General Internships
A total of four to five hours a week will be spent between the following opportunities (based on interest areas and time availability of individuals):
Welcome Desk This volunteer should be friendly and eager to meet people. La Conexion strives to serve Latino members of the community in a manner which promotes dignity and treats them as a valuable individual with gifts to share. The welcome desk worker is a crucial part of this effort. This individual will greet participants, provide information about the program, direct them to a program assistant who can work with them, offer refreshments, assist with children, and other various tasks. This individual should enjoy conversing with people and have a proficient level of Spanish. Within La Conexion walk-in times, two hour shifts for welcomers are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5 or 5-7 and Saturdays from 11-1 or 1-3. 2 hours per week are required in this area. This is an excellent way to improve conversational Spanish!
Family Education Cooperative Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10-12, La Conexion offers a pre-literacy class for kids, ages 2-K, in collaboration with CLUES and El Milagro Lutheran Church. CLUES provides English classes for Spanish speaking adults while their kids sing songs (some religious), read stories, do crafts, and participate in structured play. Each parent assists with caring for all of the children in the cooperative once every two weeks so that the other parents can attend English classes. The Youth Director of El Milagro, an early childhood educator, is present for all sessions, teaching parents and kids educational activities they can take home. Volunteers who assist with this area will work with the teacher, parents, and kids on such activities. A background check may be required. 2 hours of service per week are required.
Kitchen Connection The Kitchen Connection is a program that aims to connect non-Latinos and Latinos through the preparing and sharing of a meal. The participants, facilitators and volunteers cook the meal together from 12-1 each Saturday. The recipe generally is provided by the Latino participants of La Conexion. After preparing the meal, the individuals will share the meal and engage in conversations led by the facilitators. These conversations will occur in both English and Spanish. This program is an ideal manner through which individuals can practice their English, practice their Spanish, learn new recipes and build relationships across cultures. This opportunity involves much interpersonal interaction and is an ideal way to improve facilitation skills and build relationships.
Each Kitchen Connection Facilitator is “in charge” of a small group of volunteers and participants (the size of this group is dependent on the number of individuals present each week). This entails greeting participants, helping make sure the kitchen is ready for those who are visiting, interpreting when necessary, helping divide people in conversation groups and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. The facilitators serve as a “link” between the Latino participants and the incoming volunteers. Each facilitator will receive instruction from the intern about tasks that need to be completed on a given day. One week per month is required for those desiring to fulfill this position.
A
total of four to five hours per week will be spent on some of the
following tasks:
Kitchen Connection Intern
The Kitchen Connection is a program that aims to connect non-Latinos and Latinos through the preparing and sharing of a meal. The participants, facilitators and volunteers cook the meal together from 12-1 each Saturday. The recipe generally is provided by the Latino participants of La Conexion. After preparing the meal, the individuals will share the meal and engage in conversations led by the facilitators. These conversations will occur in both English and Spanish. This program is an ideal manner through which individuals can practice their English, practice their Spanish, learn new recipes and build relationships across cultures. This opportunity involves much interpersonal interaction and is an ideal way to improve facilitation skills and build relationships.
Tasks will include:
*Lead communication with other facilitators about who will attend each week, what the meal will be, etc.
*Receive information about selected recipe, recruiting more participants, etc.
*Set-up the kitchen each week.
*Delegate tasks to facilitators, volunteers and participants during the Saturday volunteer hours.
*Work to ensure that all are included in the conversation and efforts of the program.
*Help clean up the kitchen and stay until everything has been cleaned up.
*Invite new participants during the Saturday hours.
*Write letters to request donations.
*Lead a facilitator meeting to discuss how to improve the program.
*Lead a participant meeting to discuss how to improve the program.
*Send surveys to facilitators and visiting groups about the program.
*As needed, work on new ways to promote the Kitchen Connection.
The intern will receive more specific information about how to operate this program upon request.
Updating Resource Manuals
Three days a week, La Conexion offers referral hours in which Latinos ask questions about a variety of areas (such as employment, legal assistance, financial assistance, health care, education, etc.) and our referral specialists work with them to suggest appropriate resources. These referral specialists use resource binders that contain information about different social services available in our community. Such binders must constantly be updated in order to ensure that the referrals made are accurate and beneficial. Interns will make phone calls to different organizations, update the resources, and communicate with referral specialists about changes. Scheduling of such work is flexible.
Project areas will be determined
based on demonstrated skill level, staff availability and project
availability.
Educational Sessions: Periodic educational sessions about various topics that effect the Latino community are offered on Saturdays from 2-3. Past topics include immigration, workers rights, domestic violence, and nutrition. As they are able, interns are encouraged to attend such lectures as an ideal way to meet new people and hear the thoughts and perceptions of the Latino community.
