Youth Action Team Internship and Fellowship
Year One: Youth Action Team Internship
The Youth Action Team Internship empowers female-identifying Catholic high school juniors and seniors to act for social change in their local communities. Through faith-based community organizing workshops, this internship builds interns’ confidence in their identities, nurtures unique leadership gifts, and teaches interns to strategically build movements for social change. Through intern-centered formation, workshops, and diverse spiritual practices, we cultivate a deep sense of agency and solidarity, ensuring that each intern leaves the program knowing they are powerful and capable of creating positive social change.
INTERNSHIP BENEFITS
Community
Spiritual
Formation
Leadership Development
Social Change
Empowerment
Service
Hours
OUR PROCESS
The Youth Action Team Internship is a two-part process spanning over an academic year.
Part One: Becoming a Community Organizer
September to December
Interns receive weekly intern-centered workshops designed to help become faith-based community organizers!
Sample Schedule
Weeks 1-3: Identity Development
Week 4: Storytelling
Weeks 5-8: Listening and Communication Skills
Weeks 9-12: Listening Campaign
Weeks 13-14: Community Relationship Building
Part Two: Building a Movement for Social Change
January to May
Interns launch a social movement to address the justice issues of immigration, housing, healthcare. Through planning, storytelling, and direct action, they mobilize their communities, raise awareness, and advocate for tangible change.
Year Two: Youth Action Team Fellowship
After successfully completing the first-year internship, rising seniors are invited to return for a fellowship during their senior year. The fellowship invites participants to step into leadership by doing further listening, working directly with community partners to address policy, and shaping the direction of movements. The first half of the year, the fellowship is completed just with fellows, the second half they will join the first years and collaborate on movement building.
Past Movements
2025-2026: Thriving Together
Thriving Together: Care, Community, and Creation
Interns and fellows continued to share powerful stories related to housing, healthcare, and immigration. They brought their organizing training to the broader community through the IPJC assembly, participated in research meetings with council members to ask critical questions on these issues, and planned and executed a town hall. They then planned and led the Way of Sorrow event, where they testified to the real impacts of these issues on their lives and communities, centered in faith.
YATI interns and fellows engage in Conversations in the Spirit at the IPJC Community Assembly.
2024-2025: Immigration Justice Campaign
Immigration Justice Campaign
Rooted in their personal experiences and a commitment to justice, the interns launched a campaign advocating for immigrant rights and dignity. They organized a popular education event featuring a panel of immigrant leaders, issued clear calls to action for systemic change, and shared powerful personal testimonies during the Way of Sorrow event. Their efforts invited their community to deepen its commitment to immigrant justice in faith and practice.
YATI leader reads her public narrative at the Way of Sorrow event at Seattle University.
2023-2024: Mental Health Campaign
Mental Health Campaign
The interns built a mental health campaign asking for the implementation of near-to-peer support, parental support programs, and social emotional learning curriculum in Catholic schools to address the mental health crisis for Gen Z. The campaign materials were presented to the Archdiocese of Seattle in May 2024 for their consideration for the following academic year.
YATI Conflict to Ceasefire community event.
2022-2023: Ableism and Racism in Schools
Ableism and Racism in Schools
After hearing from over 100 Seattle community members, the interns identified racism and ableism as major issues affecting their peers. Through the “At the Table” social action, they shared personal stories and called on Catholic schools to adopt more inclusive practices. As a result, schools took steps such as hiring a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, forming DEI committees, adjusting schedules for later start times, and reforming curricula and grading to promote equity.
YATI and leaders celebrating their accomplishments of social changes within their schools, at the IPJC Spring Benefit.
2021-2022: Support for the PHRA
Support for the Philippine Human Rights Act
In partnership with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Seattle Chapter, the interns collaborated to plan and implement a townhall meeting with Representative Adam Smith. The townhall allowed Filipinos to share their concerns about militarization in the Philippines and demand Rep. Smith cut funding for military aid to the Philippines to stop extrajudicial killings of Filipinos.
In support of the Philippine Human Rights Act, YATI attending a town hall meeting with the Seattle Filipino community.
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE INTERNSHIP?
The internship is open to female-identifying rising juniors and seniors from Catholic high schools. Female-identifying individuals, regardless of faith affiliation/background, are invited to apply.
The application process opens in May. All interested applicants will be offered the opportunity to interview with Youth Organizer, Gabi Jeakle. Once interviews are completed, acceptance letters will be sent in mid-July.
For questions about the Youth Action Team Internship, or the application process, please email Gabi Jeakle at gjeakle@ipjc.org.