Call for Applications: Public Fellowship with Santa Cruz Poetry Project 2024-2025

Educational Programs Assistant

Application Deadline: April 21, 2024

The Humanities Division is excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for Humanities undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with The Santa Cruz Poetry Project, a non-profit organization bringing poetry classes to the local Santa Cruz jails. Internships connect Humanities majors and minors to projects in the community, with the aim of mutually benefiting students and organizations. Students gain practical experience, professional training, and learn about positions outside of the university that build on their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, community organizations benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise. 

 About Santa Cruz Poetry Project  

The Santa Cruz Poetry Project provides weekly writing and poetry workshops to incarcerated men and women in the Santa Cruz County Jails. A weekly class at the downtown branch of the Santa Cruz County library is also offered to the local community, and provides a setting for released students to continue their studies. The mission of the Poetry Project is to foster creativity and self-expression, giving participants an opportunity to address personal challenges through the experience of poems and stories. The skills learned in this setting can be life-changing, especially for those trying to successfully reintegrate into their communities after incarceration. 

In addition to the Santa Cruz library class, our volunteers currently offer a combined total of  five weekly “Power in Poetry,”  classes at four facilities: Main Maximum Security and Blaine Street Women’s Minimum Security facilities in downtown Santa Cruz; and Rountree Medium Security and Rehabilitation and Re-Entry Minimum Security facilities in Watsonville.   Our classes give students the opportunity to read and discuss poems by published authors, and most importantly, to write and share their own poetry.  The Project has published 13 anthologies of our student poems, many of which are available at the Santa Cruz and Watsonville Public Libraries.  The latest anthology was released in the fall of 2023. Watch a video “in the classroom” to see what it’s like!  “Power in Poetry” also facilitates poetry jams for our students which allow them to  present their original poems to jail staff, local poets, and unit mates. Check out this video from Power In Poetry 2023.

Position Description: 

The Project is seeking two interns to support our “Power in Poetry”   jail classes and assist with the preparation of student anthologies.  Interns will spend the first quarter learning, observing, and shadowing experienced volunteers, and the second co-teaching the class with a volunteer.  Jail classes may consist of a maximum of 12 students, but the number of students may vary from week to week, generally falling in the 6-8 person range.  Interns must be cleared for entrance to the jails pursuant to Santa Cruz County Jail procedures, described in more detail below. Interns may also assist with library classes without going through the clearance procedure. Off-jail site tasks will  include assisting with the preparation of lesson plans, poetry anthologies, and poetry jams. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Co-Teaching (70-75%%): Attend 2-3  classes per week in person, which meet for 90 minutes as follows:

Main Jail Men’s Class                        Saturday,   1-  2:30 p.m.

Main Jail Women’s Class                   Saturday,   3 -  4:30 p.m.

Blaine Street Women’s Class             Monday,     10 - 11:30 a.m.

Men’s Rehab and Re-entry Class       Thursday,    10 - 11:30 p.m.

Men’s Rountree Class                       Thursday    12:15 - 1:45 p.m.

Downtown Library Class                   Monday       4:00- 5:30 p.m.

During the fall quarter you will be shadowing, learning, and assisting. In the winter, you will co-teach a class with a Poetry Project volunteer. 

Prepare materials (25-30%): Assist with the preparation of lesson plans, anthologies, and jams. Support will be provided! The intern will be encouraged to make their own lesson plans, according to poetry they like and wish to teach!   

Attend meetings of Poetry Volunteers held approximately monthly in Santa Cruz (optional but preferred.) .

You’re an ideal candidate if: 

• You are a declared major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division, and you are in good academic standing. If you are currently proposed, you are able to declare by the end of the academic year in June. [required] 
• You can commit to keeping multi-hour windows available on Mondays, Thursdays and/or Saturdays. [required] 
• You have a fondness for and some familiarity with poetry.   
• You are comfortable teaching a group of students who may vary from week to week. 
• You are open-minded and willing to engage with incarcerated men and women. (Preferences for male or female students can be accommodated.) 
• You have an interest in teaching. 
  • Prior teaching experience is not required, but we are seeking students who have some experience with public speaking, including presenting or talking in front of groups.

Internship Term: Fall Quarter 2024–Winter Quarter 2025. 

Compensation: $20/hour 

# Positions Available: 2

Location: Classes are in-person at the Santa Cruz County jail and library facilities below:

• The Rountree Medium Security and Rehabilitation and Re-Entry Minimum Security facilities are located at 90 Rountree Lane,  Watsonville, 95076 (Buena Vista exit off Highway 1.)
• Main Jail, 259 Water St., Santa Cruz, 95060.
• Blaine Street Women - 141 Blaine St. (off Ocean St.), Santa Cruz, 95060.
• The Santa Cruz County Library, downtown branch, 224 Church St. 95060.

Hours: 10 hours/week – To satisfy hour requirements, interns should start with at least two classes. 

• Currently morning and afternoon classes are taught on THURSDAYS in Watsonville so you can do two classes in one day if that works. 

Transportation Note: transportation is taken into account with your compensation. Students can book a ZipCar through the Humanities Division, take public transportation, or drive their own vehicle. Carpools with a Poetry Project Volunteer Teacher may be available to Watsonville jail facilities when feasible. 

Reports to: Renee Winter will supervise the interns. Renee has been a volunteer teacher since 2016 and has been the Director of The Poetry Project.   Volunteer teachers assigned to the class the intern is observing or co-teaching will also have a supervisory role.

Clearance Process:  Successful candidates must satisfy the clearance requirements of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff Office rules before they are allowed into the jail classrooms. Clearance requires the completion of: 

1. Corrections Access Application & Agreement, & Liability Waiver 
2. Live Scan (fingerprinting) Note: The Project will reimburse interns for cost of Live Scan 
3. Attendance of Corrections Office Training Session, offered by the Sheriff’s office once each month.
4. Tour of Jail Facilities with Jail Program Staff

Interns are encouraged to complete the above as soon as possible after being hired  so as not to delay the start of jail class participation.

How To Apply

Apply by submitting your resume and a short cover letter (no more than one page) answering these questions: Why this job? Why you? Why now? 

• REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure that you are a strong candidate! 

Timeline: Once the application window closes on Sunday April 28 there will be a virtual interview process with top candidates from May 2- May 10. Interns will be selected by June 14th. This position does not begin until Week 1 of Fall Quarter 2024 (September 30, 2024).  

APPLY NOW

Please contact Experiential Learning Coordinator Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.

This undergraduate internship is generously supported by The Mellon Foundation.