Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers - Community Engagement Research Intern - Lawrence-Funded Internship

The Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers

Project Title: Community Engagement Research Intern
Direct Supervisor(s): Isaac Aleman, Lead Organizer
Duration: June – August (Monday-Friday, Flexible)
Weekly Time Commitment: Est. 35-40 hours weekly
 

About the Coalition:
The Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand mental health services to all residents of Chicago, regardless of an individual’s insurance-status, immigration-status, or ability to pay. In 2010-11, the Coalition worked with a broad bi-partisan group of state legislators to pass the Community Expanded Mental Health Services Act (405 ILCS 22/). This Act gives any community in Chicago the ability to create an Expanded Mental Health Services Program (EMHSP) that will result in a new, sustainably funded, and community-led mental health center to directly address the mental health needs of residents. Our efforts have resulted in the creation of eight EMHSPs. Three centers are currently open and providing services to residents, while the other five should all have centers open by 2028, with at least one opening as soon as 2025.

Internship Description:
This summer, the Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers wishes to hire multiple Community Engagement Research Interns to help in the creation and establishing of four of the Coalition’s anticipated and created Expanded Mental Health Services Programs (EMHSPs). Interns will collect signatures from community residents, conduct surveys for our Community Mental Health Needs Assessments, and identify and analyze existing socio-demographic data for our anticipated program areas, compiling their findings together into a comprehensive report they will provide to their direct supervisor at the conclusion of the program. Applicants will be granted flexibility regarding program start and end dates, however, priority will be granted to those whose availability best suits the needs of the Coalition. Applicants for this position must be United States citizens.

Community Engagement (30 hours/weekly):
Overseen by the Coalition’s Lead Organizers, interns will join members of our Mental Health Advocacy Teams in collecting signatures for the Summer Signature Drives for our Far Southwest and Edgewater, Uptown, and Lincoln Square EMHSPs. While collecting signatures, interns will educate residents about the importance of mental health and the Coalition’s programs in these areas. Furthermore, interns will work to identify residents who would be a fit for the Coalition’s Community Action Teams (CAT) and record those individual’s personal information so that the Lead Organizers are able to reach out to them at a later time. Interns will also work separately with our Lead Organizers to conduct community member and leader surveys for our Community Mental Health Needs Assessments. Interns will be taught Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles, which is the methodology utilized to create these community assessments. Lastly, interns will work alongside Lead Organizers to identify and interact with local entities (nonprofits, businesses, churches, schools, etc.) that could become members of a program’s Access Network, attend Community Action Team (CAT) meetings, and have a presence at community events, such as farmers markets, food pantries, church events, etc.
 

Research (5-10 hours/weekly)
Interns will independently identify and analyze socio-demographic data for the Coalition’s anticipated Far Southwest Side and Edgewater, Uptown, and Lincoln Square EMHSPs. All relevant data will be documented in the form of a cohesive and comprehensive report. This report will be presented to supervisors at the end of the program and will be utilized by the Coalition in our efforts to create these EMHSPs in the following years.

Compensation:
This internship is part of the Lawrence-Funded internship program. The student selected for this internship will receive a $5k stipend to help cover housing and transportation costs and living expenses. For additional details and to see other Lawrence-Funded opportunities, please visit this webpage. 

Before applying, you must meet with a Career Center staff Ty Collins for a resume review, or your resume must achieve green status in VMOCK.  If your resume does not meet professional expectations, you may be asked to resubmit your resume.  Please make an appointment with the Career Center here on Handshake.

• Once your resume is approved, you will then apply directly in Handshake by March 27th, 2026.

Please ask Michelle Buchinger for more details about how funding works Michelle.m.buchinger@lawrence.edu