Intern: Media, Communications, and Community Engagement

Media, Communications, and Community Engagement Intern

Position Type: Intern 

Academic Level: High School Senior, Undergraduate, or Graduate

Reports To: Family & Student Services Coordinator and Media Teacher

Location: On-campus, hybrid, and school-sponsored activities

Schedule: Part-time, academic term–based or program-based

Clearance Required: Yes

Position Summary

St. Louis Voices Academy (“SLVA”) offers internship opportunities for students pursuing academic or career pathways in media content production, marketing, advertising, public relations, communications, journalism, and community engagement. Interns participate in structured, supervised experiences designed to build professional skills, ethical judgment, and applied knowledge while supporting school programming and student voice initiatives.

Internships are educational in nature and aligned to academic coursework, capstone requirements, degree programs, or professional development objectives. Interns do not replace paid staff and do not function as instructional personnel.

Core Responsibilities

Interns support SLVA programs through supervised engagement in media and communications activities that may include content development, digital storytelling, branding and marketing support, community engagement initiatives, public relations assistance, event communications, and classroom-embedded media support. Interns may assist with planning, drafting, editing, production, scheduling, documentation, and analysis related to media and communications projects.

Interns collaborate with staff to support student-centered media initiatives while adhering to ethical standards, confidentiality requirements, and institutional protocols. Responsibilities are scaled based on the intern’s academic level, experience, and program requirements.

Scope of Authority

Interns serve under direct supervision and do not have the authority to independently supervise students, discipline students, evaluate academic performance, assign grades, access student records, or represent the school publicly. Interns may not communicate with families or external media on behalf of SLVA without express authorization.

Academic Level Expectations

High school senior interns are expected to engage primarily in observation, basic support tasks, and guided project assistance under close supervision. Undergraduate interns may assume increased responsibility for project execution, content development, and collaboration with staff. Graduate-level interns may engage in advanced project planning, analysis, strategy support, and leadership development activities while remaining supervised and compliant with school protocols.

Required Qualifications

Interns must be enrolled in or recently completed an academic program related to media production, communications, marketing, advertising, public relations, journalism, digital media, education, or community engagement. Interns must demonstrate professionalism, reliability, strong communication skills, and the ability to follow directions and institutional policies.

Experience with media tools, writing, digital platforms, or community engagement is preferred but not required and may vary by academic level.

Training and Clearance Requirements

All interns must successfully complete required onboarding, training, and background clearance prior to beginning internship activities involving students or access to school facilities. Training includes orientation to SLVA’s mission and culture, student safety and mandated reporting responsibilities, confidentiality and data protection requirements, professional boundaries, trauma-informed practices, communication protocols, and media ethics.

Background clearance requirements are determined based on the intern’s role and level of student interaction and may include criminal background checks, sex offender registry screening, fingerprinting, or additional screenings as required by law or school policy. Continued participation is contingent upon maintaining current clearance and training compliance.

Professional Conduct Expectations

Interns are expected to conduct themselves in a professional, respectful, and ethical manner at all times. Interns must adhere to SLVA policies, procedures, schedules, and supervision requirements. Punctuality, accountability, appropriate communication, and responsiveness to feedback are essential components of the internship experience.

Time Commitment and Scheduling

Internship schedules are determined in coordination with academic requirements and program needs. Interns are expected to maintain consistent attendance, participate in required meetings or training sessions, and accurately track internship hours as required by SLVA or the intern’s academic institution.

Compensation and Academic Credit

Internships may be paid or unpaid depending on funding availability, program design, and academic requirements. Internship participation does not create an employment relationship unless explicitly stated in writing. Academic credit, if applicable, is governed by the intern’s educational institution.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

Interns must be able to perform duties in the classroom, office, media lab, and community settings, which may include standing, sitting, walking, use of computers and media equipment, and occasional light lifting. Reasonable accommodations may be provided in accordance with applicable law.

Equal Opportunity Statement

St. Louis Voices Academy is committed to equity and inclusion. Internship opportunities are offered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.

Acknowledgement

By accepting an internship position at St. Louis Voices Academy, interns acknowledge that they have read and understand this job description and agree to comply with all applicable policies, procedures, and program requirements.