POSITION OVERVIEW
The Urban Resource Center is seeking undergraduate and graduate college students interested in exploring the field of teaching to intern at the Economic Empowerment Program’s Fab Lab and support the Summer Program for High School Youth.
The Urban Resource Institute’s Economic Empowerment Program launched a Fab Lab in 2021, a digital fabrication lab for children, youth, and adults to play, create, learn, mentor, and invent. The original Fab Lab program was created with a grant from the National Science Foundation, which now has over 1800 Fab Labs world-wide.
The goal of the Economic Empowerment Center’s Fab Lab is to support homeless youth, including youth survivors of domestic violence, in their healing process through using technology and creativity as a basis for stability and growth. This lab’s intention is to inspire careers in STEM through students’ hands-on experience with digital fabrication tools- a field that has historically been less available to the communities that URI serves. The Teaching Intern will report directly to the Fab Lab Program Manager, will assist with the Lab’s Summer Program work directly with the youth clients on the innovative curriculum centered around product design within a design thinking model and support the physical operations of the Fab Lab. The program will be a cohort of approximately 15 students who will develop individual projects during the 6-week program.
Hourly Rate: $18.85
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support and contribute to the Fab Lab curriculum for high school aged youth with a trauma-informed lens.
- Assist in leading classroom instruction of STEM activities designed around digital fabrication, career pathways, and technology workshops, including lessons for 1:1 support of clients.
- Facilitate on a STEM curriculum utilizing the materials within the Fab Lab to be taught to high school students living in URI’s shelter systems, which include a trauma-informed approach.
- Support in providing specific instruction on fabrication devices (laser cutters, 3D printers, etc.) to increase the throughput of student projects in a classroom setting.
- Participate in training seminars conducted to enhance awareness of the client’s needs.
- Assist with field trips to museums and design studios to locations throughout New York.
- Assist in completion of self- evaluations and program assessments for success for the program.
- Assist in ensuring adherence to safe and effective use of the fabrication devices, monitor and maintain optimal safety conditions, maintain equipment, and manage supplies and inventory.
- Assist with daily set-up and breakdown of classroom lab space, including securing and organizing the appropriate materials.
- Attend meetings, as required, which are focused on relevant Fab Lab Program issues.
- Other duties as requested based on department, program and/or organizational needs.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES
- Must have completed at least one year of college by June 1, 2024
- Maintain or have graduated with at least a 3.0 G.P.A.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- Must be able to make a full commitment to all days of the internship schedule.
- Ability to be flexible and adaptive and adjust to changing priorities and conditions to keep the program flowing.
- Some relevant experience collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse team, maintaining a healthy work environment for staff that encourages professionalism, respect, equality, diversity and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated commitment to education and youth empowerment is a requirement. Interest in the maker movement and community development is a plus.
- Interest in understanding of how trauma impacts youth and ability to integrate that understanding into curriculum and facilitation style.
- Demonstrated sensitivity and experience with and/or knowledge of domestic violence within and against disenfranchised communities including individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or HIV-affected, the elderly and individuals with mental health issues.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice including a focus on self-awareness and engagement of continuous learning around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- The ideal candidate for this position will be creative, collaborative, demonstrate critical thinking, be coachable, able to share their knowledge with others in a team environment, be comfortable with ambiguity, works with persistence, has excellent time management, excellent interpersonal skills as well as written and oral communication skills.
- Proficiency in at least one of the following 2D CAD packages is required: LibreCAD, FreeCAD, Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator
- Proficiency in at least one of the following 3D CAD packages is preferred: Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Rhinoceros, Onshape
- Expert user of fabrication equipment such as vinyl printer/cutter, 3D printer, CNC mill, laser cutter and other related equipment.
- Proficiency in common the desktop applications of the Microsoft Office Suite.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus, but not required.
- Full-time position, Seasonal starting on 6/24/2024 and ending on 8/16/2024. This includes a total of 40 working days of internship (Monday-Friday) which encompasses 10 days of training and orientation and 30 days of instruction time with students.
- Position requires a State Central Register (SCR) check and a Criminal Background Check (CBC)
Interested candidates may forward a copy of their resume and cover letter to John Jefferys jjefferys@urinyc.org for consideration with the subject line: FAB LAB SUMMER TEACHING INTERN.
Urban Resource Institute provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Qualifications
Education
Required
Some college or better.
