News & Impact

Bay Area teens will be ironing their shirts and putting on their dress pants in preparation for JFCS’ Summer Internship Program. This prized six-week paid internship offers a unique opportunity for students to gain work experience and professional skills that will last a lifetime. JFCS’ YouthFirst offers innovative programs for our future leaders and received a huge number of applications this spring from high school students who want to be part of the internship program. With the support of generous individuals and foundations, 100 teens were accepted as interns—nearly doubling the program’s size.

Summer intern, Steve Dvorkin, with his supervisor, Judy Louie.

The 2016 summer interns come from 43 different high schools throughout the Peninsula, San Francisco, and Marin County and will be placed with 57 participating businesses and nonprofit organizations. Businesses hosting the interns receive free assistance for 20-hours per week over the course of six weeks, and interns receive a stipend from JFCS.

For many teens this internship will be their first role in a professional setting, and the YouthFirst team makes sure that each intern has the skills and emotional support necessary to thrive. The program is thoughtful about finding a good fit for both the intern and participating business—interns are carefully placed based on their career interests and skills. Although the work that interns complete is the foundation of their experience, often the most valuable lessons are found in the daily interactions with their supervisors and co-workers.

Steve Dvorkin, 18, took part in program last summer and worked for the ACCESS Center at the San Francisco Superior Court. Dvorkin learned how the court system works, performed administrative tasks, and helped customers fill out the necessary forms. He says, “I know that all the tasks I did there, whether big or small, were really important and helped the court function better.”

Jane Bakhter, 15, interned with JFCS’ Emigre Services Department and helped clients of all backgrounds secure help from JFCS. “What I really loved about my summer internship was that I was able to meet a lot of different people with different backgrounds. It was very rewarding for me to be able to help them with their questions and solve some problems,” said Bakhter, a student at Lowell High School in San Francisco.

Intern, Samantha Barish

JFCS’ Summer Internship Program also works with the Achieve Program, a San Francisco based academic enrichment program for underserved students from low-income families. Ilan Persing, JFCS’ YouthFirst Coordinator, says, “By partnering with Achieve, we get to create opportunities for teens that they would not have otherwise.”

Fernando Delgado was one such student that took part in the program last summer and worked at JFCS’ Executive Offices. “Working at JFCS was life changing to me. I learned many things like job preparation skills, public speaking, organizing, and learning how to maintain my personal life with school and work,” said Delgado, a student at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco.

Professional Development Workshops Keep on Giving
Each week summer interns come together with YouthFirst staff to focus on a professional development or personal life skill topic. They fine-tune their resumes, practice effective communication skills, and learn tools and strategies to foster a healthy work/school/life balance.

“The weekly workshops really make this program far more valuable than just a summer job” said Dvorkin, a graduate of the French American International School and now a freshman at the University of Chicago.

The interns are tasked with using their newly learned skills on the job. Persing, says, “We invite teens to challenge themselves to take on additional responsibility, to ask questions, take risks, and think critically about their job roles.”

Thank You to the Many Businesses and Nonprofits Hosting 2016 Summer Interns!
AccelOps; ACCESS Center at the San Francisco Superior Court; Bespoke Cycles; Brady Physical Therapy; Campanile College Admissions Counseling, Inc.; CB Engineers; Cedars of Marin; Celsius and Beyond; Christopher Joy, DMD, Dentist Office; ClickTime; Congregation Beth Jacob; cPrime, Inc.; Ellen Krengel Law Office; EnDimensions, LLC; Epaperflip; Family Law Office of Renee M. Marcelle; Gemmiti Model Art; Glaucoma Center of San Francisco; Image Orthodontics, Intellectual Property Law Group; J. Sosnick and Sons, Inc.; Jewish Family and Children’s Services; The Justice & Diversity Center; Kletter Law Firm; L’Chaim Sushi; Mann Consulting; Manyak Dental Group; Marin Community Clinic; Marin Independent Journal; Marqeta; Metal Art Judaica; MT Development; Office of David Chiu, California Assemblymember; Office of Marc Levine, California Assemblymember; Office of Scott Weiner, San Francico Board of Supervisors;  OFJCC Preschool camp; Opus 1  Music Studio; Perkins + Will; Perspica; Profit Factor; Rhoda Goldman Plaza; Rising Sun Energy; Rouleau Orthodontics; Rukin Hyland Doria & Tindall LLP; Serena & Lily; Shalom Bayit; Sixense; Stanford University, Psychology Lab of Yael Enav, Ph.D; TikGames; TrueMed Home Health; Uptime USA; Wondermall; and Yerba Buena Financial Partners.

Thank You to the Donors Who Make the Summer Internship Possible!
Support for JFCS’ YouthFirst Internship Program is provided by generous individuals and foundations. Special gratitude to Sandra and Vladimir Shmunis, The Parasol Foundation, Fran and Bobby Lent/Levine-Lent Family Foundation, Bigglesworth Family Foundation, Judith Moss Endowment Fund, Sadie Meyer and  Louis Cohn Foundation, and the Bernice and Herbert Andron Scholarship Fund

If interested in contributing, please call Barbara Farber at 415-449-3858 or email: [email protected].