Intern Perspective by Jessica Shultz

Over this past summer I had the opportunity to intern with Free Arts Minnesota. As I walked into the office for the first time I saw children’s art adorning every wall, a bench stacked with art supplies, an excited potential volunteer getting interviewed, and I knew I was in the right place. The internship provided a great balance of assigned tasks and opportunities to head up a project and run with it! I was able to dip my fingers in everything from office administration and organizing the enormous art supply closets to researching and implementing a blogging development and outreach project. Additionally, there were a number of fun events I was able to help with including a Walker Open Field Day and a ‘festival of the arts’ Free Arts Day. Monthly intern meetings were held in which we were able to have a discussion and ask questions about a topic of our choice including a resume building meeting. The Free Arts staff was friendly, supportive, and endlessly energetic and enthusiastic!

Throughout the course of the summer I was also involved in the weekly mentorship program at Northside Community Center working with the teen group and headed up by Esther, one of the incredible staff members at Free Arts. The mentorship ended up being the highlight of the summer for me; the kids were amazingly talented and left me filled with energy after every session! It also made me even more committed to the work we did in the office in making sure the mentorship program is available for even more kids.

Though the internship is now over, I am endlessly grateful for the experiences I gained, the support of the Free Arts Staff and the other interns, and the great introduction I had to mentoring with the Northside teens.  I am continuing with the weekly mentorship at a new location and am excited about the projects we have lined up for the year! I strongly encourage everyone to get involved with Free Arts whether it is a one time event volunteer opportunity, the weekly mentorship, or interning in the office—you won’t regret it and you’ll probably become a lifelong Free Arts supporter like me!