Collaboration stems from healthy communication – resulting in thrivinging individuals and business.
An event like the coronavirus has shown the importance of effective communication, especially for commercial success. Most of our communication this summer took place over Zoom virtual conference call. Video conferencing brought us real-time collaboration on ideas and allowed cross-functional communication amongst our different departments. By recognizing the challenges brought forth and foreseen by the coronavirus, our organization was able to adapt and perform to maintain our growth during a global pandemic. We made sure all of our interns understood the software and became very comfortable with the technology, as an industry standard, these tools may be used later in their careers.
“An internship is a 12-week job interview” - JD III
Internships play a bigger role than just a summer job. An internship program can have a great deal of influence on the life of a young professional – which is why we knew we had to continue our program when it became clear that the coronavirus posed a threat to businesses and even forced some companies to cancel internships entirely. Prior to the arrival of the coronavirus ALIVE had already begun exploring virtual communication and collaboration practices.
ALIVE’s summer internship program has provided students with meaningful work experience and exposure to professional opportunities for over a decade. ALIVE recognizes the importance of diverse perspectives and seeks to develop a wide range of talented individuals. Interns receive personal and career development lessons that coincide with their assigned task as well as post-internship professional development sessions.
Our interns work directly with business professionals to plan and implement strategic marketing strategies for our subsidiary organizations that successfully conveys ALIVE’s messages, both internally and externally.
In order to offer a beneficial internship experience, we set and followed a few key objectives:
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Frequent communication: Since face-to-face communication has been discouraged, it's imperative to have open communication with your team or organization to alleviate confusion and maintain a healthy morale.
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Set clear expectations, objectives and roles: Interns need to have clarity on the projects they’ll be taking on. These goals should correlate with the organization's vision and learning objectives.
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Weekly check-ins: This allows coworkers to ask questions and discuss topics that may have arisen throughout the week – paired with a mentor, check-ins are also great for helping interns grow their knowledge and provide feedback.
We encourage an inclusive, empowering, and environment.
By taking our professional development sessions online, we’ve continued to deliver guidance to our students amidst a global pandemic. Our teachers and discussion leaders have seamlessly integrated our lesson plan into an engaging and comprehensive virtual experience that not only provides our students an opportunity to problem-solve, but collaborate and share experiences aw well.
ALIVE held an art color therapy session for youth to express themselves. The youth drew self-portraits and used colors which represented how they envision themselves. Some said they