INTERNSHIPS
The Summer Service Internship is sponsored by the Center for Peace and Justice Education and the St. Thomas of Villanova Center for the Common Good.
The program provides Villanova undergraduates a funded opportunity to do service and justice work in the greater Philadelphia region over the summer, accompanied by opportunities for shared reflection among the student cohort. Apply now!
PROGRAM DETAILS
- PASJI is a nine week internship for 20-25 hours/week from June 1 - July 31, 2026. Mandatory orientation begins June 1, though prepatory clearances and trainings may be required per the requirements of the internship site.
- Stipend is $3,000.
- Required weekly dinners and other prescheduled gatherings will take place throughout the process.
- Each gathering will include a discussion around a short reading, video or podcast to enhance learning.
- Support for room, board and transportation may be available.
Apply Now! Priority application deadline will take place Monday, April 6, 2026. Final application deadline, where space is available, closes May 1, 2026.
Internship responsibilities can include but must extend beyond basic administrative support. Students should be engaged in either content-driven work fundamental to the organization’s mission and/or direct contact with the communities served by the organization.
There are five designated internship opportunities for 2026, with the possibility of a sixth position, depending on funds available. Each site will host one intern. One position may be allotted to a student who secures a student internship with an organization outside the five listed.
To learn more about the designated internship opportunities, please see the “Approved Placements” below. To search for similar internships at with other organizations, students may wish to consult Handshake and consider the suggested Peace and Justice search criteria. Students may then present a proposal for inclusion in the summer program with their own internship. All internship sites must be within the greater Philadelphia metro area.
Integral to the internship community is a commitment to spend time with other interns engaging in reflection and community sharing about the social concerns and dynamics affecting the community served by the internship sites.
APPROVED PLACEMENTS
Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (ADROP)
In 2004, Rev. Jack Deegan, OSA, founded the Augustinian Defenders Of The Rights Of The Poor (ADROP). Bringing together leaders, service providers and volunteers, Fr. Deegan initiated an assessment of the needs of the impoverished in South Philadelphia. Subsequently, our 150 volunteers and leaders have positively impacted the lives of over 1,000 families in the South Philadelphia area.
The work will focus on a number of service and justice issues. The focus can be tailored to suit the interest of the intern. The ministries of ADROP mainly circle around immigration, mass incarceration and access to health care.
ADROP offers one internship on accessible healthcare. This healthcare position caters to students interested in nursing or possibly pre-med/pre-PA students seeking direct healthcare experience. When applying, please indicate whether you are a nursing or pre-med student with some clinical training and explain what training you have.
Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion
"CCATE is non-profit organization with the mission to ignite social transformation by developing the talents of and empowering the Latinx community through culture, art, career development, and education. As this mission is realized, our work has grown to include health, science and technology, environmental care, and participatory research.
"Based on family, student, and faculty interests and talents, we collaboratively design classes for youth and families. What makes CCATE unique is how through the intersection of our dreams and determination, we collectively create space for individual growth, community engagement and social change. Our vision is that, through holistic development of the community, the dreams of the Latinx community can be achieved" (CCATE, 2025).
At CCATE, our internships center around the strengths, skills, and areas of interest of students who come to work with us. Two of the main requirements we have for our interns are motivation and initiative.
Embedded in CCATE's mission is the objective to "develop and empower the Latinx community through the promotion of culture, art, work training, and education" (CCATE, 2020). CCATE is both composed of and operated by the community it aims to impact. The organization values community insights and assets as valuable inputs, recognizing that members are the masters and curators of creative solutions. The lack of a hierarchical structure at CCATE fosters a belief that everyone can be a leader, acknowledging that each member has something to offer and is a valuable addition to the team.
Internships at CCATE focus on three areas, each supervised by a CCATE staff member. While interns will interact with all CCATE staff regularly, they will work most closely with the staff member assigned to their area.
- Communications and Outreach (Supervised by Obed Arango)
Examples of work in this area include website content development andmaintenance, content translation into Spanish, storytelling through social media (monthly newsletter, blog, etc.), high school immigration podcast and media, and virtual fundraising.
Related skills or interests
Communication skills in Spanish, writing in Spanish (a plus), knowledge of platforms or technologies for extending outreach and communication, film/video, media, journalism.
- Programs and Administration (Supervised by Caitlin Brady)
Examples of work in this area include teaching a class or tutoring students, tracking donations and sending donor letters, researching and planning curriculum for a summer program.
Related skills or interests
Teaching or content development skills, expertise in specific content areas, working with youth and families.
- Research and Strategic Planning (Supervised by Holly Link)
Examples of work in this area include administrative work related to strategic planning, online research (reading and synthesizing existing research and participatory research methods), data collection and compilation.
Related skills or interests
Strong writing skills, qualitative and community-based participatory research.
Bethel AME Church Ardmore & Ardmore Victory Gardens
The Bethel AME Church Ardmore and Ardmore Victory Gardens are a ministries of Bethel African-Methodist Episcopal Church in Ardmore, PA. Founded in 1895 by Black residents of the Mainline, Bethel AME is heavily involved in the local community, hosting service and justice programs that address food insecurity, educational inequality, public health, and many other needs in the community. The former pastor Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness was instrumental in leading the congregation in founding the the Ardmore Victory Gardens, a community garden that grows fresh produce to supply food banks throughout the area.
The work has the potential to focus on a number of social issues. The community garden work addresses both sustainability and creation-care, as well as access increasing food security and access to healthy produce. The vaccine clinics create opportunities to address public health concerns. The Juneteenth celebration invites the community into the liberating work of anti-racism and the cause of social equity.
Some of the specifics of the internship can be worked out between the needs of Bethel AME Church and the interests of the intern. However, the majority of the work will focus on the community garden which is getting reestablished after two years of construction. The intern could assist in making site visits to multiple home-based gardens to those who need assistance for accessibility reasons. The intern might meet with local youth once a week to share about some aspect of the work of the community garden and might engage in other community programming. The primary qualifications of this internship are a willingness to learn and a willingness to be outside in all (safe but still hot) weather conditions.
If the intern is also drawn to other aspects of community outreach, the intern might be involved in the planning and execution of a vaccine clinic, the Juneteenth celebration, and other events. A combination of foci may be worked out with the site.
Driving around may be a part of this internship, so the ability to become a vehicle-certified driver with Villanova would be a significant advantage, though not a requirement.
Martha's Community Farm
Martha's Community Farm in Audobon, PA, is a branch of the Martha’s Choice Food Pantry in Norristown, PA. The farm uses sustainable growing practices to try to address food insecurity by growing fresh produce for the guests of the pantry.
Working at the farm will expose the intern to issues of food insecurity as well as nutritional insecurity. The intern will have the option to interface with other aspects of the food pantry and learn about how issues of migration, educational inequality, and healthcare access also interface with access to quality food. The work also will be deeply engaged with concerns of sustainable farming and environmental conservation.
The intern may assist with social media and event promotion, as well as volunteer management and environmental education for visitors and volunteers who come to the farm. The primary work of the volunteer will be focused on farming. Check out their full list of internship opportunities. The primary qualifications of this internship are a willingness to learn and a willingness to be outside in all (safe but still hot) weather conditions. The site is not accessible via public transportation, so the intern must have a valid driver’s license and be willing to become van/vehicle certified with the university or provide their own transportation.
Bebashi: Transition to Hope
Bebashi: Transition to Hope’s mission “is to empower people to enhance the quality of their health and overall well-being by providing access to high-quality health care, health education, and social services.”
Bebashi focuses on providing wrap-around services for those who have HIV, those in close relationships with loved ones with HIV, and those at risk of contracting HIV. They offer case management, housing assistance, free medical care, clothing support, and a food pantry. The intern would have direct exposure to the work of medical case management for a high need population. This internship would be ideal for those interested in healthcare or public health.
Interns are trained to work in medical case management with Bebashi clients. After an initial training, the intern will manage a few clients. The case management services are wrap-around and involve everything from medical care to mental health to housing and nutrition, depending on client eligibility and needs.
SELF-SELECTED PLACEMENTS
Students may propose another internship which would be reviewed for approval by the program coordinators. One to two spots in the PASJI program may be reserved for this purpose. Students should make initial contact with the organization concurrent with application. If the organization is willing to receive a PASJI intern, the site will be considered.
Any internship should provide the opportunity to do service and justice work in the greater Philadelphia area. Students may then present a proposal for inclusion in the summer program with their own internship.
Email Josh Kammerer with any questions.
“Love, when it is true, is always directed away from oneself. It is transcendent. The two-fold commandment of love, therefore, translates into working for the common good, [and] working for the common good is service.” –The Augustine Way
