Community Internship
As part of the School and Community Engagement program component, each NELA Fellow participates in an internship with a community organization during the summer between the first and second year.
As a leader it is essential that we engulf ourselves in the community in which we work. Not only should we build partnerships with parents, community leaders and businesses but we must create authentic relationships that promote collaboration. I worked with the executive director of the Strategic Twin-Counties Partnership (S.T.E.P.) program headquartered in Whitakers, North Carolina. The mission of the Strategic Twin-Counties Partnership is to improve educational and employment opportunities for students in Nash and Edgecombe Counties by partnering with local businesses, Nash and Edgecombe Community College and serving as the liaison between the school districts and those businesses. Additionally, STEP works to ensure that Nash and Edgecombe Public School systems are producing career and job ready graduates to fulfill the work needs of local businesses. In turn these businesses will support the school districts’ efforts in preparing students to work in the community.
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