Community Partner Placements
The success of the Community Engagement Fellows Program is represented by the opportunities and learning that come from serving with a local non-profit organization in a long-term capacity. Organizations that host Community Engagement Fellows must be non-profit or governmental. They must have a supervisor willing and able to mentor the students place with the organization and be willing to work within the developmental model for leadership.
Unless otherwise noted, all positions are located within walking distance of campus.
Ready to Apply? Applications are due on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 by 11:59 p.m.
Organizations interested in participating in this program can contact the Center for Civic Learning & Action (CCLA) at 717-254-8917 or engage@dickinson.edu.
Positions Open for Spring 2024:
Cumberland County Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Intern
Organization website: https://www.cumberlandcountypa.gov/107/Court-Appointed-Special-Advocates-CASA
Organization Address: 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 301, Carlisle (inside the courthouse on the square)
CASA recruits, trains, and supports volunteer advocates for children involved in the child welfare (Children & Youth) court system of Cumberland County. The subject children are typically removed from their parents’ custody due to abuse and neglect concerns and are living in foster homes, group homes, shelters, treatment facilities, etc. Their volunteers focus on advocating for the best interest of the children to the Dependency Court system.
The Intern will assist CASA office staff in supporting the work of trained volunteers in their advocacy for child victims of abuse and neglect. This includes attending dependency court hearings, processing confidential paperwork, keeping accurate records, and maintaining a resource library. In addition, the intern can participate in basic training for new volunteers. The ideal intern will be detail oriented, able to handle confidential information appropriately, have strong people skills, be computer literate, reliable, and conscientious with time management.
The Courthouse is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. so the main hours will be during that time. Sometimes court hearings can run past 4:30 p.m. We also have trainings for new CASA volunteers in the evenings that the Fellow is welcome to observe.
Clearances will be required in this position.
Community CARES Intern
Organization Website: https://www.morethanshelter.org/
Organization Address: 50 W. Penn Street, Carlisle
Community CARES serves and strengthens the community by providing emergency shelter, resources, and supportive services to individuals and families at risk of/or experiencing homelessness. CARES provides rest, reassurance and resources through three separate shelters, homeless prevention supports and street outreach.
The Intern will work at an active Homeless Service Provider and start with becoming familiar with organization and processes. Working front desk to understand the unique and varied needs of our community and organization process. Support the program staff in keeping statistical data up to date and assisting to develop new systems to communicate with current and potential volunteers. Supporting staff with filing, signage making, community support follow-ups, help to organize Community CARES programs historical pictorial documentation, work with social media team to present, work with community development staff to help promote CARES and upcoming functions. Work most directly with the Community Development department. A primary focus will be helping to pull together and help recruit teams for our Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser walk February 24.
The Intern should have strong computer skills and the ability to use Microsoft Office. Additionally, the intern should have willingness to learn mission of Community CARES and communicate via phone, in person, emails, or via social media.
United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County - Community Impact Assistant
Organization website: https://uwcarlisle.org/
Organization address: 145 S. Hanover Street, Carlisle
Our mission is to unite people and resources to build a stronger, healthier Carlisle and Cumberland County. The fellow will play a key role in supporting our staff and working with our 23 partner agencies with the possibility of doing outreach in the community.
The Community Impact Assistant will likely be involved in the major projects the United Way carries out each year, including the annual campaign, Day of Caring, the funding application process by our agencies, the annual U-Turn garage sale (which heavily involves Dickinson) and more. There could be social media/video opportunities as well as database and data entry tasks. Answering phones and completing basic clerical and office duties will be required.
Qualifications/Special Skills:
- Background or interest in marketing is preferred
- Good phone, computer and technical skills
- Willing to engage the public and the nonprofit agencies in the community
- An interest in public service
- Good speaking and writing skills
Current & Past Placements
Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) is Dickinson College's community science center. Since 1986, ALLARM has collaborated with PA and NY volunteers and partners on stream monitoring efforts to support local, state, and regional clean water initiatives. ALLARM employs 10-12 Dickinson College students as part time watershed coordinators. In addition to helping to conduct community workshops to teach people how to do stream monitoring, watershed coordinators work in several areas: research, lab, stormwater education, data analysis, and communications and outreach.
Learn more about ALLARM at https://www.dickinson.edu/allarm.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region has operated under hte belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life for more than 30 years. As the largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the capital Region makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles"), ages 6 though 18, in communities across Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties.
Learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region at http://capbigs.org.
The Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce has been serving the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Area for more than 100 years. Our mission is to serve as a community catalyst that encourages and supports economic growth and stability. We help connect people to what they need to start a business here, grow a business here -- or even move a business to Carlisle. The Chamber plans, hosts, and partners in diverse networking and professional-development events. They also foster dialogue and communication with members and community partners, about how they can better support them. And, the Chamber offers exclusive advertising opportunities to members, that showcase their business.
Learn more about the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce at https://www.carlislechamber.org/.
Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC) serves and enriches the community by encouraging creativity and self-esteem through exploration and appreciation of the visual arts. It does this via classes and workshops, exhibits and participation in community events. Since its founding in January 1992, CALC has offered a variety of courses for children and adults in a number of settings, including the Carlisle YWCA, Carlisle Community Center, Hope Station, One West Penn, and Cumberland Crossings.
Learn more about CALC at http://www.carlislearts.org.
Carlisle Victory Circle (CVC) programs are designed to teach minority and under-represented middle and high school students in the Carlisle Area School District to dream dreams, to set goals, to work to achieve those goals, to see themselves as necessary contributors to their community, and to see themselves as people who are worthy.
Learn more about Carlisle Victory Circle at http://www.carlislevictorycircle.org.
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) is a nonprofit, charitable organization with a mission to acquire, preserve, and protect local land and natural resources in South-Central Pennsylvania. Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is an accredited land trust. Active for over 35 years, the organization serves as the local land trust for a 5-county region (Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Dauphin, Juniata Counties), plus Northern York County. Their vision is to create a local network of permanently protected and preserved lands by fostering a community committed to conservation and acquiring key lands and easements.
Learn more about CPC at https://centralpaconservancy.org/.
Community CARES began as a ministry of Grace United Methodist Church in 2004 to provide overnight emergency shelter from November through March to those with nowhere else to go. Shelter was provided in host churches in the Carlisle area and staffed entirely by volunteers. In the first year of service, CARES provided shelter to 45 homeless guests. Since then, the organization has sheltered more than 1,000 homeless in Cumberland and Perry counties.
Learn more about Community CARES at https://www.morethanshelter.org.
Cumberland County Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA) recruits, trains, and supports volunteer advocates for children involved in the child welfare (Children & Youth) court system of Cumberland County. The subject children are typically removed from their parents’ custody due to abuse and neglect concerns and are living in foster homes, group homes, shelters, treatment facilities, etc. Their volunteers focus on advocating for the best interest of the children to the Dependency Court system.
Learn more about CASA at https://www.ccpa.net/107/Court-Appointed-Special-Advocates-CASA.
Employment Skills Center helps individuals become more employable, productive and self-sufficient community members through education and training. The organization hosts English as Second Language courses, computer classes and help with resumes, interviews and other job necessities. They also help organizations become more efficient, safe and productive with Customized Workforce Training designed to deliver foundational skills to incumbent workers.
Learn more about the Employment Skills Center at https://employmentskillscenter.org/.
Hope Station seeks to lift up the neighborhood surrounding Memorial Park by tackling the most difficult problems through education, technology, job development and, most importantly, teaching children to become leaders by learning to respect themselves and others. It provides programs such as Kids Cafe, where kids can get healthy snacks after school; Youth Growth Activity (YOGA), where students in 6th - 12th grade do fun and enriching activities after school; HIRE Plus, where adults learn basic job skills to improve their chances of finding work; and many more.
Leadership Cumberland is a nonprofit that works to develop effective leaders for the workplace and community. We do so through our adult and youth community leadership programs. We also host nonprofit trainings, educational webinars, community events, and run an alumni association for past graduates of our programs.
Learn more about Leadership Cumberland at https://www.leadershipcumberland.org.
New Life Community (NLC) continues to desire to be a primary place of connection and care for our community. During the week hundreds of people come in and out of their building to connect with services, volunteer, or attend NLC ministry centered activities. It is not possible to expand and continue to grow without the partnerships that they have with organizations like Dickinson College.
Learn more about New Life Community at https://newlifecommunity.us/.
Professional & Educational Empowerment Center (PEEC) is a computer lab which offers daily drop-in hours for community members to use computers, wifi, phone and printer/fax machines. PEEC’s mission is to expand technological access by creating an inclusive space that connects community members to job readiness training, educational programming, and technical skill-building workshops, and is another resource for connecting social services, including housing and food support, for the Northside community, a low-income neighborhood that is the most racially and ethnically diverse in Carlisle.
Project SHARE’s mission is to reduce food insecurity for neighbors in the greater Carlisle area by offering access to nutritious food, programs, and a support network that promotes self-sufficiency, fosters dignity, and instills hope. Project SHARE of Carlisle is able to provide services to a family residing in the Carlisle area if they fall in the guidelines the Department of Agriculture has set with an income falling below 150% of the federal poverty level. In addition, they run a Farmstand that provides fresh produce to anyone in need in the greater Carlisle area.
Learn more about Project SHARE at https://projectsharepa.org/.
REACH! is an after-school program for students in grades 3-12 that strives to help students achieve greater academic success through performing arts. The program employs mentoring, tutoring, homework help and role modeling to achieve this goal. They believe that the discipline learned in performing arts can be applied to education, athletics, a healthy lifestyle and gaining relevant and useful life skills. The program serves over 100 students each year and provides educational assemblies at schools and other live performances throughout the community.
Learn more about REACH! at http://www.reachusainc.com/.
Safe Harbour provides a continuum of housing services for the homeless of Cumberland County. Their services include an emergency shelter for families and single females who are in need of a secure place to live while getting their lives under control, a bridge housing program for individuals and families in need of longer-term assistance to acquire the skills necessary for independent living and productive lifestyle and single-room-occupancy permanent housing facilities for single individuals that are not yet ready for independent living.
Learn more about Safe Harbour at https://safeharbour.org/.
The Cumberland County Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the rich history of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Learn more about the Cumberland County Historical Society at https://www.historicalsociety.com/.
The Carlisle Theatre was established in 1939 and renovated in 1993, the theatre remains Carlisle's downtown source of entertainment. The Carlisle Regional Performing Arts Center presents musical concerts, performances, films, live theatrical productions, and programming for children and families.
Learn more about the Carlisle Theatre at https://carlisletheatre.org/.
The United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County's mission is to unite people and resources to build a stronger, healthier Carlisle and Cumberland County. They fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community. The United Way supports 35 programs and 23 partner agencies. In 2020-2021 (July 1 to June 30), United Way allocated $1,708,129 in programs and services to the community.
Learn more about the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland Count at https://uwcarlisle.org/.
YMCA Carlisle works to promote personal growth, enhance family values, and provide community service through programs available to all. Programs include health, children and youth development, camping, after-school care and community groups.
Learn more about the Carlisle Family YMCA at https://carlislefamilyymca.org/.
YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County operates Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Services of Cumberland County to support victims of sexual assault and their families. Their Community Impact Department features various youth empowerment programs (like Empower & Equip Programs, After the Bell, Storytellers, Youth Leadership Conference, Martin’s Mission, and more) along with Women’s Empowerment Programs. Their preschool is dedicated to providing quality early childhood education to all families in the community. Racial justice is a critical focus and one of the two mission pillars of the organization, and drives their partnership with Carlisle Hope Station, a local community organization working to empower the Memorial Park neighborhood. YWCA is involved with community outreach, trainings, rallies, panel events and discussions to address racial and social justice issues playing out in our region.
Learn more about the YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County at https://ywcacarlisle.org/.