2014 UPS Community Internship Program at Henry Street Settlement
By Chelsea Jupin
This summer, as it has for the past 46 years, Henry Street Settlement welcomed 18 of UPS managers to the Henry Street-UPS Community Internship Program (CIP). Each CIP session – there are two each summer – spans four weeks.
CIP brought volunteer interns from all over the world, from West Virginia to Belgium, to the ethnically diverse Lower East Side to learn about contemporary urban problems and how social service agencies like Henry Street formulate innovative responses.
While here, the managers select a Henry Street program or agency-wide opportunity where their skills can be put to use, be it direct client service or management assistance. Through this intensive experience, the CIP interns build skills that they can use to better address workplace situations.
The volunteer interns in both sessions are also given opportunities to get to know Henry Street clients by attending lunches at our senior center and taking youth living in our shelters to the zoo and baseball games.
In addition to experiencing some fun activities, our clients benefit tremendously from the relationships they develop each summer with the CIP volunteer interns. For clients at our Workforce Development Center, the training and mentoring they receive from these UPS professionals help them build confidence, as well as develop practical skills for attaining and retaining employment.
