Teens In Public Service - Camille Reynaud 

Camille Reynaud - Interview Transcript

I think everybody's just trying to adjust to this new environment. So, everyone's situation is so different, and especially with the nonprofits that we normally work with, so many of them are on the front lines. And so we're seeing how they're having to adjust their programs, and see how they're trying to pivot. We're all trying to pivot, and change, and adjust to the new environment. But, I think, you know, what I realize is just the need has only increased. So the need for extra support has only increased during COVID. And, if we can help our nonprofit partners, even just a little bit, then I think that we are fulfilling our mission that we set out to do.

Teens in Public Service provides paid internships to teenagers over the summer at local nonprofit organizations. And we work with a variety of nonprofit organizations. So anywhere from environmental organizations, arts organizations, social justice organizations, food banks, and youth tutoring programs.

Normally our interns are working in the field, and with lots of our nonprofit organization's clients. And that experience is really valuable, because our interns are really able to interact with members of the community, and they get to see firsthand the impact that they're making on their community. This year, it's gonna be a little bit different. They're gonna be working behind the scenes. So they're gonna be working on marketing projects, and video projects, and fundraising. They're still going to be doing some tutoring, so that will be online via video conference. But I think that the difference this year is that they will be making an impact from within the organization, and they'll be able to see how a non-profit runs, and they'll learn more about the inner workings of what goes on at the office, and how the activities that they're doing really help the organization function.

One of the benefits of TIPS is that we're bringing interns from many different high schools together, and they get to meet their peers, and they get to hear about each other's internships. And they normally do that in person. So we are, one of the challenges is how can we make sure that our online events are still engaging? Luckily there's different conferencing software we can use, and we're planning on having breakout rooms and we're also having mentorship pods this year. So all of our interns will be split up into small groups, and paired with an alumni. So a TIPS alumni mentor, either in college or older. And we're hoping that by doing this, we can still encourage participation, and hopefully they'll still be able to get to know each other in smaller groups.

When we were first looking at what our summer would look like, we were wondering if we were even gonna be able to have these internships, because we were wondering, will teenagers really want to work from home? Or, you know, do digital internships. But we have a youth advisory committee made up of TIPS alumni. And all of them said, "Please continue to offer these opportunities." So much has been canceled. So many opportunities, so many things they were looking forward to, graduations, events with their friends. All of these things have been canceled. And so if they really want these opportunities, and if we're still able to provide that, then I feel like it is our duty, and we need to continue fulfilling our mission and to make sure that we're changing and adapting to the environment.