“I have learned an incredible amount about New York City neighborhoods, non-profit organizations and how the two work together to achieve tangible results in the community.  Wherever my future career takes me, I would like to carry CIVITAS’ dedicated example as proof that active citizen engagement can lead to real, noticeable changes within a bustling city.”

-Hannah Diaz, CCIA 2012 Intern, CIVITAS

Program Overview

The Columbia Communities in Action (CCIA) program provides students with a New York-based internship in the field of civic engagement and not-for-profit. Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference.

Columbia Communities in Action, sponsored by the Office of Civic Action and Engagement (OCAE) and the Center for Career Education (CCE), began in 2008 as a new way to engage students in the community while developing key transferable skills. With the support of career counseling professionals, students are able to identify and develop personal and professional goals. As part of the program, participants take part in networking events, training workshops and educational programming designed to help explore career opportunities in civic engagement throughout the Spring semester.

The CCIA students intern with a not-for-profit organization that will allow them to simultaneously build skills and gain experience while contributing to a cause they feel passionate about. Students work in a variety of different roles from research to project management to fundraising and development. The possibilities to utilize and apply skills are endless in this field. To get a better understanding of the variety of opportunities available through this program, please read the CCIA Student Experiences section below.

The following are a small sampling of industry areas in which students have interned through CCIA:

Program Features

The CCIA program is a combination of internship experience at a not-for-profit organization, peer connections with other CCIA interns and career development and support with career counseling professionals. Program features include the following: 

• Pre-program training that includes program overview, self assessment exercises, and goal setting workshops with the support of a career counseling professional.
• Twelve-week internship for 10-20 hours per week during the Spring semester. 
• Mid-semester breakfast with other interns to discuss and debrief on internship experiences.
• One-on-one career counseling appointments throughout the twelve weeks to support and enhance the internship experience.
• End of Program Reflection Session that includes evaluation of the internship experience, goal attainment analysis, resume workshop and interview coaching. 
• Networking events, fairs and workshops in the field of non-profit and civic engagement.

Program Benefits

Upon completion of the CCIA program, students will have gained a richer understanding of civic engagement and the not-for-profit industry. Students will have learned about the wide variety of roles involved in not-for-profit work and had several opportunities to network with individuals currently working in the field.  Additionally, students will have acquired professional skills such as research, effective communication, problem solving, time management and project management. With the support of a career counseling professional, students will also be able to articulate their experience through goal setting exercises, understanding transferable skills they have gained, and reflecting upon their internship experience appropriately.

Opportunities

The 2013 CCIA program is currently closed. Please check back with us next fall for the 2014 CCIA Program 

To view the 2013 CCIA spring internships, click here.

Student Experiences

2012 CCIA Interns
Emma Gebert's experience at The Possibility Project (TPP) and the CCIA program has been incredibly rewarding and helpful. Through the course of my internship I have been able to exercise skills that I already had and to gain some new skills. For more information about Emma’s experience, read here.	Joanna Kelly worked as an intern for the development department of the Vera Institute of Justice. The Vera Institute is a non-profit organization that partners with governmental organizations and leaders in civil society to improve the justice systems in our country. For more about Joanna's experience read here.	Doreen Mohammed had a great experience at the MS Society.  This experience allowed me to reaffirm my passion to help people through direct contact as a doctor. Read more about Doreen’s experience here.
2011 CCIA Interns
Chris Crawford helped plan a large-scale awards ceremony and contributed to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s fundraising efforts as an intern in the e-Philanthropy and Development department through CCIA. Read about his experience here.	Kendall Tucker gained a new perspective on the criminal justice system through her experience at the Vera Institute of Justice while helping the organization expand its social media presence. Read about this new perspective here.	Kening Zhu put her love of film to use in her internship at LinkTV, not only analyzing and writing reviews on documentaries but putting to use the education on various global issues she gained from the films. Learn more about her experience here.

Information Sessions

Please attend one information session to learn more about CCIA as well as other CCE Spring Internship Programs (CAE and VIP).

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

12:00pm - 1:00pm

CCE Conference Room

Register Now

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

5:00pm - 6:00pm

CCE Conference Room

Register Now

Apply Now

Eligibility
Application Process

Program Contacts

If you have questions about this program, please feel free to contact:

Peter Cerneka
Associate Director, Office of Civic Action and Engagement (OCAE)
pc2371@columbia.edu

Laura Maltz
Assistant Director, Center for Career Education (CCE)
ljm2167@columbia.edu

If you are an employer interested in hosting a student through the Columbia Communities in Action program, please contact:

Vernon Gibbs
Outreach Specialist
vdg4@columbia.edu