Internships

This program was developed to help promote respect and understanding for the diverse cultural groups of Chattanooga. They seek to encourage discriminatory practices by providing resources for minority owned businesses, working to promote goodwill among the people of Chattanooga, being a presence in the community, and by serving as a liaison for minorities on behalf of the Mayor and City Council.

Phone: (423) 643-6702
Email: oma@chattanooga.gov
Website: www.chattanooga.gov/multicultural-affairs

This organization was put together to support city programs that focus on women and to provide research and guidance that inform the city on relevant issues involving women. They prioritize six main areas- economic opportunity, education, health, justice, history, and leadership.

Email: councilforwomen@chattanooga.gov
Website: http://connect.chattanooga.gov/councilforwomen

La Paz is an organization that is seeking to help empower the Latino community. There are many volunteer opportunities such as helping with translations, child care, and special event volunteering. They also have opportunities for internships within their administration.

Phone: (423) 624-8414
Website: www.lapazchattanooga.org

This organization helps refugees rebuild their lives by giving them opportunities to grow within America. They do this through teaching them English, finding employment opportunities for them, and by community engagement. They have opportunities for both internships and volunteering/service learning.

Phone: (423) 954-1911
Website: www.bridgerefugees.org

This organization sets out to reduce the number of homeless families by transitioning them to stability, employment, and housing. They also make sure to follow up on the families and they teach them how to be self-sufficient.

Phone: (423) 756-3891
Website: www.familypromisechattanooga.com

This organization is a homeless ministry that specifically helps women and children better their lives. They offer temporary homes while providing programs and services necessary to meet their goals. They have many opportunities for volunteers such as food prep, child care, and office volunteers.

Phone: (423) 624-6061
Email: info@chattanoogarommintheinn.com
Website: www.chattanoogaroomintheinn.com

Community Kitchen is an organization that has set out to feed the homeless people of Chattanooga. They also have a day center where the homeless can come in for various things such as showers, clothing, and a warm place to rest. They try to help the homeless with anything they can think of, such as helping them get a job or by getting the help they need for mental illness and other disabilities. There are many volunteer opportunities within the Community Kitchen: day care, helping out at the welcome center, helping with the clothing program, food service program, and outreach programs to name a few.

Phone: (423) 756-4222
Email: volunteer@homelesschattanooga.org
Website: www.homelesschattanooga.org

This organization is an Adventist run organization that seeks to better relations with Muslims in America. They focus on education and breaking down barriers to gain friendships. They do this by having interfaith events, encouraging conversation and engagement, and networking with existing centers of faith and understanding. There is ways to get involved working with refugees in the community or by getting involved with the Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) here on campus.

Website: www.amfa4interfaith.com
For more information on how to get involved, go to www.amfa4interfaith.com/contact.html
To get involved with APF on campus, contact Eunice Gomez-Mora at egomez@southern.edu

This is a Seventh-Day Adventist elementary school in Chattanooga that focuses on serving the church and their community. They do many mission and community service projects that teach their students the importance of serving others.

Phone: (423) 698-5028 
Website: www.avondale22.adventistschoolconnect.org

The LWV is an organization that started in 1920 to help women vote. They present unbiased information about elections and the candidates running for office. They also advocate for or against particular policies in the interest of the public.

For more information on the LWV in Chattanooga, contact Lisa Bilbrey Hyder at lisahyder@southern.edu. 

Website: http://lwvchattanooga.wordpress.com
Email: lwvchatt@gmail.com

This organization works with students, teachers, and parents to help better the education system in the community. They do this by identifying the change that is needed, and work with one another, the school system, and the elected officials to try to get that change to happen. They wish to ensure that there are great teachers in every classroom, equal opportunities between all students, and by prioritizing funding for public schools. They have many volunteer opportunities within the program and also outside of the program where you can contact government officials to help out the school system.

Phone: (423) 991-7790
Website: www.unifi-ed.org

This organization does many things within Chattanooga to help make it a better place. They help support nonprofit organizations within the community. They do this by collecting donations and distributing them based on what the donor wishes them to do. They are considered the intersection between ideas and action, needs and resources, and donors and nonprofits.

Phone: (423) 265-0586
Website: www.cfgc.org

This organization is focused on helping those who are being abused or who are in a dangerous situation. They offer assistance in finding a safe place for those in need as well as for their children and pets, they provide education and awareness on domestic violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking, and they offer many other services for those who are in need.

Phone: (423) 643-7600
Website: www.connect.chattanooga.gov/fjc

This program is set in place to help people who have been in prison get a second chance at life. They help freed prisoners reestablish their life. They also help them with homelessness, substance abuse, illiteracy, and unemployment. There are many volunteer programs within this organization; such as writing letters to prisoners and other things. To be a volunteer you have to become a member of the Yellow Ribbon Committee.

Phone: (423) 266-1888
Email: ingo@chattanoogaendeavors.com
Website: www.chattanoogaendeavors.com

This organization works to provide an affirming environment by using in-house physical and mental health support groups and tailored programming that is informational, educational, social, and recreational for the LGBTQ community and their families. They also provide community outreach programs that help people with acceptance and help give an understanding about diversity.

Phone: (423) 521-0093
Email: contactndc@noogadiversitycenter.net
Website: www.noogadiversitycenter.net

This a museum that explores the unique history of African Americans in Chattanooga and what they experienced. They give the history from the Antebellum period all the way up to the Cold War. They also have a history of what life was like in Africa before they came to America. They are also connected to the Bessie Smith Cultural Center (BSCC) which is an educational institute and a venue used for various purposes. The BSCC has many opportunities for volunteer work and for internships.

Phone Numbers

• African Heritage Museum: (423) 266-8658
• Bessie Smith Cultural Center: (423) 266-2658

Email: info@bessiesmithcc.org
Website: www.bessiesmithcc.org

Big Brother, Big Sister is an organization that is working to help better the lives of children all over the United States. They have a chapter in Chattanooga that works with the kids to help them see their potential by setting them up with people who will have a one-on-one relationship with the kids and who will support them. There are many ways to get involved with this organization. One way is to become a big brother or a big sister to a kid who needs it. There are also other volunteer within this organization.

Phone: (423) 664-8639
Website: www.bbbschatt.org

The city of Chattanooga offers these youth and family centers as a way to better the lives of the citizens through education, recreation, social services, leadership, and career development. There are 18 different youth and family centers that the city of Chattanooga offers. Contact them for more information on volunteer and internship opportunities.

Phone: (423) 643-6400
Website: www.chattanooga.gov/youthandfamily

This is an art museum in downtown Chattanooga that sits on a hill overlooking the river. This museum focuses on American art from the colonial period until now. It has been around since 1952 and has been working together with many museums in the area since the 1990s to early 2000s. There are some opportunities to get involved with the Hunter Museum of Art, some opportunities within their education department and other opportunities to work with their summer camp.

Phone: (423) 752-2053
Website: http://www.huntermuseum.org/volunteer-internships

Internships in a variety of areas, suitable to both history and international development majors.

Website: https://www.dcinternships.org

This program gives students an opportunity to spend a semester in Nashville working with the Tennessee General Assembly.

Website: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/joint/staff/administration/intern.html

This is an organization that works out of Ooltewah, Tennessee.

Website: http://childimpact.org

This site is continually updated with new and local places for people to do occasional volunteer work or get involved on a more permanent basis.  These links will be useful to those seeking both internships and less formal practicum / volunteer work. This will be of interest to both History and international development majors.

Website: http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/orgs.jsp?r=msa&l=Chattanooga%2C+TN+37450%2C+USA

This internship is in Washington D.C., and there are several available. These include the areas of museum management, curatorial projects, archival science, exhibition design, and public history programs. There are also specific internship opportunities here for women and Latinxs.

Website: http://americanhistory.si.edu/getinvolved/internship

This is President Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville. Several internships are available.

Website: http://thehermitage.com/about/internships/

Adventist Development and Relief Agency internships and volunteer opportunities will be of interest to all majors in our department.

Website: http://adra.org/make-a-difference/join-our-team/intern-volunteer/

This is an NGO that works in 165 countries and trains communities, farmers, and development workers in sustainable agriculture. This link is to the internship page, but you can navigate through the site for the "careers" link as well.

Website: http://www.echonet.org/internship