Summer Internship Program: Hampton City

Primary Program Area Focus: 4-H, Jr. MANRRS

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)

This internship located at the Hampton unit will provide a great overview of Virginia Cooperative Extension programming, with special focus on 4-H youth development and reaching underserved audiences through the establishment of a Junior Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (Jr. MANRRS) pre-college initiative program. The goal of establishing a Jr. MANRRS chapter in Hampton is to encourage students in grades 7–12 to attend college and pursue agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sciences degrees. The Jr. MANRRS program provides activities to help students discover firsthand how agriculture, engineering, and technology relate to the world around them and discover the excitement of academic excellence, leadership, technical development, and teamwork. The intern will work under the direction of the 4-H Extension Agent.

Duties of the intern will include, but are not be limited to:

·  Research and lay the groundwork for creating a Jr. MANRRS chapter in
   Hampton using skills learned from college courses and related
   experiences.
·  Seek community partnerships and adult volunteers to assist in the establishment
   of a Jr. MANRRS program in Hampton.
·  Work with underserved audiences and minority youth in middle and high school.
·  Plan a 4-H day camp or enrichment program for local underserved youth 
   highlighting careers in agriculture, environmental science, life sciences, and natural
   resources and/or a program focusing on higher educational opportunities with
   college preparation sessions, networking opportunities and campus tours.
·  Create marketing materials to effectively reach the target audience.
·  Learn VCE structure and resources in order to guide clients to the proper available
   programming, agents, and publications.
·  Learn the basics of an office environment including proper etiquette, presentation,
   and teamwork skills in order to succeed in future endeavors.
·  General support of the local 4-H program as needed.

The intern will also provide administrative support to the Hampton unit, manage the website and social media accounts, develop marketing tools, and collaborate with community partners and volunteers.

2.  Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.The intern will work closely with the 4-H Agent, Extension staff, and Community Partners to gain knowledge/skills in:

·  Gain experience working with underserved, underrepresented and diverse
    audiences
·  Enhanced knowledge of Virginia Cooperative Extension programming and the Jr.
    MANRRS program
·  Develop youth behavior management, supervision and leadership skills, as well as
    gain hands-on instruction experience with youth ages 5-18 (primarily middle and
    high school students) in various settings
·  Build knowledge and confidence in working with youth and adults through
    community partnerships
·  Enhance communication skills, as this position requires a significant amount of
    verbal and written communication, promotional activities, and face-to-face
    contacts.
·  Enhance decision making and conflict resolution skills
·  Gain skills in records management
·  Learn the importance of scheduling and efficient use of time and resources for
    program management
·  Learn the value in evaluation procedures of youth programming for future program
   improvements and record keeping.

3.  How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?

The primary goal of the VCE internship is to ensure that the intern learns about and understands the breath of Virginia Cooperative Extension programming. To ensure the intern in Hampton is learning all that VCE has to offer, the intern will participate in monthly staff meetings and attend other important Extension meetings that arise to learn about all components of VCE. The intern will have the opportunity to experience the various delivery modes of Extension programming during their internship. This will be a hands-on internship in which the intern will learn how to research, plan, prepare, implement and evaluate their own 4-H Jr. MANRRS focused youth program. The intern will learn about the history, mission and goals of Extension, as well as the connection between Extension and the two land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. The intern will primarily work with the 4-H Agent in youth development programs for underserved audiences and minority youth, however he/she will also have the opportunity to participate in related ANR and FNP programs as they arise.