Empowering You to Empower Youth
Become an OP Direct Service Intern

You’re ready to make a difference.
At Ophelia’s Place, you will.

As a direct service intern at Ophelia’s Place, you can provide connection, care, consistency, and support to girl-identified youth ages 10-18. OP is a vibrant community filled with strong social justice values, an empowering culture, and an interest in celebrating individuality. Interning at Ophelia’s Place is an opportunity to grow your active listening, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills and make a positive difference to young people, their communities, and in your own life.

Being an OP intern empowers you to empower youth. Our services are strengths-based, trauma-informed, and responsive to the needs of youth from all backgrounds and abilities. Our interns help provide a safe and welcoming place where youth can develop the tools needed to:

  • Cultivate healthy relationships and communication skills

  • Make healthy choices and expand decision-making abilities

  • Create a positive and healthy sense of self

OP direct services include after-school programming, school groups, parent/daughter activities, summer camps, school presentations and street outreach. We rely on the contribution of university and college interns from programs like Family and Human Services, Psychology, Women and Gender Studies, Planning, Public Policy & Management, and many more to help provide the following services:

Empowerment Group Facilitation: Co-facilitate weekly curriculum-based girls’ empowerment groups in elementary, middle, and high schools in and around Eugene and Lane & Linn counties.

Young Amazing Women of Color Groups (YAWOC): Co-facilitate weekly girls’ support groups in local middle and high schools focusing on issues specific to multicultural girls and girls of color.  These groups are co-facilitated by interns and staff who are women of color.

Classroom Presentation Facilitation: Provide valuable social and emotional mental health information to all genders within our partner schools.

After-School Programming: Providing on-site support to girls during our After and Out of School (AOS) Program in Eugene. This includes offering support, facilitating activities, supporting behavioral interventions, and preparing daily snack. You will help provide a space full of connection, creativity, empathy, fun, and safety for diverse groups of girls.

Street Outreach: Connect with Eugene-area youth during after-school time in areas where youth congregate and model effective de-escalation strategies for handling disagreements between youth.

Special Events and Administrative Support: Assist staff at major Ophelia’s Place events, such as our annual fundraising dinner auction. Other supportive administrative tasks may also be assigned.

2025-2026 Application Details

Summer Internship 2025

Commitment: June 23-August 21, 2025

Hour Expectation: 8-12 hours of direct service/week

Traditional Internship 2025

Commitment: September 2025-June 2026

Hour Expectation: 5-8 hours of direct service/week
Typically uses OP hours for practicum credit or have less availability in their schedules.

Paid Internship 2025

Commitment: September 2025-June 2026

Hour Expectation: 10-20 hours of direct service/week
Typically has more availability in their schedules.

Paid Presentation Facilitator Internship

Commitment: at least two academic terms

Hour Expectation: 5-10 hours/week on weekdays until 4 pm

Paid Street Outreach Internship

Commitment: at least one full academic year

Hour Expectation: 5-10 hours/week on weekdays until 6 pm

The experience, skills, and qualifications of each applicant are considered carefully. Please understand that completing the interview process does not guarantee that you will be accepted for an internship.

If you are accepted, you must complete and pass a criminal background check and you will be required to attend the Volunteer Training, on Wednesday-Friday, September 24-26 before college courses begin for fall term. Your participation at this valuable training is mandatory to begin work as a direct service volunteer with Ophelia’s Place. Volunteer roles will be assigned after you complete the training, and you should expect to work in various capacities.