Village in Progress (VIP), a community violence prevention initiative within the Boston Public Health Commission, is seeking interns passionate about public health, community engagement, and violence prevention. VIP works alongside residents, grassroots organizations, and community partners to build safer, stronger neighborhoods through healing-centered programming, outreach, and collaboration. Interns will gain hands-on experience supporting community initiatives, partnerships, events, and outreach efforts while contributing to meaningful, community-driven work across Boston.
The intern will focus heavily on community engagement, working alongside the VIP team to build real relationships with residents, partners, and grassroots organizations and understand what is actually happening on the ground. From there, they will help shape our prevention strategies by identifying gaps, testing ideas, and translating what we are hearing in community into real programming. This includes supporting pilot efforts, documenting what is working, and helping us refine our approach so that our work stays rooted in community and actually leads to stronger, more effective violence prevention.
Through this internship, participants will help advance VIP’s mission to:
- Prevent violence before it starts
- Support healing, reflection, and community growth
- Build leadership and opportunity within neighborhoods
- Strengthen partnerships across systems and organizations
- Uplift the voices and leadership of individuals most impacted by violence
- Through community outreach, partnership building, and healing-centered violence prevention work with Village in Progress (VIP), interns will help advance the Boston Public Health Commission’s commitment to becoming an antiracist organization by supporting equitable community engagement, uplifting resident voices, and helping address systemic barriers that disproportionately impact communities affected by violence.
By joining Village in Progress, interns become part of a collective effort to create villages where everyone belongs, everyone contributes, and everyone is safer together.
Preferred Qualifications- Knowledge of or willingness to learn about the role of public health in addressing racism, the social
determinants of health, and inequities in health outcomes as well as strategies to advance racial
justice and health equity. - Commitment to health equity and racial/social justice issues
- Undergraduate/ Graduate in community health, nutrition, public health, social work, health communications or related field of study.
Skills Required
- Knowledge of or willingness to learn about public health, racism, social determinants of health, and strategies to advance racial justice and health equity.
- Commitment to health equity and racial/social justice issues.
- Undergraduate or graduate study in community health, nutrition, public health, social work, health communications, or a related field.
What We Do
Boston Public Health Commission is Boston’s health department, working in partnership with communities to protect and promote the health and well-being of all residents, especially those impacted by racism and systemic inequities. It offers over 40 programs and services including family and child health, recovery services, and emergency shelter.
