General Application Questions
Q: What are Grassroot Soccer Interns?
A: GRS interns are typically recent college graduates and young professionals with up to several years post-college employment experience who have a strong passion for youth development through sport (particularly soccer), education and/or global health. GRS interns are hard-working, independent, culturally sensitive, open-minded and responsible people who have demonstrated a desire to make a difference in the greatest public health challenge of our lifetime. Grassroot Soccer Interns play a crucial role in the successful delivery of the GRS program in a number of African countries.
Q: I am about to graduate from high school; can I become a GRS Intern?
A: No. All GRS interns must have graduated college and be at least 21 years old prior to their deployment as interns. A number of our interns come to us having completed graduate degrees and/or having several years post-college employment experience.
Q: I am not an American/Canadian; can I still apply to become an intern?
A: Yes. If you live any place in Africa, please contact Jerome Vencencie at Grassroot Soccer in Cape Town, South Africa, at jvencencie@grassrootsoccer.org to begin the application process. If you are from any other part of the world, please obtain the application documents and instructions from our web site posting under “What You Can Do > Grassroot Soccer Interns.”
Q: What does GRS look for in an intern?
A: Ideal intern candidates are genuinely and wholeheartedly committed to Grassroot Soccer’s mission and methods. These candidates will be creative, courageous, passionate, hard-working, independent, culturally sensitive, open-minded, insightful, intellectually mature and responsible. Additionally, they will possess and demonstrate
-excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
-enthusiasm for and experience with working with young people
-passion for international health, education and/or sport-for-development
-excellent computer skills
-practical leadership experience
-commitment to social justice and genuine desire to make a difference
COMMITMENT AND FUND RAISING
Q: How long is the internship requirement?
A: We expect interns to commit to and to fulfill a full twelve months of volunteer service, beginning August 1st and ending July 31st. Interns are expected to attend a pre departure orientation in Hanover, NH, immediately prior to their departure to Africa.
Q: How much money will I need to support myself for a 12-month internship?
A: We recommend that interns make available approximately $10,000 to support themselves for a full year in Africa. Some interns have gotten by with less; some have spent more, as costs depend on both life style and the location of a specific assignment. While GRS covers the cost of housing and all work related transportation, interns are expected to cover all personal transportation costs to and from pre departure training and to and from Africa, as well as their own living expenses—including food, non-work related local transportation, every day necessities such as food, insurance, entertainment and incidental expenses.
Q: How have other interns raised to funds to support their participation?
A: In the past, interns have raised funds through grants from their colleges and universities, letter writing campaigns, fund raising events (e.g. charity soccer tournaments), on-line fund raising and a number of other methods. Upon your acceptance of a GRS internship offer, GRS will provide information to you to assist with fund raising.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Q: Do all interns have the same roles and responsibilities?
A: No. Interns will be deployed to various sites in southern Africa and each intern will be assigned a specific role to fulfill at his/her site. Placements to sites and jobs will be made based on GRS’ needs–and the intern’s skill and interests– to one of four departments. Those departments and brief descriptions of the work within each department are listed below. Individual placement interviews will be held once the entire intern class has been recruited. Interns will know their initial job sites and jobs by early June.
DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Curriculum & Training Intern. The Curriculum and Training Intern will provide support in the development, revision and production of GRS curriculum and tools for interventions. The Intern will also help to develop effective and efficient systems for preparation, execution and monitoring &evaluation trainings and workshops. Curriculum development work will include close collaboration with training staff to create and refine curriculum and training tools for GRS programs. The Intern will also work with training staff to prepare for, deliver and report on Training of Coaches (ToCs) and Development Courses (DCs) and assist with Coach Support Visits (CSVs.) Interns in this position will work in partnership with all departments to continually improve intervention and training design, delivery and content.
Monitoring & Evaluation Intern. The M & E Intern will focus on keeping GRS programs driven by the latest research by supporting GRS’s monitoring and evaluation efforts across all programs. The Intern will help to ensure high quality programming by assisting with the development and design of monitoring and evaluation tools (quantitative and qualitative) and curricula, supporting the continued development of GRS’s online M & E database (Skillz Scoreboard) and coordinating data collection, collation, analysis and dissemination for all GRS programs.
Operations Intern. The Operations Intern will assist with the technical assistance programming, financial management, proposal and budget writing, project reporting, grant management and administration and will help ensure that GRS is communicating with and representing donors and partners in a timely and effective manner. The Operations Intern will work closely with the Business Development, Research and Development and Finance teams in the preparation, execution, administration and reporting of all grants.
Program Intern. The Program Intern will support local programs to deliver effective interventions, support coaches, organize events, manage finances and collect monitoring and evaluation (M & E) data. This Intern will be responsible for supporting local staff with the planning, execution and evaluation of multiple concurrent projects.
Q: Do GRS interns teach the Grassroot Soccer curriculum to kids?
A: No. Effective HIV prevention programs must be locally driven. While Programs Interns assist with all aspects of program management, kids respond better to local role models who speak their language, share their culture and truly understand their reality. For the most part, none of the GRS expatriate staff are involved in directly teaching kids. Nearly all of the teaching is carried out by local African staff and volunteers. Since students’ English language skills often vary widely across program sites, the curriculum is typically taught in a combination of English and local languages. It would be both ineffective and culturally inappropriate to have expatriates involved in the direct implementation of the curriculum.
Q: As a GRS intern, will I have interaction with kids?
A: This depends largely on the position to which you are assigned as a GRS intern. Programs interns will spend a significant amount of time in the “field,” interacting with both GRS facilitators as well as with participating youth. Many Programs Interns will be required to conduct site visits to evaluate the programs being delivered by GRS staff and volunteers. Programs Interns may also assist in the implementation of events and testing tournaments, in which they work closely with local African staff as well as with kids. Interns in the other departments typically have more office responsibilities, though all interns have the opportunity to visit programs and to interact with local staff as well as with kids, and all are called upon to assist with VCT tournaments.
LOCATION AND PLACEMENT
Q: Do all interns live and work in the same place?
A: No. Placements vary from year to year. For 2011-2012 interns have been assigned to offices in South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe, with potential for several internships to open later in the year in Kenya and Namibia. Additionally, staff and program needs may require that some interns will move to several different sites during their year long internships.
Q: Can I choose the location of my internship?
A: While interns may indicate their preferences for location, GRS makes deployment based first on its program needs as well as on each intern’s skill-set. Generally, current and past interns have been satisfied with their placements.
LOGISTICS
Q: What kind of training will be offered?
A: All incoming interns will be required to attend an orientation in Hanover, NH, immediately prior to departure to Africa at the beginning of August. This orientation focuses on preparing interns for departure, providing an opportunity for the entire intern class to connect and for the group to meet the US-based staff and Board of Directors. The orientation includes an introduction to basic GRS policy and procedures. In addition, all interns will receive site specific introductory training upon their arrival in Africa.
Q: What kind of housing does Grassroot Soccer provide for interns in Africa?
A: Interns stay together (with other interns working at their sites.) Grassroot Soccer provides either a house or an apartment in which interns will be safe and comfortable; there are no host family assignments. All intern housing is provided by Grassroot Soccer.
Q: Am I able to obtain medical insurance through Grassroot Soccer?
A: Interns must be covered by both emergency accident/illness medical insurance and emergency evacuation insurance for the full duration of their terms of service in Africa. Interns must show proof of such insurance—either from their parents’ policies or policies of their own—prior to departure to Africa. Grassroot Soccer will make available for purchase a combination emergency accident/illness medical and emergency services policy. Details will be provided to interns upon their acceptance into the internship program.
Q: Will there be employment opportunities with Grassroot Soccer after my internship is completed?
A: Quite possibly. Though it is impossible to make guarantees, several current full-time staff members began their Grassroot Soccer careers as unpaid, volunteer interns. Jobs will be offered to interested interns depending on the organization’s needs at the time and your skills/qualifications as a potential employee.
Q: Will I be able to play professional soccer as a part of my internship?
A: While most interns do not play professional soccer in Africa, if you are interested in doing so, there may be an opportunity. Please let us know as soon as you start the application process that you are interested in playing for a professional team in Africa so that we may make sure it is a good fit for us, for the soccer club and for you. Building connections to local players and teams adds a great deal of value to our work.
Q: Will there be opportunities to play soccer while working for Grassroot Soccer?
A: Yes! Whether it is in a weekly staff game, a pickup game or, as part of a local futsal team, you will have ample opportunity to play soccer during your internship.
For answers to your questions not included in this document, please send an e-mail to david@grassrootsoccer.org or, feel free to give him a call at 802-649-2900.
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