Aspir8 Internship Program
Spring 2019 Design Thinking Intern (PDF)
Tldr; fast-growing transnational organization looking to hire a fearless intern itching to practically apply HCD at the intersections of media, marketing, strategy and social impact. Could this be you?
Company description: Aspir8 is a social enterprise (and soon to be B Corp) that provides mentorship and training opportunities to empower students to create change in their communities. Long version at aspir8.org/story
~ Why we need you ~
At Aspir8, we “aspire” and “innovate” to bring transformative educational experiences to students around the world, every single day. As a Design Thinking intern, you will have a chance to actively develop – and even rollout – the ways we achieve the next phase of our organizational mission.
We need someone who;
- Can fail fast and fail forwards,
- Is process-driven, yet motivated by end results,
- Views and pays attention to every detail, but through the lens of the the bigger picture,
- Is not afraid to self-reflect (and who in the face of deadlines or other time pressures, will not self-destruct).
~ What you’ll be working on ~
A lot of REALLY cool stuff! (Did we mention this internship is BYOI?)*
Your enthusiasm and past experience will determine what you end up working on, but some ideas we have and might want to explore are;
- Coordinating the curation of a global photo series on gender equality / ageism / influencer activism,
- Conceptualizing a kickass changemaker summit (the catch is that it’s 100% virtual),
- Designing merch that, yes, looks amazing, but is also uniquely functional,
- And prototyping (and perhaps manufacturing) a new kind of Aspir8 Ideas Journal.
Told you it was cool 😉
~ What we’re looking for ~
This is not an internship where we teach you human centered design.**
This a real-life “level up” where your understanding of design thinking will come to life in wonderful, unexpected ways and go on to impact and add value to people’s lives. We used “life” (or lives, if you’re being pleasantly pedantic), three times in that last sentence because we cannot emphasize it enough. This is serious big girl/big boy stuff!
Hence, the ideal candidate will have a broad but solid understanding of (and preferably prior experience applying) human centered design to a variety of academic as well as non academic contexts.
“Not your typical internship (but this time we actually mean it)”
– *BYOI (bring your own interests and expand our business propositions in that line)
– Take charge of the internship program and make it the best part of your week (your feedback and suggestions will directly inform the next intern’s experience)
– Work directly with the Founder & CEO (who you better believe cares about what you have to say because internships are exactly how she got where she is right now)
In conclusion (and in case you haven’t reached this conclusion already), this is an absolutely amazing, one-of-a-kind, hands-on opportunity, tailor made for those interested in (at least two of) the digital x education x startup x social impact space.
So if reading this job description got your heart pumping even a little more than usual, we want to know. Don’t let the adrenaline and momentum go to waste – email your résumé and brief cover letter to join@aspir8.org today.
Keep in mind:
~ You will be coordinating and working remotely with a team based in Dubai. No we can’t pay for your vacation but you’re still welcome to visit!
~ Interns are generally expected to work between 5 – 15 hours a week. We can work around your schedule and you will definitely have a life outside the hours put in, but we expect to command your full effort, commitment and brainpower while in work mode.
~ In terms of majors – it doesn’t matter what you study, only why you want to contribute. Let us know if graphic design’s your jam or you’ve got a killer Instagram in your cover letter – we want to get to know the true you!
~ Finally, do yourself a favour and look up the word “multipotentialite.” Those are the kinds of people you will be working with. But, and there are no minus points for this, if you want to specialize, you can. If you are interested in opting for a (self-designed) internship concentration, make sure you include this information in your cover letter and/or résumé. You can also include a picture of your favorite dog or meme. Or dog meme, but we digress.
~ This internship does not currently have a stipend but is eligible for college credit.
Application Tips:
Apply as soon as possible because we are interviewing on a rolling basis. Don’t worry about getting your app perfect; we know everything’s a learning experience and this is just another chance to receive feedback so you can grow and iterate.
Let your cover letter show off the unconventional ways you got people to agree to being interviewed, or how the insights you discovered pushed you to (pivot and) plough ahead with your last project. And yes, we’d also love to see the plant-powered vacuum cleaner prototype you and your Hackathon buddies cooked up at 2am – how’d you know?
Bottom line is, your application materials should tell a story – the story of how you have thus far DESIGNED YOUR LIFE, and how and why it has led you to THIS MOMENT (aka applying for this internship). Can’t wait to feel the feelings!
– Team Aspir8
**Hey, no worries if you just want to learn about human centered design! We’re looking for someone with an intermediate level of experience for this role, but we can definitely keep you in mind for other more beginner-friendly positions if you get in touch. Also shoot us a note if you want to know where on the wide web you can learn more about the subject 😉