position would be a good fit for students who have a passion for storytelling through marketing and outreach, and who can also bring a high level of organization to systems and processes. This role invites students to explore writing, graphic design, photography, video, and audio in weekly projects. Both data entry and copywriting will be important skills involved in the work of this role. Students will be expected to work with a wide range of software platforms (MailChimp, social media management tools, Canva, etc.) in order to create messaging efficiently and according to branding guidelines.

This position will be mostly in-person but may require/provide limited remote flexibility.