July 19, 2013
The Morristown Neighborhood House helps working families, many of them including new immigrants, “maximize their educational, social, physical, and economic potential.” Turns out, one of the services they provide is especially important to Thomas Friedman of the New York Times.
In a recent column, Friedman argues that, “[i]nternships are increasingly important today…because skills are increasingly important in the new economy and because colleges increasingly don’t teach the ones employers are looking for. Experience, rather than a degree, has become an important proxy for skill.”
Click here for Friedman’s full article, “The Internship: Not the Movie.”
So what is the Neighborhood House doing about this? The organization’s Tutoring and Mentoring Program has a unique focus, providing paid, summer internships to high-achieving teenagers who agree to tutor elementary school students who are also part of the Neighborhood House’s programming. In this model, the teens aren’t just interns, but also mentors.
Whether at local real estate or law firms, or at Morristown Medical Center like one recent teen, the interns gain valuable, real-world experience that boosts the resume and helps prepare them for future education and/or employment.
The Morristown Neighborhood House is currently raising funds to continue this effective program. Contact CFNJ to support the Neighborhood House’s Tutor and Mentoring Program.