Volume 3 | November 17, 2021
Connecting Students to Internships

As we head into the middle of November, our School Without Walls interns are busier than ever - interning, preparing for roundtables, and deeply researching their passion project topics. Photo credit in the banner above to one of our interns, Djyvens, who is interested in exploring the emergent field of therapeutic photography.

We continue to be able to connect students with place-based internships and experts thanks to the support of NYCOB board members and other friends of the School Without Walls. As a result of your support, we have been able to connect students with professionals in the fashion, culinary arts, and criminal justice fields.

We're also beginning to build a database of internship opportunities in the ImBlaze program with the support of Big Picture Learning. If you know of any organizations or professionals who want to get involved with our School Without Walls, we're actively seeking to grow our network of internship opportunities.
Student Profiles
Kenyse is working at the Grand Street Settlement on Delancey Street, supporting in the cafeteria and kitchen as she learns about what it takes to provide free and subsidized meals to adult New Yorkers. Here she is pictured staffing the main lobby where she's supporting with health and wellness screenings and temperature checks.
La Joy is working with the Counseling in Schools afterschool program at PS 38 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. La Joy is interested in learning about the entirety of mental health and counseling support services offered in NYC public schools. Here's La Joy in an afterschool art class where she supports 1st Graders in exploring different media and artmaking techniques.
Teacher Voices
What we're thinking and reading

As a staff, we're about to read Monique Morris' Pushout and plan conduct some school visits to deepen our collective learning around how to build transformative educational experiences with students.

Sharine says, "A school like this seems like it's the most responsive to this time we're all living through. In this pandemic we've learned certain lessons about making work relevant, not only for teachers but for students, and we're encouraging people to find out what's important to them and to make positive contributions to the world around them. This school seems to realize that vision."

Evan says, "I loved seeing students at their internship sites when I visited last week. In the past, my students have done community service and have gotten the hours. But I've never had the opportunity to bridge the divide between school and community. At our School Without Walls, I have the schedule and programmatic flexibility to actually connect the dots and see my students interning out in the field. I've realized that students show up differently in real-world positions than they do in classrooms. They've learned their student persona over years of being in school, but at internship sites, they shine in new and inspiring ways."
Stay Tuned: Roundtables on December 8
On December 8, student interns will participate in Roundtables. At this presentation of learning, interns will share progress on their Passion Projects and pitch their proposals for community feedback. As our interns gather information through research and real world learning, they are deepening their understanding of the dilemmas or issues within their areas of passion. At Roundtables, they will attempt to take a solution-oriented approach to the dilemma they have been studying. Pictured above: Roundtables from our Summer Intensive.
Want to support our interns?
You can help connect our interns to Real World Learning!
Please email Veronica Coleman if you would like to support our students who are still in search of real world learning in the following fields:

  • interior design
  • art therapy
  • music therapy
  • Obstetrics/Gynecology and maternal health for Black and BIPOC people
  • the history and sociology of Black hair

Any level of support is welcome and can include: a short phone call or Zoom interview, a shadow day at your work site, a 4-6 week internship meeting 2 days a week for 2-4 hours.
Looking Ahead: Final Presentations
In January 2022, we will close out our semester with a final presentation of learning from our interns. At this community-facing event, interns will share their reflections on the process as present their final passion project.
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