BUILDING COMMUNITIES BETTER
WELCOME TO THE BCB TEAM
2022 Leadership Internship
THE BCB TEAM
works to improve college access and readiness for students of color. We provide workshops & programs that empower youth and their families to successfully navigate college & career readiness opportunities and to access diversity scholarship funding streams. We work with all demographics engaged in college and career planning. However, we specialize in those resources, partners, and pedagogies that empower students of color.
This summer we are partnering with the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce, UMKC, and several community agencies to help small business owners launch and grow their businesses. We are seeking passionate, creative superstars who are committed to using their skills and creativity to make their community a better place.
LEADERSHIP INTERNSHIP
This summer internship opportunity will be the intersection of 3 pillars:
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Digital workforce development skill building
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Entrepreneurial support & services for small business owners
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Youth leadership development
WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE THIS OPPORTUNITY?
As a participant in our summer project, you will work with community entrepreneurs to design projects that will help them launch or grow their businesses. Many are too small with no staff or time so they can benefit from creative teams working to bring their ideas to life.
Our interns will serve on creative teams that will interview entrepreneurs to learn more about their needs then work as part of teams to design solutions in one amazing, fun, productive summer session. You won’t just be talking about service design, you will be leading teams with others jointly developing solutions which could become real. And as much as we love structured action plans that help businesses grow, doing it is the only real way to learn.
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Whether you are experienced or completely new to the field, you will learn more about service design and a design-based approach to creativity.
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You will pick up lots of new ideas and work practices.
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You will meet a lot of cool people at all levels of experience.
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Your work and ideas will be reviewed by your peers, and presented to the world, where they can be seen by potential customers or employers, or by people who could make them real.
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You will design solutions that may launch or grow real businesses.
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You might get rich and famous.
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You will certainly have a blast.
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Hopefully you’ll start your own business as a freelancer.
Program Participant Description
You are a problem solver. A fixer. A brilliant thinker driven to resolve intricate issues and eager to learn about all aspects of running a business.
We are working with hundreds of businesses across different industries. Some are large established businesses, but many are very small with no staff (microbusinesses). They need lots of help so we work with a host of community partners to provide solutions and training workshops for the public. We value hard work and accountability over everything, which means we require the brightest minds to solve the most complex issues.
This is a learning opportunity so prepare to learn and grow in lots of ways. This role allows you to tackle real business challenges and provide solutions to small business owners, providing you with hands-on experience in multiple functions. Unlike most strategy roles, which necessitate spending time creating pitch decks and making general suggestions, you will get to dive deep into each specific problem and determine how to solve business owners’ biggest challenges. No two problems are ever the same.
If you are interested in solving complex problems while helping Black businesses grow, apply today!
What you will be doing:
Conduct intake interviews to determine business needs
Conduct your own research and analysis to find creative solutions with real business impact.
Execute assignments aiming to improve the efficiency of different business functions, such as Operations, Customer Engagement, Marketing, and more.
What you will NOT be doing:
Light clerical duties or answering phones all day
Provide high-level insights and recommendations - we want implementers, not consultants.
Develop theoretical scenarios and try to sell potential insights to management - you will work on real business problems with real solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
Interview the business owners (social skills)
Gain an understanding of their pain points /business needs (analytical skills)
Represent and share their needs with the team (public speaking skills)
Work as a member of functional teams to provide business support services (team building skills)
Design potential solutions that solve the most complex issues facing the small business (critical thinking skills)
Candidate Requirements
Interest in solving real-world problems across a broad range of functions
Creative Content - seeking those with creativity, graphic design and digital skills to work on digital & multimedia projects including website design, Tik Tok, social media posts, flyer design, presentations, etc.
Public Relations/Marketing - seeking those with strong writing skills and a flair for capturing & telling others’ stories to engage new audiences and better connect with clients
Administrative Project Coordinators - seeking those with attention to detail to plan & coordinate meeting and workshop logistics, and preparational details involved in client meetings
Analytic Number Crunchers - seeking those with a knack for analysis to do data entry, fiscal reporting, website analytics, research and analysis projects
Tech stars - seeking those who are great with A/V and tech support as we host virtual trainings and meetings where participants may need coaching and support to access & operate virtual participation
Event Planning - seeking those with attention to detail to plan and coordinate workshops for students, business owners, community leaders, and organizational partners (must have track record of following through)
Client Engagement - must be outgoing and unafraid to engage small business owners to determine what types of support will help their business grow, may also work to identify community businesses for programs offered
