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Appalachian Center spring internship opportunities available

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center announces the following internship opportunities for the spring semester, for undergraduate or graduate students. Each internship is for 10 hours per week, with $10/hr. compensation. Students from all colleges at UK are encouraged to apply, and there is special emphasis on providing this opportunity to UK students who are from the Appalachian region.

The Appalachian Center (http://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu)  emphasizes community-university partnerships in shaping research and engagement that is useful in and beyond the region, in keeping with the land grant mission of the University. Our role is to facilitate stronger connections between student and faculty researchers from across all colleges at the University of Kentucky whose teaching, research, learning and outreach includes a focus on Appalachia. We also work to strengthen relationships between between communities in the 54 Appalachian counties of Kentucky and university partners in collaborative projects documenting and addressing the region’s particular contributions and challenges in a global context.

There are a number of Appalachian Center projects underway year-round, and there is an Appalachian Center summer internship program that pays UK students from Appalachian counties to work with organizations in the region. The spring semester internships advertised below are to work with the Appalachian Center itself on specific projects. Each internship requires a different set of skills; please prioritize your interests, if you apply for more than one. If you do not see an internship opportunity that fits your interests (or if you are unavailable this semester) but you would like to work with the Appalachian Center or attend Appalachian Studies events in the future, please let Pam Webb (prwebb2@uky.edu) know that and she will put you on the Center’s mailing list. The Appalachian Center provides space for three student organizations, and you may be interested in learning more about / participating in those: the Graduate Appalachian Research Community (GARC), the Appalachian Law Caucus, and Homegrown Kentucky.

Spring Semester 2013 Internships Available:

Communications: provide support for advertising lectures and events and media projects, including the publication of the Citizen’s Guide to Energy in Appalachia.

Coal Camp Documentary Project: work with documentary materials already collected, and do new interviews for the project. Some travel will be involved.

Appalachian Post Office Project: facilitate community and school participation in this collective documentary project (see website) and assist with archiving and posting the materials.

Mountain to Mountain Children’s Book Project: work with connecting children in Ecuador and Appalachian Kentucky to create a Spanish/English children’s book with scenes from their mountain communities. Must speak Spanish. Some travel may be involved.

Appalachian Futures Project: assist with preparation of grant proposals focused on working with high school students and community groups in Appalachian Kentucky to consider possibilities for economic diversification in the region. Must submit writing sample.

Initiative to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Appalachia: provide support to this collaboration. Some travel may be involved.

TO APPLY:

Please send a resume by January 31, 2013 to Pam Webb (prwebb2@uky.edu) with your contact information, and a statement of interest and experience relevant to the internship for which you are applying. All students must be available to work a regular schedule during business hours M-F that is compatible, of course, with students’ own class schedules. If you require additional information about the internship opportunities in order to apply, please call Pam Webb at 859-257-4852. Applicants for internships will be interviewed from February 1-5, and decisions will be announced by February 6.