Internship Description

Each academic quarter, the Young Workers Project collaborates with UCLA Professors to offer internships for undergraduate students.

Internship Focus

  • Civil rights
  • Community development
  • Corporate and internal organization research
  • Community organizing

The following summarizes internships offered in the Winter and Spring of 2009.

Spring 2009 Internship: Child Labor Manga Comic Book

Description
Historical and Contemporary U.S Child Labor Manga Comic Book

UCLA students worked with the Youth in Power (YIP) club from Manual Art High School (MAHS), focusing on the issues of child labor (historical and contemporary). The interns received training and education on child labor as part of their orientation. The goal of this Service Learning Project (SLP) was to teach the high school students issues of child labor using research and popular education methods through production of a child labor manga graphic novel (Japanese comic). YIP club students defined what child labor "looks like" and why it is compelling to them, in particular to workplace health and safety. With the assistance of the UCLA students, YIP completed their child labor manga graphic novel to present during May as part of Safe Jobs for Youth month in California.

The UCLA students worked off-site at the local Los Angeles MAHS. Through the experience, they collected valuable information on field work and research methods regarding child labor through participatory action and popular education methods. They also reflected on their experience and offered suggestions for future effective SLPs.

UCLA Interns with Youth in Power-Manga Comic Book Project
UCLA Interns with Youth in Power-Manga Comic Book Project

MAHS Illustrators proudly display their work
MAHS Illustrators proudly display their work

Winter 2009: Young Worker Leadership Academy Team Community Project

Description

UCLA students focused on the UCLA-Young Worker Leadership Academy team project on youth workplace health and safety issues. They assisted with the implementation and development of the project to outreach and bring awareness on these issues to their local Los Angeles community.

The YWLA is an annual event, where LOSH and our partner agencies the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CCHSWC) and UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program coordinate a unique opportunity for young adults to become leaders and advocates for youth workplace health and safety rights. The youth come in teams of 4 with an adult sponsor from northern and southern California. The UCLA students received workplace health and safety training, familiarized themselves with LOSH's Young Workers project materials, and participated at the UCLA Young Worker Leadership Academy 2009. They also worked off-site at a local Los Angeles high school with the high school students who were one of the UCLA-YWLA 2009 teams. At the end of the quarter, the UCLA students had collected valuable information about planning, strategizing, and creating youth workplace health and safety projects. They also reflected on their experiences and developed suggestions for future effective YWLA team projects to promote the importance of youth workplace health and safety.

UCLA students present their UCLA student interns and Manual Arts High School YWLA Team

UCLA students interns present their “hazard map”

UCLA student interns and Manual Arts High School YWLA Team

Working on their team project UCLA interns at the YWLA

Working on their YWLA Community Project

UCLA interns at the 2009 YWLA

 

Contact Karen Murray for more information on service learning internships at UCLA.