Cross Cultural Leadership Intern

ProgramChicago / Los Angeles

Summer 2011

Chicago 2011

Three or four students will be immersed as interns in the community-based organizations in the Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods of Chicago for eight weeks to live as members of, learn from, and serve the Latino community. The Centers for Social Concerns and the Institute for Latino Studies collaborate to offer this 3-credit course, which is also cross-listed in Theology,

May be taken as ILS 35801, CSC 33933, or THEO 33933

Sites are currently under review

Los Angeles 2011

The Cross-Cultural Leadership Intern Program (CCLIP) was developed in order to engage students in real world applications of their academic studies through exposure to the diverse needs of the Los Angeles Community. This program will offer three academic credits and provide Notre Dame students exposure and experience in the diverse Los Angeles community where they will serve as leaders and students of the community at one of three sites.

May be taken as ILS 3580X, SOC 3393X, or AA 3393X

General Information Timeline:

Deadline for applications: January 27, 2011

Interviews will take place the week of February 1-9, 2011

Students will be notified of acceptance by February 14, 2011

Three orientation sessions during the 2011 spring semester

The 8-week internship takes place from early June through the end of July (exact dates to be determined)

Exit interviews and synthesis paper due (September, Fall 2011)

The internship will provide:

Living quarters and small stipend for food

$2,300 tuition scholarship

All materials for the three-credit course

Fees:

A $50 participation fee will be charged to accepted students.

Los Angeles 2011: Sites

MALDEF

Founded in 1968 in San Antonio, Texas, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is the leading nonprofit Latino litigation, advocacy, and educational outreach institution in the United States. Through the years, MALDEF has been the forefront of the civil rights litigation, setting precedent in voting rights, employment and education cases.

More information at http://www.maldef.org

Los Angeles 2011: Sites

La Opinión

La Opinión is the leaing and largest Spanish-language daily metropolitan newspaper in the United States. The newspaper has won many international and national awards for its journalism and service to the community. La Opinión is well known and respected for its Latino perspective and civic journalism on issues of importance to Latinos in Southern California.

More information at http://www.laopinion.com

Los Angeles 2011: Sites

La Urban League

Founded in 1921, the Los Angeles Urban league is Los Angeles’s premier community organization in advancing equal opportunities on behalf of African Americans and other minority youths and adults through innovative job training, job placement, youth achievement and business programs. Through its collective programs, services, and advocacy activities and seven offices located in the Crenshaw District, South Los Angeles, and Pomona, the Los Angeles Urban League serves over 100,000 constituents annually.

More information at http://www.laul.org

Student Testimonies: Los Angeles

La Opinión – Adriana Lizette Garcia

This project more or less, was a chance to learn more about the community I was raised in all my life. It was an eye-opening as well as, humbling experience to look from the outside-in and understand what certain individuals do to make the community thrive and progress. With La Opinion, I was able to see how even a newspaper carries a mission to serve the people fruitfully.

Student Testimonies: Los Angeles

MALDEF – Stephanie Rose Perez

While at MALDEF I worked closely with the coordinator for the Domestic Violence Prevention Program to help her develop a new program for immigrant women who are trying to escape situations of domestic violence in the Central Valley area. I was also able to help the Parent School Partnership Program with a few events and administrative tasks, as well as attend educational events with the Litigation Department.

Student Testimonies: Chicago

St. Ann’s Parish – Blair Carlin

This summer, I had the privilege of working at St. Ann’s Parish and School. St. Ann’s Parish is a supportive community of parishioners in Pilsen. For more than a century, St. Ann’s School has been enriching lives by providing high-quality Catholic education and cultural, community programs. As an intern, my primary responsibilities were organizational and outreach tasks. I coordinated weekly street masses and well as worked with the school to begin Take Ten, a violence prevention program. Ultimately, the community members of St. Ann’s and Pilsen have taught me that at the end of the day, it is the people in life that matter most and that it is through the relationships you have with people, that you can experience the true essence of God. My experiences at St. Ann’s and living in Pilsen for eight weeks are memories that I will never forget and both remain very special places in my heart. 

Student Testimonies: Chicago

Las Caras Lindas – Christian Stephanie Aguilera

My summer in Chicago was wonderful.  Pilsen, the neighborhood we lived in, was very welcoming, my job assignment worked great with my interests, and Chicago has many events during the summer.  I am a Latina and I grew up in a fairly Latino neighborhood, but my displacement in the Pilsen community helped me learn about culture while I walked down the streets and interacted with people.   My job assignment at Las Caras Lindas was perfect for me.  Before I went to Chicago I thought I would have a huge impact on those I served, but in all honesty, I feel as if the girls I worked with had a bigger influence on me than I did on them.  It was a very humbling experience and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such powerful young women.  I know that they have overcome obstacles to be the young women they are today, but it isn’t noticeable when you speak with them because they’re all very vibrant and have a genuine soul.  We build a closer relationship with the community through service and displacement, and it is the duty of an individual to acknowledge that before she or he can become a leader in the community.  This internship gave me the opportunity to work directly with the Chicago community and taught me more about myself than I would have at a typical internship in my hometown.

Summer Memories

Summer Memories