Interns 4 Good

Internships for teens, any time or any place

Background Information

Ellie Zimmerman, a high school junior from New York, spent several summers studying graphic design, yet, when she tried to get a job that would allow her to use her skills, she was either too young or did not have the right experience. Ellie’s friends all had the same problem… talented video producers, photographers, and website builders all looking for a way to build a portfolio. In the Spring of 2019, Ellie came up with a solution. While attending Alzar School, Ellie developed Interns 4 Good (http://interns4good.org/) as a part of her Culminating Leadership Project. Interns 4 Good places ambitious teens into exciting virtual internships. As a high schooler herself, Ellie understood that a lack of transportation and busy schedules can often get in the way of teens giving back. So, she created internships that are virtual, volunteer any time, from any place. And what’s more? Interns will be giving back to a worthy cause while also building their resumes and fulfilling community service hours.

Implementation of Project

Interns 4-Good was not built into the powerful platform is its today overnight. After her semester at Alzar School in the spring of 2019, Ellie quickly recognized that she was going to need help implementing her idea. “Communicating with students, parents, schools and nonprofits was becoming too much for me to handle on top of my school work. I was receiving over 100 emails a day and knew I had to delegate.” Drawing on her leadership experience on Alzar School expeditions, Ellie set out to recruit a team of high school students to form a Leadership Circle to which she could delegate tasks. Within three days of reaching out to the Interns 4-Good volunteers, Ellie had chosen a handful of exceptional students from across the country to help her lead the organization. “It was amazing!” Ellie recalls. “Dozens of complete strangers raised their hands, offering to do whatever it takes to scale Interns 4-Good. I feel so lucky to be working with such talented, hardworking volunteers.” Nowadays, members of the Leadership Team have specialized tasks and objectives, communicate regularly using Slack, and meet every Sunday over Zoom to discuss current and upcoming projects for Interns 4-Good.

Results of Project

Today, Ellie and her Interns 4-Good team have helped connect thousands talented highschool volunteers from all across the country. Teen volunteers offer talents in programming, website design, writing, photo editing, enhancing social media and more. Interns 4-Good helps support a wide range of nonprofits serving causes such as underprivileged youth, environmental conservation and animal rights. “We have about 20 core partner organizations,” Ellie describes. Recent organization partnerships with Efforts in Youth Development of Bangladesh, Interverse Educational Group, ENGin, and others have enabled Interns 4-Good to expand, coupling over 400 new teen interns with volunteer opportunities. Ellie points out a project that has proved especially meaningful with She’s My Daughter, an organization dedicated to winning the battle against sex trafficking. “Our interns are using their graphic design, marketing, and video editing skills to grow the organization’s apparel branch called #weebeefree which works to promote fashion as a megaphone for muted voices.” Interns 4-Good volunteers are also using their artistic talents to engage in social activism, help raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement and stand in opposition to police brutality and racial injustice.  

What’s Next

Ellie and her team at Interns 4-Good are actively working to meet the increasing willingness needs of young volunteers and non-profit organizations.

In just over a year after launching Interns 4-Good, Ellie has touched thousands of lives. She took the leadership skills she gained at Alzar School and directly applied them to a passion, creating a revolutionary platform. Building a Leadership Circle of other motivated youth, she has delegated and drawn upon their talents to expand Interns 4-Good and the positive impact it has for both youth and worthy causes. Ellie’s inspiring vision and resilience has helped her adapt to and flourish in light of COVID-19. We could not be more proud of her leadership and the positive impact she is making through Interns 4-Good. Be sure to check out the Interns 4-Good webpage for the most recent updates and ways to get involved.

“With my leadership skills, I am going to expand Interns 4 Good so that it can benefit as many people as possible.” – Ellie Zimmerman