Impact Monterey County January 2022 Scholar
Connecting students to social change in Monterey, California
About Middlebury Social Impact Corps
The Middlebury Social Impact Scholars Program (MSI Scholars) is a partnership-based program for MIIS graduate students, focused on action research and partnership development in collaboration with community-based non-profits and NGO’s. This cohort-based, experiential learning program focuses on 6 pillars of social impact learning: adaptability, commitment, inquiry, narrative, reflection, and partnership. In partnership with organizations, MSI Scholars gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions for purposeful careers in social impact.
The MIIS graduate student Scholar will participate in ongoing learning, reflection and action research in partnership with this year's host site, Impact Monterey County, located in Monterey, California, USA.
The Scholar will work with one Middlebury undergraduate intern to complete the deliverable, and to participate in regular check-in meetings with supervisors. The Scholar will be overseen by faculty advisor, Dr. Netta Avineri, and training will be provided as needed to complete the scope of the project.
By participating as a MSI Scholar, MIIS students will:
- Demonstrate leadership & collaboration skills by engaging in intern & cohort mentorship
- Engage in ongoing reflection about their contribution to the mission of the host site, the success of the MSIC cohort, and social impact on the Monterey County community
- Engage in action research about the MSIC/Impact Monterey County partnership
This is an in-person internship, however applicants interested in working remotely will be considered. A $1500 stipend to compensate for lost wages is included. Project work is estimated to be ~25 hours per week.
About Impact Monterey County
Impact Monterey County (IMC) is a collaborative effort of nonprofits, public agencies and the community working together to identify the most effective ways to improve life in our county. IMC employs multiple outreach and engagement strategies to shine a light on our community aspirations. These aspirations are listed under four priority areas including: education, safety, economic self-sufficiency and health.
The goals of IMC include:
- Assess: To assess and measure important community needs
- Collaborate: To identify other community assessments and use existing data to ensure efficiencies and to streamline IMC
- Align: To align stakeholders toward common goals and measurements that improve conditions for all
- Implement/Take Action: To establish a common agenda for addressing specific issues impacting communities throughout Monterey County and to take actionable steps toward accomplishing said agenda
- Measure/Sustain: To establish a plan to measure progress made toward common agenda and to continue the assessment process at regular intervals going forward
IMC is looking for students who believe in the importance of incorporating community member voice into policies, projects, and programs to help with our 2022 Community Assessment in Monterey County. Impact Monterey County conducted its first Community Needs Assessment in 2014, which was the first assessment in our local community to understand the experiences and aspirations of those who live here. This assessment consisted of 7,400 survey respondents and 400 community conversation participants who articulated a clear vision, set of values, and community priorities.
A smaller scale version of this assessment was conducted again in 2019 in collaboration with the Middlebury Institute of international Studies, Middlebury College, California State University at Monterey Bay, and many of our local partners to collect experiences and aspirations from over 3,000 survey respondents and 154 community conversation participants. We are seeking to conduct this assessment again in 2022 knowing that the pandemic has changed our community. We would like to understand how experiences and aspirations have been impacted and where they currently lie. As we face our “new normal” we know that fresh data is critical so the polices, projects, and plans reflect where our community currently is and are aligned with existing priorities.
Students working on this project during January 2022 Term will be collaborating with community partners and members to refine the past survey to collect meaningful data for the present day while still allowing for some key points of comparison between years. Time permitting, they will also work on strategies to effectively implement the survey during Summer 2022. Strategies would ensure that community partner's co-creation and survey participation reflects the diversity and lived experiences of our community.
Responsibilities in this position will include:
- Reviewing past iterations of the survey to identify trends;
- Facilitating meetings with community members and leaders to collect feedback on the 2019 iteration/implementation of the survey and collect new data needs for the 2022 Community Assessment;
- Collaborating with partners who focus on data to strategize about collection tools and metrics.
Skills and Experience:
Spanish proficiency is preferable, but not required;
Facilitation experience;
Excel proficiency;
Survey design experience;
Experience working with diverse communities and stakeholders.
Program Dates: Monday, Jan. 3 to Friday, January 28, 2022
How to Apply:
Applications Due: November 7, 11:55pmEST
Please submit a letter of interest, resume, and complete the MSIC January 2022 Scholar Application
Applications will only be considered once all materials have been submitted.
If you have questions please contact Dr. Netta Avineri, MSIC Faculty Director (navineri@middlebury.edu).