The Rural Futures Institute (RFI) is seeking highly-motivated University of Nebraska student leaders to help create the future of Nebraska’s rural communities through 2018 RFI Student Serviceship. A hybrid between service learning and traditional internships, “serviceships” provide students with resume-building work and insight into the career and life opportunities in rural places.
During this 10-week paid summer experience students participate in strategic community initiatives, lead priority projects, build their networks and improve their leadership skills while living, working and serving in a rural community. Apply at ruralfutures.nebraska.edu/student-serviceship by Nov. 20.
“If you’re a game-changer, innovator or explorer, I encourage you to take this opportunity and run with it,” said RFI Director of Leadership Kayla Schnuelle. “Out of this experience, you will gain many technical skills, and you will also learn what it takes to be a catalyst in a community, which is something that employers in many fields are looking for.”
Working in pairs, students will attack rural challenges and opportunities in areas such as economic development, workforce recruitment and retention, housing, marketing and more. They will work closely with a community host team and a dedicated mentor to help them with their specific projects and bring them into the life of the community in a meaningful way. They will also be connected to RFI staff and University of Nebraska faculty in order to better serve their communities.
After completing the application, students will be interviewed by Dec. 8. Upon final selection, interns will be matched with rural communities with projects that fit their expertise and interests. All interns are required to complete a one-week RFI Student Serviceship training course with University of Nebraska faculty and community leaders, May 14-18, before they begin their serviceship, May 21-Aug. 1.
“Through the course of my serviceship, I learned to advocate for myself and my ideas,” said senior political science major and 2017 serviceship intern Emily Coffey. “In other internships, I’ve been assigned duties and projects with minimal autonomy or room for innovation. This experience allowed me to think critically about the projects I was assigned, identify the people I needed to connect with, determine the necessary steps in reaching solutions and take ownership of the project to make it my own.”
Get details and apply at ruralfutures.nebraska.edu/student-serviceship.
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