Tips from Sponsors to Sponsors

At a sponsor forum we asked experienced sponsors, "What makes an internship work well?"  Here are some responses:

• Provide interns with specific expectations (start this off in the interview).
• Inquire about intern expectations, beginning at interview & continuing throughout internship.
• Include a discussion of "personal appearance" and "professional appearance" in the interview.
• Create an atmosphere where there is honest "give-and-take"; regular weekly meetings are essential for this communication to occur.
• Create a series of progressive responsibilities that may include a plan about how their role will change.
• Plan a variety of experiences so that the interns will see the organization from more than one perspective.

Many sponsors felt that the most important lesson an intern learns in an internship is how to assert herself/himself to an adult and to develop a relationship that is a genuine "two-way street."  Such lessons directly support the Dynamy objective of helping young people grow in self-reliance and self-advocacy. Thank you for being a part of it!