Internship Opportunity
Summer Youth Development Internships
West Chicago, IL
Who We Are
Puente del Pueblo (PdP)
Puente del Pueblo (PDP) is a community service organization that works with individuals, families, and the broader community to foster beneficial change. Launched in 2008 at the Timber Lake Apartments, Puente del Pueblo is a ministry of Wheaton Bible Church (WBC) and Iglesia del Pueblo (IDP), the Latino congregation of Wheaton Bible Church. In 2012, city officials asked Puente del Pueblo to take over its youth service system and to expand its after-school and summer youth programs to more apartment complexes in West Chicago. Today, Puente is offering programming at Main Park Apartments and continuing to expand at Timber Lake Apartments.
The Puente del Pueblo staff are professionally trained in education and human services and are fluent in Spanish and English. (Translation for speakers of other languages is provided) We respectfully serve people of all races, cultures, religions, ages, genders, and abilities.
In serving the West Chicago community, Puente partners with Outreach, an organization that provides consultation, management, and community services. Outreach is a Christian community service organization, striving to put Christian faith into responsible action, and has been called into existence by local churches for the purpose of supportively addressing the needs of young people and their families. Outreach is committed to providing excellence in human services and demonstrating compassion for the whole person.
Summer Youth Development Internships
Summer academic programs at Puente del Pueblo serve students entering Grades 2 through 9 who live in West Chicago’s Timber Lake and Main Park apartments, providing opportunities for further academic enrichment, development of social skills, positive relationship building, structured recreational activities, and optional Christian education. The Puente summer program is an eight-week, full-day, academically focused summer school that takes place on the Wheaton Bible Church campus. Interns working in the program experience a full breadth of learning activities in youth development and mentoring by our staff.
Intern Responsibilities and Opportunities
While this internship is unpaid, the intern will receive valuable learning experiences in the overall working of a Christian, community based human service organization. The intern will gain valuable knowledge working with a culturally and ethnically diverse population of youth and staff. Interns will learn positive and effective discipline and behavior management techniques and will be challenged in leading both small and large groups and will help with curriculum development and activity planning and implementation. Interns will have the opportunity to help children develop in both academic and life skill areas and will model and teach Christian values and faith. Interns will also work closely with staff, implementing goals, and working through ideas and problems that may arise. Interns will be exposed to the principles and practice of volunteer management in the not-for-profit sector. If interested, an intern may participate in the development and delivery of Christian education curriculum. For applicants with moderate or better Spanish skills, an intern may have the opportunity to manage Puente’s summer application process which includes extensive direct contact with Puente’s immigrant parent population and a significant opportunity to practice Spanish.
Responsibilities may include:
• Encouraging, challenging, and evaluating students.
• Guided classroom teaching.
• Facilitating team-building activities.
• Organizing and leading planned special events during the summer.
• Actively participate in weekly staff meetings.
• Planning and execution of summer program logistics, in cooperation with staff.
• Optional: Plan and teach a Christian education class and lead morning devotions.
• Optional: Plan, teach, and lead our art program.
• Optional: Guide parents through the application process and manage the related administrative tasks.
Training and Supervision
The Intern will be supervised by the program staff and will be fully part of the Puente del Pueblo staff team. Throughout the experience, interns will participate in weekly group training, sessions, and activities. Sessions may include: Behavior Management, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Theology of Transformational Community Development, Crossing Cultures, Refugees and Immigration and the Bible, Multi-ethnicity in the Local Church, Faith Expression in the context of community work, History and Impact in West Chicago, Intro to Case Management, and more.
Schedule/Hours
The internship will be full-time, five days a week (8:00am—4:30pm, Monday-Friday) with training for Summer Staff and Interns starting on *Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12, 8:00am – 4:30pm. Then our Summer Program will officially start on *Monday, June 15 and run until Friday, August 7, 2026. *Dates are still being finalized (TBD) so they may change. We are asking you to commit to the ENTIRE summer.
Requirements
Internships are available for BA or MA students in Education, Sociology, Spanish, Psychology, Missions or Christian Education fields. Applicants must have a heart for working cross-culturally to embrace the theology of service to the vulnerable and must be supportive of the organization’s statement of Mission and Faith. Spanish language ability preferred but not required.
For more information, please contact:
Rachel Piggott, Local Outreach Volunteer Coordinator/Wheaton Bible Church
27W500 North Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185
[email protected]
630.876.6684
Saul Flores, Director of Puente del Pueblo
1200 Kings Circle, Units 17-18, West Chicago, IL 60185
[email protected]
630.876.6681