Vermont Campus Compact
Internships for Vermont Recovery
Position Descriptions
Vermont Campus Compact is offering Vermont college and university students the opportunity to
contribute in meaningful ways to Vermont recovery with six-week paid internships during summer
2012. These internships will provide assistance to Long-Term Recovery Committees or other
community organizations working on Vermont recovery following Tropical Storm Irene, as well as
provide students with civic and professional development experiences.
Selected students will be part of a state-wide cohort of 10 interns placed at intern sites around the
state. Interns will work 30 hours a week for 6 weeks and will be paid $9.50/hour. Interns will need
reliable transportation, and in most cases will need to secure their own housing; some assistance in
finding housing may be available.
The internship period will run from June 11-July 27, which includes four professional development
days before, after and mid-way through the internship. Interns will be supervised by an individual at
their site but will also participate in readings and reflections related to disaster relief and community
organizing with academic and community experts during their six week site work. Interns should be
current undergraduate or graduate students or 2012 graduates from Vermont Campus Compact
member colleges or universities* and must commit to the full time period of the internship. VCC is not
offering credit for these internships.
*Vermont Campus Compact is a statewide coalition of college and university presidents united in a
shared commitment to the civic mission of higher education. VCC presidents believe that through
sustained and creative student, faculty and institutional engagement with communities, higher
education can help prepare tomorrow's civic and social leaders while strengthening communities and
improving lives.
Vermont Campus Compact member campuses include: Bennington College, Castleton State College,
Champlain College, Community College of Vermont, Goddard College, Green Mountain College,
Johnson State College, Landmark College, Lyndon State College, Marlboro College, Middlebury College,
Norwich University, Saint Michael’s College, Southern Vermont College, Sterling College, University of
Vermont and World Learning/SIT.
Internships are available at the following sites:
The American Red Cross of Vermont and New Hampshire Valley
Burlington, VT
The American Red Cross of Vermont and New Hampshire Valley seeks a VCC intern to work on a new
and exciting initiative to build community sheltering capacity throughout Vermont. The impact of
Tropical Storm Irene demonstrated a need to ensure that every community has the training and
capacity to provide temporary, emergency shelter during times of disaster. The Vermont and New
Hampshire Valley American Red Cross is undertaking an initiative to bring the training and basic
supplies to every Vermont community that elects to participate. Join us and be a part of both the
planning and implementation phases of this vital program. Candidates will report directly to the Chief
Response Officer, with the opportunity to draw upon his 30 years of experience in disaster
preparedness and response. A valid driver’s license is a must. The ideal candidate will be proficient
with Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Publisher (or similar programs).
Solid interpersonal skills are a must.
Central Vermont Long Term Recovery Group/Green Mountain United Way Montpelier,VT
The Central Vermont Long Term Recovery Group (CV LTRG) is comprised of area organizations and
individuals dedicated to the long-term recovery of the central Vermont region following the spring
floods of 2011 and Tropical Storm Irene. Our prospective intern would report to the Chair and Vice
Chair of the CV LTRG and will have office space at Green Mountain United Way. A large number of CV
LTRG clients reside in the Weston’s Mobile Home Park and experienced tremendous loss after Irene.
The role of the intern would be to provide additional capacity to CV LTRG by supporting the work of
the disaster recovery case managers (particularly at Weston’s) including assisting with tasks important
to enabling our clients find their “new normal.” Tasks will vary as the needs of the community continue
to evolve but could include coordinating events, local fundraising, public awareness activities,
rebuilding gardens, landscaping, disseminating information and other more secondary needs.
Friends of the Mad River (FMR)
Waitsfield, VT
FMR seeks skilled undergraduate or graduate student intern to organize and lead volunteers in
conducting a comprehensive Visual Assessment of the Mad River watershed. The project will take
place under the supervision and direction of FMR’s Executive Director. Tropical Storm Irene
significantly impacted the physical condition and habitat of streams throughout the Mad River
watershed, but without an assessment, we do not know the true extent and nature of the damage. It
would be beneficial to restoration efforts to complete such an assessment of the Mad River and its
tributaries. The data and photographs collected during the assessment will be mapped and used to
identify areas of concern. Where appropriate, FMR will develop action plans to address these areas.
The final project report will be a useful outreach tool, and will shared with the Vermont Agency of
Natural Resources, the watershed towns, the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District, and
the general public. The Mad River brings recreational and ecological value to the local community and
local economy; this project will be great way to engage the community in a meaningful project to help
restore the river.
Irene Recovery Office
Montpelier, VT
The State Irene Recovery Office is seeking an intern to play a key role in helping to coordinate the
Green Up to Recover initiative which will mobilize Vermonters for flood recovery projects starting on
Green Up Day and through the summer. The intern will work with local groups and town officials in
hard hit communities to organize and recruit volunteers for projects such as cleaning up remaining
storm debris, restoring recreational facilities, and rebuilding flood damaged homes. This work will
include assisting with an online project listing and volunteer management system, and a variety of
other tasks as assigned. Most work will be done from Montpelier, though it may be possible to arrange
to do some tasks from home, and opportunities for travel to different parts of the state are likely. We
are looking for someone who enjoys working with people, is creative, organized, detail oriented, and
passionate about helping Vermont communities recover from Tropical Storm Irene.
Mad River Flood Recovery
Waitsfield, VT
Here is your chance to help the Mad River Valleyʼs Long Term Recovery Committee (Mad River Flood
Recovery, or MRFR) develop a review of Ireneʼs devastation, the communitiesʼ response, and
recommendations for coordinated action in the next disaster. (And we have no doubt that there will
be a next time!) You will work with MRFR Board Members, community leaders, flood victims, and
flood response volunteers. You will develop interview materials to capture information, take and/or
find photos to illustrate your document, and create a visual timeline of events. Your final product will
be the foundation for an action-oriented document intended for future use. Desk, computer, phone
and office support, housing and most meals will be provided.
ReBuild Waterbury
Waterbury, VT
Join ReBuild Waterbury this summer as we continue to define Irene and lay a positive track for
Vermont’s future! If you have great people skills, are a very good listener and a thirst to document the
human experience, we need your positive energy & dedication to making a real difference for people
impacted by disaster. Much data has been generated and is in need of organization to become useful
for mitigation of future disasters. We seek to identify the main components of the response, collect
the detailed chronological events and action of each, and produce a comprehensive historical
document of this event, from August 27 to December 1, 2011. We believe this information will
become part of a larger document that will create a blue print for future disaster responses in
Vermont and around the country. This project will include: identifying key response players and
conducting detailed interviews to capture their descriptions of event chronology; locating and
gathering current documents to evaluate what information has been captured as well as developing
methods of capturing information after the fact; creating a system to track parallel response actions
of at least 10 separate facets (ie: Municipality, Fire & Rescue, Volunteer organization, FEMA, Hope
Force International, etc.); compiling the multiple response tracks in a easily understood document.
This project requires research, investigation, interviews, organization, writing, re-writing, patience and
passion. We have important work to get done. If you have the energy and focus, we have the project
of a lifetime!
ReBuild Waterbury and UVM Research Project
Burlington, VT
Join ReBuild Waterbury this summer as we continue to define Irene and lay a positive track for
Vermont’s future! If you have great people skills, are a very good listener and a thirst the human
experience, we need your positive energy & dedication to making a real difference for people impacted
by disaster. Uniquely this project will take the student into several communities, starting in Waterbury,
to interview towns’ people and determine the role of emergent leadership and its impact on early and
mid-range recovery. This project will include identifying key response leadership positions and
conducting detailed interviews that will then be compiled in a compare and contrast format including
up to four communities. ReBuild Waterbury will use this study as part of a concluding publication in
2013. This project requires research, investigation, interviews, organization, writing, re-writing,
patience and passion. We have important work to get done. If you have the energy and focus, we have
the project of a lifetime!
Southeastern Vermont Irene Long-Term Recovery Committee
Brattleboro, VT
Get involved! Do you want to learn about the crucial elements of long-term disaster recovery? Do you
like working as a part of a diverse and dynamic team? The Southeastern Vermont Irene Long-Term
Recovery Committee is looking for a passionate and dedicated individual to intern with us during the
summer of 2012. This individual will work closely with town agencies and community organizations on
a holistic campaign to give aid to survivors of Tropical Storm Irene. By working in both office and field
settings this individual will gain first-hand experience with case management, volunteer coordination,
planning strategies and documentation. The applicant should have basic computer skills, including
Microsoft Word, Excel and Outreach and a genuine interest in working closely with individuals. We are
looking for someone who is a team player but who knows when and how to take initiative. The
position is located in downtown Brattleboro, VT, which is a wonderful place to spend the summer. If
you are looking for a chance for professional development and want to make a difference at the
individual and community level, then this internship is for you.
Vermont 2-1-1
Essex Junction, VT
Vermont 2-1-1’s approach to our work is grounded in partnership. We are confident our client support
will be only as strong as our collaborations with services providers throughout Vermont. We are
looking for a detail-oriented, energetic, computer savvy, curious and collaborative junior, senior or
master’s level student intern to work with our team this summer. Students will be offered multiple
opportunities to participate in and, when appropriate, conduct training. The intern will work with
veteran Vermont 2-1-1 staff, volunteers, and community partners to dissect our existing emergency
operations plan for relevance and responsiveness and update the plan to reflect Vermont 2-1-1’s
current role in disaster preparation, response, and recovery. The intern will also work with the team to
develop a continuity of operations plan to ensure Vermont 2-1-1’s uninterrupted community support
during emergencies. Finally, the intern will design, schedule and conduct an exercise to “test” the plans
and conduct an incident review post exercise, including recommendations for improvement. Our intern
will receive high quality supervision and mentoring support, be fully engaged in day to day operations
and participate in our frequent food frenzies including but not limited to My Little Cupcakes. Come join
our team!
Additional positions to be posted soon!