In the future, we will consider establishing a Washington, DC-based PolicyOptions.org internship program. Our previous experience with interns at the Youth Policy Institute indicates that there is an eager audience from both students and faculty for a substantive, policy-focused, research-based semester internship opportunities in our nation's capitol.

Former YPI interns commented on their internships experience as follows:

As a graduate social work student concentrating in community organizing and social policy planning, I am committed to exploring policy solutions which are just and empowering. For that reason, the opportunity to conduct research in welfare reform was enough of a reason to become a summer CORPS member. But, after two months of in-depth research—attending hearings on the Hill, interviewing experts in the field, and digging through pages and pages of others’ proposals—it’s exciting to know that the work I’ve done has not only informed me, but informed the debate as well.

— Colleen Fee, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work ‘93

YPI has made me a better student in the classroom because of the experiences provided on the outside. The research methods and resources allow for individuals to acquire knowledge on a wider scale—national and international. The unique methodology used at YPI provides for a complete overview of a problem; not just why the problem exists but how the problem arose, how the problem has developed and future options to address the problem.

— Elizabeth Braham, American University ‘93

I had heard a lot of rhetoric about the nation’s problems before coming to the Youth Policy Institute, but I had seen little action. I was amazed to learn at once how many programs are out there trying to solve problems in creative and effective ways and how little people talked to each other. — Sarah Levy, Amherst College ‘93

I know that it would have meant a lot to me as a student to have my academic work make a difference in a community. When I was in college, I volunteered my time as a Big Sister, but I never felt that my classroom work had any impact on the community...Getting students involved in [the Policy Action Corps] collecting information will bridge the gap between study and social action, between the classroom and the community.

— Carol Gavin, Duke University ‘90

I. Overview

The purpose of a Washington, D.C. internship program would be to develop and expand the PolicyOption.org Network's research opportunity to the national level.

The idea of the PolicyOption.org Network is to tap and channel the intellectual resources of college and university students, faculty, and community representatives to work in partnership to address issues of local and national concern. The program moves students beyond direct service to research-based action.

Young people are spending thousands of hours in direct service to the community: serving food to the hungry, providing housing for the homeless, befriending an elderly person. Some are asking, “why?” Why does homelessness persist? What are the root causes of hunger? What types of model programs, legislation, or information are available to assess these problems? How can I help to address the underlying issues these problems?

The project could train 10-30 students each semester (including a summer session) through a public policy internship program based in Washington, D.C. Through a series of classes, guest speakers, and service projects, student interns will obtain skills in national and international public policy research, analysis, and publishing.

Each summer a two-day evaluation and planning meeting might be held with faculty and students who have participated in the program to evaluate the program and to design community service programs and courses that direct the energy and expertise of students into research-based action in their campus communities. In addition, the project will award small innovation grants for course and program development beginning in the second year.

In the initial phase of the project, the we could recruit primarily from the 75 institutions participating in the Bonner Program. The academic component of this project will be provided by a board made up of professors and administrators experienced in supporting community service and research-based action.

We could seek outside funding for a three-year demonstration phase for the project. Our goal would be to have the program achieve financial self-sufficiency by the end of its third year of operation through tuition fees from student interns’ home institutions.

II. Background on Participating Organizations

The partner organizations on this demonstration project believe that trained students working with faculty are capable of providing community agencies with the research skills and resources they need to develop more effective strategies for action.

• Youth Policy Institute: At the Youth Policy Institute (YPI), the public policy internship program is currently limited to 8-10 students a semester, few of whom receive any academic credit for an academically challenging experience. These interns contribute to a national database of policy options, publish three national magazines, and provide specialized research on a contract basis to government and non-profit organizations. A goal of YPI has been to expand the number of students it is able to train in public policy research, as well as to reach more communities with the information needed to improve their strategies for action.
• Bonner Program: As Harry Boyte, Director of Project Public Life, explains, one limitation of community service programs is that: “Most service programs include little learning about the policy dimensions of issues that students address through person-to-person efforts. Volunteers rarely have the wherewithal to reflect on the complex dynamics of power, race, and class.

At the institutions associated with the Bonner Program, the need for an enhanced community service program is especially acute. At each of these institutions, up to 100 Bonner Scholars are engaging in 10 hours of service a week during the school year and 240 hours in the summer. By the time they graduate, each Bonner Scholar or Leader will have completed 1,000 - 2,000 hours of service, the equivalent of a year of full-time employment. As the program continues to grow, the major challenge for the Bonner schools is to develop programs and curriculum that will meet students’ personal and intellectual development.

• Campus Partners: We would seek faculty and campus partners to co-sponsor the internship program.

III. Program Design

To assure that campus-based courses and service programs meet community needs, students, faculty, and community representatives must be involved in the design of academic courses and service programs that respond to community needs. The project has three components:

• Semester Internship Program: a 16 week academic semester internship program and a 10 week summer session at the Youth Policy Institute which involves students in significant public policy research, analysis and writing, and includes a semester-long local community service project; and
• Evaluation and Planning Meeting: students who have participated in the internship program and faculty from their home institutions will participate in a two day meeting each summer to evaluate the program and to develop strategic approaches to integrating public policy, academic coursework, and community service for the direct benefit of community agencies.

Semester Internship Program

This internship program would distinguish itself from the traditional Washington, D.C. internship experience by challenging students to take a broad and comprehensive look at a policy area. Interns would be trained in a specific set of procedures for researching a public policy issue and exploring existing and proposed solutions. An integral part of their internship training would be weekly seminars on policymaking, research skills, and research-based action led by PolicyOption.org-staff and outside speakers, including members of the Project Board of Directors.

PolicyOption.org interns will be required to be rigorous in their research and to synthesize information from both library and expert sources. They practice their information gathering and synthesizing skills, and they learn content in the policy area they choose to study. Their research efforts will culminate in a major research paper on their chosen topic. In addition to the major paper, interns will participate in the writing, editing, and publication of PolicyOption.org national news, research, and resources. Students also may present their research products at national issue and service-related conferences.

In addition to their research activities, interns could engage in a local community service project in an area related to their research topic. Discussion groups will meet weekly to provide interns an opportunity to reflect on their service experience and discuss the different ways of addressing community needs. Service placements will be coordinated in conjunction with local campus-based community service CoRAL Network, which includes surrounding campuses American University, Catholic University, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, and Howard University.

Students would receive a full semester of academic credit for the 15-18 week internship. The transcripts would be arranged with their college or university. The pilot phase would have small classes of 5-10 students during the demonstration phase.

Evaluation and Planning

Each summer, up to 10 teams made up of students who have participated in the internship program and faculty from their home institutions will participate in a two-day meeting to evaluate the program and explore opportunities to integrate public policy, academic coursework, and community service. As part of their application for the internship program, each student will be asked to identify at least one faculty member who will participate in the summer meeting.

The summer meetings will be designed and led by the internship program director in conjunction with members of the Policy Action Corps Executive Committee.

During the summer meetings, students and faculty from each institution will begin designing action plans to address a local issue of national concern that the students have been studying during the course of their internship. These plans will include strategies for tapping into PolicyOption.org's database, especially the information on model programs, proposed solutions, and available funds.