Internship - Local Government

MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of The Flock internship is to inspire interns to see themselves as future leaders in local government by providing meaningful and hands-on experiences that highlight the impact and purpose of public service.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

City Clerk: 

• Assist with election planning, outreach strategy, and voter communications to ensure a fair, transparent, and trusted voting process.
• Support recruitment and training efforts for election judges.
• Participate in polling place review and accessibility assessments.
• Review records and assist in cataloging of historical data.

Community Development: Code Enforcement

• Assist is administering the City's first neighborhood sweep to be able to provide proactive code enforcement. This will include project management, coordination, event planning, guiding neighborhood communications, and tracking progress. 
• Support heritage preservation work through historical property research and heritage commission meetings. 
• Support analysis and mapping of attractions within our public parks to inform where development cannot occur. 
• Conduct code enforcement around nuisance violations such as, trash/debris or inoperable vehicles on private property. 

Communications & Engagement: We will have openings at the Rochester Public Library and City Communications. 

• Assist with developing and creating media releases, articles for internal communication, other flyers or graphics for events, and social media posts. 
• Take photos and videos at various event.
• Represent the City at various community events, such as, Safe City Nights, Juneteenth, etc. 
• Complete City website updates. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 

• Assist with developing opportunities for stronger communities, civic participation, community asset mapping, and neighborhood empowerment. 
• Participate in and help plan community events such as Pride, Juneteenth, Disability Summit, etc. 
• Assist in the development of the Accessible Housing Registry
• Assist in planning and creating training. 

Legislative Affairs:  

• Assist with legislator events (i.e. groundbreakings, information briefings, tours of city projects). 
• Shadow the Legislative Affairs and Policy Director at meetings to discuss legislative priorities and at League of MN Cities meetings
• Provide research and other support for projects preparing for the next legislative session.

Office of the Mayor: 

• Assist the Mayor with initiatives and activities, including, but not limited to, Move with the Mayor, International Relations Committee, White House Strategy on Health, etc. 
• Participate in community events, such as, Safe City Nights, Thursday's Downtown, Youth Council, etc. 
• Shadow the Mayor in meetings and events. 
• Provide input and research to the Mayor on City-related issues, programs, and initiatives. 

Parks & Recreation: 

• Assist with park planning, forestry operations, tree planting, and enforcing ordinances. 
• Attend community engagement events to gather feedback on upcoming Parks & Recreation projects. 
• Working with the City Communications team to inform the community of the benefits of healthy parks and recreation systems. 
• Assist in the reporting of grant funded activities, such as tree planting and pruning in underserved areas of the community.  

Public Music:  

• Gain an understanding of how local government connects culture, community, and civic purpose. 
• Assist in the planning, communications, reporting, and onsite logistics of Riverside Concerts, Passport Sessions, and FORWARD concerts. 
• Help draft and update event communications, web content, social media posts, and emcee talking points. 
• Participate in audience engagement efforts, such as surveys. 

Rochester Public Utilities Safety: 

• Assist and participate in incident investigations or inspections. 
• Update safety documentation and procedures. 
• Help ensure compliance with health and safety regulations via safety audits. 
• Organize and plan training sessions or meetings. 

Transit & Parking:

• Assist with transit development plan research, document retention, and creation of standard operating procedures. 
• Participate in public events for the promotion of Transit projects, such as LINK
• Assist with contract management and transit planning utilizing various software (GIS, Remix, CAD). 
• Be a mystery rider on public transportation to document rider usage and behavior. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• 18 years of age or older
• DEI Internship: 16 years of age or older.
• Enrolled as a high school junior or senior for the 2025-2026 academic year; OR Pursuing post-secondary education. 
• Ability to travel to multiple locations within the City of Rochester, MN. 

Desirable Qualifications: 

• Experience working with individuals from a variety of racial, geographic, and financial backgrounds. 
• Proficiency in another language (Bilingual or Multilingual).
• Experience with Microsoft Office products. 
• Enrollment in an undergraduate program related to the internship opportunities. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including being comfortable interacting directly with the public when given background information on topics 
• Ability to work with a team and independently 
• Enthusiasm for working outside, positive attitude, self-starter
• Willingness to learn new skills and cultural competencies