Developing an Internship Proposal - A Case Study of Collaboration with Mercy Connections

They'll have me. We are "DEFINITELY A GO" as Joanne Nelson put it in her email follow-up the Monday after Jazz Jam weekend.

And I was through the moon.

By Tuesday, I had a draft of an internship proposal in my inbox from Joanne with headings calling for content: mission and goals of the internship. After reviewing the internship handbook and my notes from the meetings I had thus far: Suzy Comerford, Lake/City Project, CEDO, I was able to pull together bullets of what I wanted from the experience:

• Learn leadership expectations and requirements when working within the context of a non-profit
• Exposure to community engagement and empowerment projects in the Burlington Community, and how they are carried out both internally and in the community
• Develop tools and strategies to support individuals to be the best versions of themselves
• Planning, implementing, and evaluation an action research project

When I arrived at Mercy Connections for my first official meeting as an accepted intern, I expected to sit with Jo, my site mentor, for 30 minutes and discuss preliminaries. I arrived in her office and found the entire Justice & Mentoring Team there to hash over the details of the internship and share their thoughts, input, and joy for the semester to come:

• Joanne Nelson, Director of Justice & Mentoring Programs
• Kelly Moran, Justice & Mentoring Coordinator
• Mary Beth Barritt, Volunteer Justice Liaison & first Board Chair for Mercy Connections

It was the most collaborative and rewarding hour-long meeting I'd had in such a long time. Mary Beth retired out of work in the UVM career center and brought such incredible expertise and insight to the proposal development, Kelly shared ideas and enthusiasm for my future contributions to the improvement of the program, and Jo was the glue that kept the conversation together - providing supporting words and encouragement as ideas pulled together into a lovely package. I left thinking, that meeting felt like it was all for me; however, the energy felt like everyone gained from the interaction - how does Mercy Connections continue to leave me feeling like this every time I visit? I leave feeling like I was just the best version of myself... they are such incredible women.

I sit in my study, reviewing some materials: the Mercy Connections' annual report, the mentor orientation and training binder, and a packet I snagged from the front room on "Guidelines & Expectations at Mercy Connections." Tomorrow is my first official day as an acting intern under the Justice & Mentoring Program. I am such a wonderful mixture of nervous and excited. Will I be enough? Will I give nearly as much as I know I am going to gain from just working and being among these amazing women?

I begin my internship supporting session 1 of the 5-session mentor orientation for new mentors; I join others in the new beginning with Mercy Connections. I look forward to the shared introduction and learning.

I feel incredibly privileged.