The Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ) seeks a Community Outreach and Research Intern to support the Long Range Planning section. The Long Range Planning Section is the lead in preparing the County’s General Development Plan, Small Area Plans, and other functional plans as needed. This is a hybrid position based out of the Annapolis headquarters.
The Community Outreach Intern will support the Long Range Planning team in comprehensive planning efforts focused on Region 1 (Brooklyn Park - Linthicum) or Region 3 (Glen Burnie - Severn) in Anne Arundel County. The intern will develop communications materials and engage directly with community members to understand their concerns and aspirations for their neighborhoods. The intern will also gather information on the history and attributes of the community that make these places unique. The information gathered will be incorporated into the master plan for the Region.
Responsibilities
The selected candidate will work with the Long Range Planning team to:
- Research the history of the selected community
- Conduct field studies of the community using GIS web-based tools and photos to document existing amenities (public and private) in the community
- Prepare community outreach materials and participate in community engagement activities including small group meetings and hosting information tables at community events, and online engagement
- Develop and distribute public surveys
- Analyze data related to community relations
- Design public outreach materials such as flyers and social media posts
- Prepare summary information to share the collected data online
- Help with other tasks related to public outreach and determined communities as needed
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the internship, the candidate will have a deeper understanding of what makes a community and the planning processes that shape communities. The student will also gain community outreach experience from preparing materials, to communicating with stakeholders, to analyzing and summarizing findings.
Minimum Qualifications
- Enrollment in a Master's degree program or higher in a planning related field.
- Maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
- Experience conducting research with census data and/or land use data
- Experience with data management and analysis
- Access to a computer, or can access a computer through their school
Application Procedure
Please send an application and/or resume, and cover letter, and transcript (unofficial accepted) to recruiter@aacounty.org