Position:  Detroit 1967 Community Outreach Summer Internship

Reports to: Director of Community Outreach and Engagement

Start Date: June 1, 2017

The Detroit Historical Society is pleased offer two, for-credit summer internship opportunities with its Outreach and Engagement Department. The Society’s summer internship program involves an intensive, full-time, experience over eight weeks that enables graduate level students to assist with major special projects in one or more museum departments. Internships generally focus on specific projects, but are flexible enough for students to involve themselves in several aspects of museum work. Summer interns are treated as museum professionals and included in the regular ongoing activities of the institution.

The summer internship program is designed to provide graduate level students with exceptional service to the museum community while they evaluate possible career paths, develop a peer network, and gain firsthand experience with professional staff, diverse audiences, and cutting-edge facilities. Summer interns will receive a stipend of $3,000 (divided into four bimonthly payments) to help cover cost of living expenses while working for the Society.

These internships will focus specifically on programmatic and community outreach with one of the Detroit 67 Project’s Story Collection Campaigns. The two interns selected will work cooperatively over the course of eight weeks to coordinate these efforts that will involve collaboration with a host of community partners. Throughout the summer, these organizations will offer an array of community-based public activities such as panel discussions, cultural events, exhibitions, and corporate and community training workshops.

The Story Collection Campaigns are one of several efforts designed to create a larger dialogue regarding current issues impacting local residents such as authentic youth engagement, neighborhood advancement, racial equity, and economic inclusion. To date, numerous and diverse community partners have enthusiastically agreed to be part of this effort, including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, New Detroit, the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership, the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program, Focus: HOPE, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Young Professionals, and Detroit Public Theater.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the logistics, planning, and implementation of a story collection campaign designed to canvass the community asking the question, “What’s Your ’67?” The purpose of this effort is to offer an alternative opportunity for residents who did not live through July 1967, to share their experiences and perspectives with the broader community. It will also complement D67’s Oral History Project/ Archive already in progress. This will include:
  • Recording community members’ responses (i.e., audio, video, photography).
  • Collecting 100 or more entries/ interviews over the course of the internship.
  • Submitting collected materials for use on DHS’s Website, social media outlets, and printed collaterals.

• Develop a strategic plan for executing this effort in collaboration with Engagement & Outreach department, Marking and Communications department, and Oral History Project staff.
• Work with oral history project team to appropriately store collected interviews.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with marketing department to ensure timely and complete program information for press releases, newsletter deadlines and other notifications.
• Assist with the Detroit 67 project evaluation process, as related to community outreach programs. This may include:
  • Distribute and collect patron participation surveys during events and coordinate data results, as needed;
  • Collect and prepare research and/or complex statistical data;
  • Provide summarization of data analytics supporting attendance trends at programs and events;
  • Ensure that information collected at Detroit67 programs and events flows timely and securely to and from the organization and is calculated in a timely

• Serve as a Detroit 67 project ambassador at community events, which includes presenting information to the public regarding ongoing Society-related programs, events, and schedules.
• Distribute Society and D67 marketing materials to patron participants.

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Strong writing and oral communication skills
• Strong organization skills
• Strong people skills – comfortability with interacting with people or all ages and from all backgrounds
• Ability to act independently and be a self-starter while operating collaboratively as a team player
• Ability to perform multiple tasks
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends for Detroit67 programs
• Experience and/or training evaluation and/or data management is preferred
• Experience and/or training in program development is preferred

Education, Training, and Experience:

• Enrolled in a graduate level academic program in journalism, marketing/communications, history, museum studies, public history, public administration, or a related field
• Earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0

Interested candidates should forward a cover letter, current resume, and a letter of support from faculty supervisor by April 30, 2017 to:

Kalisha Davis
Director of Community Outreach & Engagement
kalishad@detroithistorical.org
Detroit Historical Society
5401 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202

No phone calls, please.