Youth Development Intern – Summer

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We are dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Position Summary

For nearly 100 years, the YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester has been pushing boundaries, breaking barriers, and fighting for racial justice and gender equity. We don’t just run programs—we ignite movements.

In partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), we are proud to bring the Freedom Schools® program to Westchester for the third summer. Freedom School isn’t a summer camp. It’s not summer school. It’s a six-week cultural and educational uprising that uses reading, music, movement, and civic engagement to empower kids to see themselves as scholars, leaders, and change-makers.

About Freedom Schools®

Founded during the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Schools were designed to teach young people not only how to read but how to lead. Today, the CDF Freedom Schools® program continues that legacy nationwide. Scholars (K–12) experience a joyful, justice-rooted curriculum that blends:

• Literacy (boosting motivation, not just test scores)
• Civics & Social Action (young people using their voices)
• Culture & Movement (because stillness is overrated)
• Community (building dignity, hope, and joy together)

The Role:
Servant Leader Intern (SLI)

Reporting to the Site Coordinator, the Servant Leader Intern executes the daily Freedom School schedule of activities.

SLIs are college, graduate, teaching-track students, or active teaching professionals who commit to six weeks of leading, teaching, dancing, chanting, mentoring, and modeling joy for a class of up to 10 scholars. You’ll learn the nationally renowned Integrated Reading Curriculum (IRC) and bring it alive through call-and-response, chants, cheers, movement, and remixes.

This isn’t for the shy. This isn’t for the quiet. This is for the bold—the ones who can take a Kendrick Lamar hook and flip it into a literacy chant that has 7-year-olds spelling out justice before snack time.

Why Movement & Interaction Matters

Research shows that in traditional classrooms, students (especially youth of color) are asked to sit still for 8–10 hours a day. Freedom Schools flip that script. Studies confirm that youth engagement skyrockets when learning involves dialogue, movement, and culturally responsive methods—all of which are at the heart of Freedom School. If you can get loud, get creative, and get kids moving while learning—you’re in the right place.

What You’ll Do

Lead your scholars (max 10) through the daily schedule—reading, activities, and community-building.

Memorize and perform cheers, chants, and affirmations (yes, daily singing/dancing is required—and yes, we mean required).

Model leadership, civic engagement, and joy—every day, every interaction.

• Build authentic relationships with scholars and families.
• Work as part of an intergenerational team of peers, site leaders, and national trainers.
• Help scholars connect what they learn to action in their communities.

Training & Commitment

Freedom Schools don’t happen by accident; they are built through serious preparation.

• Pre-National Training (In-person & Virtual): May 18–20, 2026
• Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute (Knoxville, TN):
  June 3–7, 2026
• Internship offer is contingent upon successful completion of National Training
• Local Training & Classroom Prep: Dates TBD
• July 6 – August 14, 2026

Attendance at ALL training courses are non-negotiable. This is not just a “job”; it’s an academic fellowship / internship.

Who We’re Looking For

• Sophomore level or higher, in good standing, and able to provide (2) recommendations.
• Current elementary or middle…