CULTURAL SERVICE INTERNSHIPS

The Cultural Service Internship Program is a five-year initiative of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville in partnership with Jacksonville arts and cultural organizations, Duval County Public Schools, and Jacksonville Youth Employment, formerly the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program.  The program offers paid internships to students from Jacksonville's Northwest-side.  Student interns are paired with local, nonprofits in the arts and cultural sector.
This program is part of a multi-prong approach by the Cultural Council to increase:

  • Equity in the arts
  • Access to the arts
  • Diverse representation within the arts and cultural sector​
At a national level, people of color are too often underrepresented at Board and senior staff levels. The Cultural Service Internship Program is designed to impact local statistics by providing young men and women of color with inside perspective to Jacksonville's nonprofit and civic sector.  Students are introduced to leaders in City departments and arts and cultural organizations while learning about career and volunteer opportunities and the roles and responsibilities of a Board of Directors.

In the 2016-2017 academic year, the initiative featured an ambitious goal of 25 paid internship positions at arts and cultural organizations. That goal was exceeded when the Cultural Council was successful in raising funds to support 40 paid internship positions, thanks in part to funding from Florida Blue.  The initiative grew as a result of a partnership between the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program, CareerSource, Duval County Public Schools, local corporations, and nonprofit and small businesses.

Sixteen arts and culture organizations that receive funding through the Cultural Service Grant Program hosted and worked with one or more interns for a period of two months. Job descriptions varied according to the artistic or cultural discipline represented by the organization and their summer programming.
STAY TUNED FOR EXCITING INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

SPONSORS