internships

 

Our current interns share what they love about working with Austin Bat Cave...

1807 West 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78703 * 512-524-1489 info@austinbatcave.org * mail: P.O. Box 4762, Austin, Texas, 78765mailto:austinbatcave@gmail.comshapeimage_1_link_0
We are currently seeking interns for Fall 2010. Read about our program and see if you’re a good fit! Internship Opportunities We offer two types of internship at the Austin Bat Cave. A teaching internship, geared toward those looking to learn and practice the skills necessary to become a Teaching Artist, and an administrative internship, geared towards those looking to gain real-world experience in the administration and operation of a non-profit organization. Both internships offer experience and opportunity for growth and creative input. The following will be provided for each intern regardless of type: -free attendance to all Bat Cave events (Story Department, fundraising events, Book launch parties) -master class workshops and seminars (lead by Austin writers and professionals) -Interns Night-Out (a chance for all interns and staff to get together outside the working environment doing fun things like bat tours!) -concrete experience working as a teaching artist or in non-profit administration (not just making copies and doing grunt work) TA internship requirements/benefits: As a TA intern, you will be required to *commit to a semester-long project, *work one-on-one with lead teaching artists, high school teachers, and kids, ranging in ages from 6 to 18. *be involved in the production of the year-end anthology of student work (Hand & Wing) *will be required to attend Teaching Artist training sessions prior to and over the course of the school semester *Teaching Artist interns will work approximately 10-15 hours a week in-class at first assisting the lead TA, and as the semester continues, developing more curriculum and leading more sections of the workshop. *At the end of each semester, if the intern has fulfilled his or her commitment, he or she will be invited to apply to become a member of our growing and improving pool of Teaching Artists, and will be eligible for a TA stipend, will be responsible for developing own curriculum and leading own classroom workshops. As an Administrative Intern, you will be required to: *work some approximately 10-15 hours a week for ABC *meet weekly with Program Director to discuss tasks *attend initial interview to determine how you could best assist ABC in 1-2 of the following areas: *Development: assist executive director in grant writing, seeking possible donors and foundation support, secure donations of materials/supplies from local businesses, assist in fundraising campaigns, formulate new and innovative fundraising ideas *Event Planning: scheduling events and fundraisers, securing donated food/auction items, finding venues for events, assisting with event promotion *Publicity/Marketing: writing and distributing monthly e-newsletter, write and send press releases, follow up with media and schedule any media coverage, promote ABC via twitter and facebook *Web/Graphic Design: ensure that ABC website/blog is accurate and up-to-date with current activities, work on design of site to ensure it’s organized and user-friendly as we continue to grow, design and print promotional materials such as brochures, posters, direct mail flyers *Office/Storefront Management: make sure office is clean and full of any necessary supplies, work in the new ABC storefront, maintain store inventory and image, schedule volunteers to work at storefront *Volunteer Program: assist in recruiting and retention of our ever-growing volunteer staff, schedule volunteers to specifics events/duties, help plan volunteer orientations, trainings and appreciation events, communicate directly with volunteers To find out more information about internships at Austin Bat Cave, send a resume and cover letter to Candace at cbirkelbach@austinbatcave.org. Please specify which internship you are interested in, how you can contribute to our organization and your availability for the semester (exact days/times of the week you can work with us). mailto:cbirkelbach@austinbatcave.orgshapeimage_3_link_0


Rebecca Hall:

I really liked the one-on-one time I got to spend with the kids. More than anything they just want someone to devote time and attention to them. I really do believe that in today's busy world a lot of kids get very little solitary devotion from an older authority figure. Verbally sharing their stories about their families and school days allowed them a sense of validation: "these people are really interested in my stories, and they like what I have to say."


Brad Barry:

My favorite Bat Cave experiences were the days when we brought songwriters into the classrooms. So many kids were more engaged on those days than they had ever been. There was so much energy and creativity in the air that I really hope we can make those songwriting sessions a recurring event.


The most valuable thing I've learned while working at the Bat Cave has been how to interact with kids. It's something that I've never really done, but working with students has helped me hone in on how to help them best. I'm obviously still learning, but this experience has really helped me learn how to work with kids first-hand.





Email Candace at cbirkelbach@austinbatcave.org to apply. Send us a little about yourself, why you want to work with ABC and a resume.

 




Magali Pijpers:


I learned that you can make a difference. As frustrating as the public education system can sometimes be, and as heartbreaking it can be to see a genuinely bright, eager kid be failed by institutional shortcomings and circumstance, I learned that even the littlest bit of extra attention can benefit a student tremendously. I think the greatest example would be the TEA kids, many of whom had clearly been left behind in No Child Left Behind standardization. The first time we ever asked them to share their writing, a lot of them were shy and had no confidence in their writing and creative abilities. By the end of our work there, which was all of four session, they were all clamoring for their turn to read aloud and were proud of what they'd done. So I learned that positive reinforcement and making things fun can go a long way.


Another example would be Charrin, at TAP. The first time he came in he was kind of a jerk. He didn't want to write, didn't want to cooperate, thought what we were doing was dumb. But again, by the time we were done, without even really doing anything differently (i.e, just trying to have fun with writing), Charrin was a different little man. Dude always wanted us to stay a little longer and was super psyched to hear that we'd probably be coming back next year. I have a feeling that a lot of his enthusiasm for our work had to do with his own self-esteem, and how much we encouraged reading aloud and the opportunity to just be goofy.

Hannah Adkison

I chose to intern at the Bat Cave because I think writing is one of the most important forms of communication and self-expression, and I wanted to be a part of Austin Bat Cave's programs that teach writing to kids. So far, I've enjoyed working with the other interns and learning to navigate the structure of a non-profit and how to teach writing. I'm really looking forward to our summer camps and the fall workshops!