Child & Youth Mental Health

Internship details

Child and Youth Mental Health interns play an important role in helping young people in Jamaica by developing online resources to improve their mental health, resilience and emotional intelligence. Interns are placed with NGOs, and assist with the research and development of online tools for young people struggling with a range of developmental issues.

This is a remote internship you can undertake virtually from home. If you would prefer to intern abroad, click here to explore destinations that offer placements related to the Social Sciences.

It’s well documented that poverty, dysfunctional family structures and other social challenges can have a long-term impact on the development of young people. With limited resources, time and expertise, there can be little or no support for children and young people who have these kinds of day to day stresses, leading to poor emotional well-being. This is especially the case in Jamaica, where you can help make a real difference.

As a Child and Youth Mental Health virtual intern, you’ll be placed with local NGOs and community support groups who work with young people. Interns assist a team of dedicated therapists and psychologists on a hugely valuable project to improve the emotional well-being and mental health of young people in Jamaica.

Your role is to contribute to online resources that support children and young people looking to understand themselves and their feelings as they grow up. Interns contribute in two ways: researching data and creating the resources themselves.

Researching includes:

• Conducting interviews to see how people react to certain stimuli
• Analyzing feedback to identify trends
• Develop short surveys and promote them online
• Research online content for the development of digital materials
• Write reports and develop content that will be used for digital materials

Creating resource includes:

• Making online animations, social media content, digital resources and interactive workbooks
• Creating video presentations on well being, mental and physical health
• Developing online and offline promotions and awareness campaigns for young people, their teachers, parents and others in the community

The work you complete can contribute to developing your own simple materials, as well as helping developers in Jamaica to complete more advanced resources.

As a remote intern, you’ll have the flexibility to work to a schedule that suits both you and your supervisor. Your schedule will need to accommodate online meetings with your supervisor when it’s required, so there will be times where you’ll need to be available during office hours in Jamaica.

In all cases, interns should expect that the initial phase of their remote internship will focus on gaining some introductory knowledge. You may start by gaining an understanding or overview of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

Career Benefits