A Summer of Learning: USF Collaborative Kicks Off Its Summer Internship Program [06/26/2007]

by Denise O'Brien

Amy Kohlberg Quinlan Summer Internship participants are well on their way toward building the technical and research skills needed to make both scholarly and applied learning in Positive Youth Development (PYD). Working side by side with USF research teams, they are examining the roles that schools and communities play in helping today’s youth succeed. The interns’ perspective and feedback will help researchers improve their research and, subsequently, future programs for the community.

During the first two weeks of the internship, students were taught the theory and applications of research, how to conduct research and how to be critical consumers of research. In the remaining weeks of the program, each student will be actively involved in research and community projects, including:

• Connecting with Community: Exploring Awareness and Use of Neighborhood Resources among Families in the Prodigy Cultural Arts Program in Tampa, supervised by Dr. Robin Ersing.
• The Role of Student-Teacher Relationships in Early Adolescents’ Happiness, supervised by Dr. Shannon Suldo.
• Assessment of Community Social Capital and Collective Efficacy for Youth Development in Tampa, supervised by Dr. Chris Sullivan.
• Know How 2 Go, supervised by Catherine Batsche. On this project, students will conduct focus groups with area youth in the effort to determine the most effective way to disseminate information to help motivate students to go to college. Interns will have the chance to improve on their teaching and public speaking skills by leading these youth workshops, and also sharpen their research skills by analyzing the information obtained from the focus groups.
• Corporation to Develop Communities (CDC) of Tampa, supervised by David Jones. Interns will have the opportunity to assist the program coordinator, Ms. Jereisha Carter, in facilitating scheduled activities for youth participating in a community center program. Program activities will include indoor educational activities/ informative sessions, outdoor activities, and offsite tours of educational and business facilities.

The internship program ends July 27, at which time students will give a final report to members of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, painting a picture of the students’ own program experiences and lessons learned while working with their community partners.

The USF Collaborative is a recognized central point of contact, facilitator and matchmaker for new partnerships between University faculty and students, nationally known researchers, local government, service organizations and professionals to build a better Tampa Bay community. For more information about the Collaborative and its programs, visit http://www.usfcollab.usf.edu or contact the Collaborative director, Judi Jetson, at 813-974-7318, or Jetson@usfcollab.usf.edu.