Q & As for Northern Virginia Faith and Secular Communities and their Members Who Are Interested in Being Intern Coaches

These questions and answers address how our faith and secular communities can support Harraseeket’s Pathways Internship Program for underserved Northern Virginia high school students.

The program, described on this page, is offered to members of our Pathways communities in collaboration with our partners Communities in Schools of Northern Virginia and Fairfax County Public Schools’ MentorWorks and Work-Based Learning Programs.

Harraseeket’s role involves:

1. Offering stipends to students to allow them to take unpaid internships. Studies show that financial support levels the playing field for students who cannot afford to take unpaid internships.

2. Recruiting members of local worship communities and secular communities to act as “intern coaches” to mentor the students as they look for, apply to, and prepare for internships.

3. Seeking employers near the high schools we support to offer internships. We currently are looking to offer internships to students at Herndon High School, South Lakes High School, Wakefield High School and Alexandria City High School.

After you review this,  tell us if you’re interested and would like to learn more.

What is Harraseeket?

 The Harraseeket Foundation (pronounced “hair-a-SEEK-it”) is a Northern Virginia 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports “Pathways” programs to make it easier for Northern Virginia faith and secular communities to help young people imagine their future, and act on what they imagine. These programs reach youth and young adults inside and outside their communities, including underserved and economically disadvantaged high school students.

How do internships play a role in Harraseeket’s mission?

Pathways programs encourage intergenerational connection and experiences. Part of that involves a “design thinking” approach to trying new things. Internships have always been a great source of that, but they have tended historically to favor students with means to take unpaid internships. The Pathways Internship Program seeks to level the playing field by opening up opportunities for underserved students to experience internships.

Where is Harraseeket supporting internships?

Harraseeket was chosen by Fairfax County Public Schools to support underserved high school Fairfax County students with stipends and mentoring so they can succeed in unpaid internships. The initial focus is on Herndon High School students.

Harraseeket also has been working with Communities in Schools since 2020 to offer internships to underserved high school students at Wakefield High School in Arlington and Alexandria City High School.

What kinds of internships are they?

The Q&As linked here describe the types of internships involved. We describe them as “shadowing heavy,” or “internship light” – short, after school opportunities with a wide variety of employers, from small to large companies, nonprofits, trades and retail establishments. The goal is to offer internships that help underserved students imagine a broader future.  

So how does a mentoring community fit into this?

We’re looking for adult members, including young adults, of Northern Virginia faith and secular communities (businesses and nonprofits) to help students find, apply for, prepare for and succeed in internships. We call these community members “intern coaches,” who act as mentors to the students as they find, apply to, prepare for and succeed in their internships.  

Why recruit faith communities and secular communities to provide coaches? Why not just recruit individuals to coach interns?

Harraseeket believes that “communities of mentors” better support and reinforce each other as they undertake their mission of supporting underserved youth. People working together in shared mission can generate enthusiasm and mutual commitment, and support, during the inevitable challenges of mentoring underserved youth. Communities of mentors also create opportunities for sharing best practices and lessons learned. 

What type of qualifications, experience and skills do community intern coaches need to have? 

As to qualifications: Coaches need to meet basic eligibility requirements, which involves typical screening, background checks and fingerprinting required of public school mentors. 

As to experience: no prior mentoring or any other experience is required. Just good listening skills, and a commitment to a student to help them through the internship process.

As to skills: Two-three hours of training is provided, and ongoing guidance is offered. Harraseeket also supports communities in offering opportunities for the intern coaches to meet together in small groups to learn from and with each other.

What kind of activities is an intern coach engaged in? 

An intern coach helps a student find, apply for, prepare for and succeed in an internship. Harraseeket is creating a directory of internship employers that coaches and students can use, but they also are welcome to look together for other opportunities.

We expect most meetings between intern coach and student to be by phone, email, text and video conference, but we also encourage in-person meetings when schedules permit. 

What kind of time commitment is involved for mentors?

The time commitment will vary, but we generally expect a four month process from looking for an internship to completing the internship. The time during that four months will vary depending on the student, but an hour a week might be appropriate.

As to the four month time frame: As with many mentoring relationships, we hope that the coach and intern continue to stay connected afterwards.  

How are students and coaches matched?

Harraseeket will work with each community to look for the best way to match coaches with students, with input from our partners Fairfax County Public Schools and Communities in Schools.

Who should a faith/secular community contact if you are interested in learning more?

If you are a faith or secular community with members who might like to be intern coaches, and have questions or would like to chat, please reach out to us! Contact Steve Parker at  steve.parker@harraseeketfoundation.org