Smart Community Corps
The Smart Community Corps (SCC) is the first statewide effort of its kind for civic-minded students to gain hands-on, valuable experience working on real-life problems in a community environment as a way to apply their skills and improve the lives of residents. The program is a part of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN), a public private partnership launched in 2020 to lead coordinated, statewide efforts to position Georgia as the leader for innovation, opportunity and shared economic success.
View the Smart Community Corps Informational Webinar recording to learn more.
Working as a summer cohort and, in most cases, in community pairs, interns are placed with project sites across Georgia and the U.S. to support innovation work that are dedicated to creating livable and equitable communities. In addition to a full-time, competitive summer stipend, SCC interns are provided curriculum programming in sustainability, innovation, career development and mentorship. The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students at any public or private college/university. This summer students are supported by generous contributions from Gulfstream.
Pair Model and SCC Collaborators:
In many cases, Smart Community Corps uses a “pair model,” placing chosen interns in pairs to work together on projects. The aim is to bring students together with complementary skillsets, experiences, and expertise so that together they can learn from each other and leverage their joint work for cross-learning and co-creation on the project. Together, the community/project and the interns benefit from the multidisciplinary and diverse experiences and perspective the student pair brings. Interns working independently on projects are paired with other interns working on similar projects.
The Smart Community Corps summer interns will participate in weekly programming and educational seminars that introduce students to theories of sustainability, innovation, career development, writing, and mentorship.
Program Benefits:
The SCC internship program offers students the opportunity to work as a cohort on impactful smart technology projects. Our interns will gain experience working with local governments, communities, and non-profit leaders and expand their professional network while receiving a summer stipend.
The SCC Internship Provides:
- Practical knowledge of smart technology projects
- Experience working with a local government, community, or research projects
- The opportunity for interns to expand their professional network
- A summer living stipend of $8,000 over 12 weeks (May 15 – Aug. 4)
- Additional programing through our SCC collaborators
- Full PIN staff support throughout the internship
The internship offers students learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Through the SCC program, students will use the knowledge and skills they gained in the classroom to help create more sustainable and smart communities.
- The program is open to college students at any public or private college/university regardless of degree level, major, or visa status (students on foreign visas must be eligible to work in the United States)
- Prospective interns must submit an online application, resume, and a letter of recommendation
- The online application process opens January 16th and closes on February 28th at 5pm
- Our community partners and project site leaders will interview applicants in early March (generally March 6-10), with offers extended by the end of March
Program Expectations
For summer 2023, all chosen interns will be expected to work and live within their selected communities and/or project cities. Interns MUST have reliable, daily transportation to get then to/from work, and are solely responsible for finding and paying for their own living arrangements/housing and food during the internship timeframe. Some internships require students to come with their own computers and software necessary to complete the work.
Lastly, all interns will be expected to come to the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, August 4, 2023 (at their own expense) to give final presentations in person.
Contact Us:
Cody M. Cocchi, Ed.D., Student Engagement Manager
Partnership for Inclusive Innovation
Cody.Cocchi@innovate.gatech.edu
