Local Internship Available

Local Internship Available with ACA-VMC Available This Spring 2014

The Affordable Care Act Volunteers of Monroe County (ACAVMC) are seeking students interested in assisting people navigate the new health care laws and doing logistical work in reaching targeted audiences. Interns will be instrumental in helping reach thousands of uninsured residents of Monroe County. For the estimated 15,000 uninsured in Monroe County, obtaining health insurance could be a life saver. At the least, it will improve the health and financial situation of many individuals and families.  

The ACA Volunteers of Monroe County (ACAVMC) is a non-profit corporation chartered in Indiana that is dedicated to providing educational assistance to residents on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) law.  The ACAVMC takes no political position on the new law, but instead helps local community members understand its mechanics and how to obtain benefits from the law’s provisions.  To date, the ACAVMC has conducted six health insurance community fairs, organized and moderated two health plan comparison forums, provided outreach to the Latino community at a community health fair, conducted call-out meetings, trained over 50 volunteers and reached out to the community through print, radio and TV media.

Interns working with ACAVMC will gain valuable experience in a wide range of community and organizational change efforts.  Opportunities include community organizing, learning how non-profits operate, conducting organizational assessment, determining impact, developing effective marketing and outreach, as well as developing educational strategies at the local level.  Various responsibilities interns may undertake include: collaboration and outreach (with a variety of social service agencies, health care agencies, employers, faith based organizations, etc.); providing one-on-one assistance to the public at health insurance community fairs; speaking engagements; publicity; staffing public information tables; posting informational flyers; canvassing neighborhoods to reach underserved residents; assist in furthering social media outreach; assist in planning public outreach events; and assist in collecting data and evaluation of the organization’s efforts. Student interns would be encouraged to contribute ideas to the organization, such as about how to deliver effective assistance to hard-to-reach populations including graduate students and non-traditional students as well as where to hold events. Campus events, for instance, are encouraged.  Because we are a small organization, interns can have a large impact on what the organization does and how we do it. 

This experience could meet the needs of a semester internship in a variety of disciplines/majors.  Due to lack of funding, all internships are unpaid.  Interns will work between 10-20 hours per week under the oversight and with support from Donyel Byrd, MSW, LCSW, Outreach Coordinator Volunteer with the ACAVMC (also Associate Faculty with the Indiana University School of Social Work) and David Meyer, ACAVMC President. 

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Donyel Byrd has extensive experience in delivering social services in Bloomington and surrounding communities.  Ms. Byrd has worked in the areas of child welfare, public schools, a variety of community advocacy efforts, and as an Associate Faculty at the collegiate level.  Ms. Byrd has been a Field Instructor to countless students in internships/practicum placements for 19 years.  She currently teaches a senior level undergraduate social work course in community organizing.

David Meyer has over 20 years of management expertise. He is a certified expert in IT efficiency best practices and managed teams of 1-20 professionals that maintained critical web and database systems. Mr. Meyer has mentored many junior staff through the years. His 33 years working professionally was in Washington, DC where is last position was as an expert advisor to the director of the multi-billion dollar US EPA central IT division.  He has a keen interest in social work and community-building and he brings a structured yet in innovative approach to meeting vexing challenges.  Mr. Meyer is also a board member of a local restorative justice organization, a keen writer and a frequent contributor to all local news media. 

For more information about the organization, please see www.acavmc.org  Contact Donyel Byrd (Email: donyel.byrd@gmail.com  Phone: 812-322-2340) or Dave Meyer (Email: dwmeyerva@gmail.com Phone: 812-345-9124) to discuss this opportunity. Potential interns will interview with Mr. Meyer and Ms. Byrd to determine goodness of fit with the organization.