STOAK Summer Internships 

Since 2017 Urban Strategies Council has hosted summer interns from the Social Transformations Oakland (STOak) program at the College Preparatory School in Oakland. STOak is a yearlong course that begins in the spring semester with a deep dive into understanding Oakland's past and present, emphasizing social movements. The program's core is a six-week, full-time summer internship in the wider Oakland community within organizations working towards social or environmental justice. Students are paired with mentors to learn about how the organization operates and to support their mission. The program concludes in the fall when students share their experiences with one another and prepare a formal presentation for the wider College Prep community.

 

STOak is hands-on, with a mix of structured coursework, field trips, group discussions, and independent research. Topics include social change through community-based research, systems thinking, leadership strategies, non-profit organizational structures, and local government. Students research their focus topic's social, political, and economic landscape while learning the professional conduct they will practice in their summer internships at community-based organizations.