CHEER is looking for an intern who has experience and/or training in urban or community planning, preferably at the graduate level or professionally, to serve as coordinator for the Long Branch Housing and Community Development Stakeholder Group. Fluency in Spanish would be very helpful, but not essential. University students and retired seniors are encouraged to apply.
About CHEER and Long Branch Stakeholder Group
CHEER (Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research) is looking for an intern to serve as interim coordinator of its Long Branch Housing and Community Development Stakeholder Group. CHEER is a nonprofit organization based in Takoma Park and the Long Branch area of Silver Spring, which uses a holistic, asset-based approach that engages and empowers communities to identify their strengths and achieve shared goals.
The Long Branch Stakeholder Group was organized by bringing together Long Branch residents and business owners from the diverse ethnic, racial, and immigrant communities that make up this unique neighborhood. This is an area that supports middle-income and lower-income families who include both homeowners and renters, as well as a variety of small businesses. Currently, the income diversity of the area is threatened by the building of the Purple Line, a much-needed light rail line, but one which has opened up the area to the possibility of increased development and gentrification. It is also an area whose residents were hard hit by the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Over a series of four in-person meetings in late 2022 and early 2023, the stakeholder group set goals for improving their community and determined which areas of improvement would be their top priorities. The top priority areas include affordable housing, thriving small businesses, neighborhood infrastructure, public safety, parking availability, and available food resources. Action teams of community residents are forming around these priority areas and determining how to move forward to accomplish these goals.
Logistics
- Expected hours per week: 10-20
- Start date: Ideally immediately. Can wait until semester begins.
- Location: Hybrid. Much of the work can be done virtually, but presence at community gatherings is expected. Most gatherings will be in the Long Branch area. The CHEER office is also located there.
- Reporting responsibility: The intern will report to a key CHEER staff or Board member - TBD.
- Remuneration: This is a volunteer position. No salary is expected. Reimbursement for travel and other incidentals will be provided.
- Guiding and advising the participants in the action teams and the steering committee overseeing the Long Branch Stakeholder Group to enable them to continue moving toward the goals set out in the top priority areas. This would include regular meetings with the steering committee and recruiting additional action team members.
- Building the capacity of the action teams and other participants by coordinating among the action teams and between the action teams and CHEER staff, recruiting experts, providing information, assisting team members in researching options, and providing administrative support.
- Coordinating all activities of the Long Branch Stakeholder Group involving action teams, the steering committee, community members, and CHEER staff and volunteers. This would include organizing and facilitating meetings, setting agendas, ensuring that meetings are recorded, and communicating meeting outcomes to other relevant groups.
- Communicating the action teams’ work internally to CHEER staff and volunteers and externally to partner organizations such as the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, Action in Montgomery, the University of Maryland Center for Smart Growth, Long Branch Business League, and Montgomery County elected officials and government agencies. This would include working with the CHEER communications coordinator in preparing written materials, and posting on the CHEER website and social media.
- Documenting the progress of the Long Branch Stakeholder Group by preserving meeting notes and support documents.
Learning Opportunities
- Gain experience working in a diverse community and helping members of the community to work together productively.
- Learn to plan and facilitate meetings, encourage everyone to participate, and build on the interests of the participants.
- Gain experience in making and helping others to make public presentations and creating and working with others in preparing written and digital documents that engage and persuade people.
- Learn how to work with public officials and with organizations with different missions to inform them of the work the LB Stakeholders are doing, obtain the assistance of others, and ensure LB community needs and expectations are heard and addressed.
Send (a) email of interest (b) with resume attached and (c) subject line LONG BRANCH INTERN to Reemberto@Gmail.com