John D. O'Bryant Writers' Room Internship

APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO HANDSHAKE WILL NOT BE REVIEWED. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzlu81kZaPauP-Ar8fRxbtzYgiAsSIBgFVRfECvlcszbHl0A/viewform?usp=header

About the Opportunity

The 826 Boston Writers’ Room team at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science is seeking a communicative, growth-oriented, and adaptable individual with a passion for working with youth to serve as the Writers’ Room Intern. 

The John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, commonly known as the O’B, is a 7th–12th grade public exam school located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, serving more than 1,500 students. As one of the city’s three college preparatory exam schools, admission is based on a competitive application process. The O’B is home to the first-ever 826 Boston Writers’ Room, which opened in 2013.

826 Boston runs Writers’ Rooms at the following Boston Public Schools:

• John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, 55 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury
• Dr. Albert D. Holland High School of Technology, 60 Washington Street, Dorchester
• Boston International Newcomers Academy, 100 Maxwell Street, Dorchester
• New Mission High School, 655 Metropolitan Ave, Hyde Park
• Boston Teachers Union K-8 Pilot School, 25 Walk Hill Street, Jamaica Plain
• Margarita Muñiz Academy, 20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain

This internship offers the opportunity to gain firsthand experience with the day-to-day operations of both a nonprofit organization and an exam middle and high school. Interns will work closely with English Language Learner (ELL) students, support student creativity, and develop classroom management skills. Each semester, interns also participate in specialized training sessions and cohort-based discussions on professional and educational topics, such as supporting neurodivergent learners or exploring self-publishing.

Candidates do not need to currently be enrolled in an academic program, but they must be 18 or older to apply. The internship has a flexible commitment of 10–20 hours per week for about four months. Interns must be able to serve at least two days per week in person at the John D. O’Bryant School. The O’B Writers’ Room is open Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Interns who want to work 20 hours per week have the option to work up to 4 hours remotely on Fridays. Fall interns typically serve from September to December.

Interns who are not otherwise receiving financial compensation will receive a stipend after completing their internship. The stipend amounts range from $580 to $1,000, depending on the amount of hours an intern works each week.  This position is also eligible for Federal Work-Study compensation through some schools. If you are eligible for Federal Work-Study, please let us know and we will try to work with your school to see if we are an eligible community partner. 

 

Mission

826 Boston is a nonprofit writing, tutoring, and publishing organization where students in grades K-12 and beyond can share their stories, amplify their voices, and develop as leaders in school and in life.

What you’ll do:

• Provide one-on-one writing support to 7th–12th grade students on assignments across subjects—including humanities, STEM, and college essays—through individual drop-ins and class support.
• Assist the O’B Writers’ Room team with planning and facilitating creative writing clubs, workshops, and publication projects. Current programming includes a high school literary magazine club (Mondays), high school slam poetry (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and a middle school creative writing club (Wednesdays), all held from 2:00–3:00 PM.
• Provide feedback to students on their writing and help prepare their work for publication in our literary magazine, student newspaper, or class book projects.
• Ensure students sign into the Writers’ Room during lunch, class visits, and after-school programming.
• Support Writers’ Room staff with a range of creative and administrative tasks, including updating writing resource materials for students and teachers, designing author spotlights and social media content, and decorating and maintaining our imaginative, whimsical space to keep it welcoming for students.
• Meet weekly with a supervisor to share project updates, exchange feedback, and receive guidance and support in working toward internship goals.

Skills and experiences:

826 Boston recognizes that impostor syndrome and the confidence gap might prevent some applicants from applying. Few candidates will have all of the relevant experience listed below, but 826 Boston is committed to assessing candidates with transferable skills and a willingness to be trained for this role.

• Enthusiastic belief in the mission of 826 Boston, a passion for writing, and an interest in supporting the social-emotional learning and creative growth of youth.
• Interest in teaching or tutoring writing with middle and high school students in urban school communities. Some experience working with youth is preferred (i.e. camp counselor, peer tutor, babysitter, mentor, etc.).
• Commitment to equity and inclusive education practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Ability to take initiative, seek guidance when needed, and demonstrate reliability and follow-through.
• Openness to collaborative work and adaptability in a fast-paced, student-centered environment.
• Comfort with or willingness to learn digital tools and virtual platforms, including Google Meet, Zoom, and Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms).
• Familiarity with the Boston Public Schools system, particularly schools in Roxbury, is a plus but not required.
• Proficiency in Spanish, Vietnamese, French, Haitian Creole, or Cape Verdean Creole is a plus but not required.

Application Instructions: Please complete the 826 Boston Internship Application and upload your résumé and a writing sample.

Your writing sample should not go over 500 words and can be any genre — a piece of fiction, an academic essay, a long-form poem, etc. You are welcome to submit a cover letter as your writing sample if you prefer. Please only submit what you feel comfortable sharing with a future supervisor. 

Applications will be reviewed by 826 Boston on a rolling basis. If you have questions or would like to check on the status of your application, please contact intern@826boston.org.

About Us

826 Boston is part of a national network of youth writing centers, co-founded by the award-winning author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, that were named in GOOD Magazine’s “30 Places We Want to Work.” Since opening in 2007, 826 Boston has delivered its free youth writing and tutoring programs to more than 29,000 students and has been recognized by The Boston Globe as one of the best places in the city to volunteer. 826 Boston’s youth writers have published their work in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and in numerous award-winning 826 Boston books, including A Place for Me in the World, which was hailed as a “triumph of middle school education” by The Boston Globe. In 2013, the 826 National network garnered the prestigious American Literacy Prize awarded by the Library of Congress.

826 Boston Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement 

At 826 Boston, we honor and actively work toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our organization. We are committed to centering the voices of the students who we serve, to creating inclusive spaces, and to incorporating feedback from our community into our decision-making processes. Our DEI lens is always evolving through the courageous conversations in which we participate and the relationships that we build through our work and service. We strengthen our cultural competency through experience, training, and feedback, which informs the development of all new organizational practices and goals and the evaluation of all existing procedures.

826 Boston is dedicated to providing a platform for student advocacy through writing and publishing opportunities. In our work and mission, we are committed to dismantling white supremacy culture by recognizing that we are complicit in systems of racism and oppression. We will work to hold ourselves accountable in addressing these harmful structures and behaviors. To learn more about our DEI Action Plans across the organization, please click here.