livin'

the urban internship

Right now I'm staffing the Urban Internship.

....and this is what it's all about: (courtesy of the YWAM Seattle Website):
YWAM Seattle Urban Internship 2006

Dates March 23 – June 11

The YWAM Seattle Urban internship is designed to equip DTS graduates to become active members of an ever-changing world, a world in which missions cannot be defined with a phrase but through a lifestyle of living for Christ and His kingdom.

For those DTS graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in the business world, becoming a musician, photo journalist, barista, teacher, doctor, or diving deeper into missions, etc. our goal is to provide them with a healthy learning environment to step out into their interests and discover what it would take to reach their goals. Some students will have a clear vision for their future, and for others their futures might be a bit foggy, and that is OK. While they are in Seattle they will not only benefit from a strong community of believers but also through the teaching and experience of our weekly speakers and YWAM Seattle’s vast network of professionals ranging from computer programmers to social advocates to missionaries in 3rd world countries; we hope that those who are uncertain will be able to feel comfortable researching and stepping toward vocations which they were previously inexperienced in.

Responsibilities:
During the first week we will spend a considerable amount of time defining our personal mission statement and describing core values. These statements will be an important foundation for the internship. The interns will use this foundation to develop a thesis, which will be the main focus of their internship and will subsequently shape their weekly itinerary. Each students weekly schedule will be based around teaching, research and hands on activities that will give them experience in their respective areas of interest (volunteer work at a mission, hospital, school, etc.).

All projects will be presented during the last week of the internship. Each student must be able to clearly communicate how their chosen interest matches up with their personal mission statement, and how they can take steps in the future to accomplish their goals.

In addition to the thesis all interns will be responsible for a weekly blog documenting their recent thoughts and activity. And providing weekly schedules detailing times of research, networking, volunteer work and any other activity that corresponds with their thesis project.

Strength through community:
Through common household chores, open forum discussions, peer evaluations, and times of intercession and worship, all interns and staff are required to take part in our community, to build each other up, counsel and provide a safe environment for individual growth.

Weekly Focuses:
During the Internship we will spend one week focusing on each of the seven arenas of social or cultural influence.
• Healthcare
• Church/Ministry
• Family
• Business
• Music/Arts/Media
• Government
• Education

We will be inviting speakers who are experts in their own respective arena to sit down and discuss with us their story, how they reached their goals and how a Christian can impact the world around them through their profession. The format is not styled in a traditional teaching setting but more of a forum discussion that will take place around meal times.

The goal here is not to create replicas of each speaker but to simply provide storytellers who can assist each intern by sharing personal ideas, triumphs and hardships.

It is our hope that all who are involved in the internship will be able to see God move in their lives and through the lives of others around them. We pray that as a community of believers we can pull together our strengths, weaknesses, talents and resources to become powerful witnesses of Gods creation and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

posted by Amanda @ 10:17 PM