Help Create a Just & Sustainable world!
Internships with the Alliance are about working towards a more sustainable future—working towards systemic change, not just minor improvements to the current ways of doing things. This includes rethinking the current systems, building public awareness of the need to change, developing goals and action plans, and creating presentations and resources (both online and in print) to educate community groups and policymakers.
If you are out of the Lehigh Valley area due to coronavirus restrictions, many of our internships can be done remotely, including meeting with key people in the community.
(Check with internship coordinator Peter Crownfield.)
“I gained real experience facing the challenges—financial, bureaucratic, and social—in implementing a plan. Now, I am prepared to anticipate these challenges in the future…” —Christina (Climate Action)
A good internship uses skills & knowledge learned in class and/or complements classroom learning with perspectives and experience not covered in class. It is also a great opportunity to build your resume and show potential employers what you can do.
An Alliance internship [see recent internships for examples] provides a rare opportunity to look at specific issues with a ‘big picture’ perspective and to participate in the process of creating change. An Alliance internship is anything but routine — interns are directly involved in creating change and raising public awareness on concerns related to sustainability.
“Working with the Alliance allowed me to collaborate with individuals who shared my passion for sustainability issues as well as voice my own ideas.… I recommend it to anyone who has a passion for sustainability.” —Leah
Rethink the System, Work for Change — The Alliance’s work revolves around our vision of a sustainable, regenerative world and six broad goals. The Alliance and partner organizations work to promote food that supports the health of individuals and communities, to reduce vehicle pollution that contributes to the high incidence of asthma here in the Lehigh Valley, to increase awareness of the dangers of fracking, to end systemic causes of poverty & inequality, and to preserve and protect freedom of speech and other civil liberties here in the Lehigh Valley—in other words, moving towards a society that is both just and sustainable.
“… an experience I’ll never forget. I was given the tools and power to make a real difference on my campus. I established dependable relationships with administration and faculty, which allowed me to attain the skill of working with executives in a professional manner. ” —Nicole
Alliance internships include a combination of research/literature review, analyzing existing policy & developing new or revised policy, and developing informative materials and presentations to engage the public and raise awareness of the need for action. In addition, interns are asked to reflect on what they are doing, how it relates to the ‘big picture’ and their academic learning, and the implications for job or career goals. Each internship is structured to reflect the type of work to be done and the individual intern’s strengths and interests. (See Internship Structure & Expectations.)
It’s important to plan on an average of 10–12 hours per week [independent work + team work + meetings with partners & community leaders]. Because some of the work is done independently, students sometimes assume they will need only a few hours per week. That usually does not work — and can result in an internship being terminated before the semester is over.
- Internship Structure & Expectations
- Previous Interns’ Experiences
- Reports, Posters, and Articles by Interns
- Internship Opportunities
- How to Apply for an Internship
- Completed Internships, since 2004
- Summer Internships
- Student reports & other intern work
Note: Summer Internships are sometimes available for highly-motivated students.
[Updated November 2015]