Community Impact Internships

EXPO works to end mass incarceration, eliminate all forms of structural discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, and restore formerly incarcerated people to full participation in the life of our communities.

EXPO emerged in 2014 when formerly incarcerated people from around Wisconsin began to gather to discuss what it would look like to have our own statewide organization. Our members provide support to each other and organize to change Wisconsin’s unjust penal system. Previously imprisoned women and men lead EXPO. Our members provide support to each other and organize to change Wisconsin’s unjust penal system. We receive support from family members of currently and formerly incarcerated people and allies who have not experienced incarceration.

Chrysalis promotes mental health and substance use recovery in our community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing and wellness.

Chrysalis, Inc. has been serving the Madison community since 1980 as a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The founders wanted to avoid following a trend at the time, that was to provide mental health support in sheltered workshops. These founders believed that real-life experiences were more powerful and lasting than those consisting of isolated and confined interactions. Therefore, the Chrysalis Supported Employment and Vocational Peer Support Programs emerged and, to this day, Chrysalis focuses on providing community-based vocational support services.

Urban Triage, Inc. is on a mission to empower Black families while mobilizing community resources and distributing them to those most in need. At the same time, they engage systems in implementing systematic, sustainable, equitable, and clinically sound approaches to health behavior and prevention.

WORT is a non-commercial, listener-sponsored, member-controlled community radio station broadcasting to South-Central Wisconsin and maintaining an active Internet presence. WORT programming shall respect all peoples and their environments, and shall serve a broad spectrum of the community by:

Defending Black Girlhood equips parents, teachers, social workers, community advocates and organizations to defend Black girlhoods in their homes, schools and communities. By sparking conversations that inform and inspire through podcasts, art and other forms of advocacy, they challenge listeners to take bold actions towards making this world a safer place for Black girls to live, learn and be loved.

The Center for DREAMers provides legal representation at no cost for DACAmented recipients across Wisconsin through collaboration with the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the Economic Justice Institute. They also provide educational trainings on culturally responsive support for DACAmented and undocumented individuals for students at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at UW Madison, referrals to culturally competent social and mental health services, and state-wide education and career counseling to DACAmented college students through online resources, tools, and events. The Center also collaborates with colleges and universities state-wide to create tools to better serve DACAmented and undocumented students.

The Wisconsin Science Museum connects visitors to the research happening right here in Wisconsin. Through their hands-on experiences and unique historic instruments, they show that even the greatest scientific discoveries began with simple questions and a little determination. From lasers to nanotechnology to cancer treatment, they strive to make every topic accessible to visitors of all levels. They believe that knowledge is meant to share so the museum is free and open to everyone. The Madison Science Museum is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

In 2022, Wisconsin Humanities is celebrating 50 years as a nonprofit organization serving the people of Wisconsin. Their mission is to strengthen our democracy through educational and cultural programs that build connections and understanding among people of all backgrounds and beliefs throughout the state. Looking to the next 50 years, they believe that strengthening our democracy is only possible when our work is grounded in knowledge and is fully inclusive, equitable, and accessible to all.

Kidlinks World, Inc. is a Madison based, volunteer run non-profit working to support youth in both Dane County, Wisconsin and across South Africa. Their mission is to empower vulnerable children and youth through education, caregiving, and skills training. Each summer, Kidlinks works hand-in-hand with Briarpatch Youth Services to provide a fun, safe environment for vulnerable youth to learn about farming and sustainable agriculture. Together with Briarpatch Youth, they grow approximately 1200 pounds of produce annually for area food pantries. In addition, this year they are partnering with the Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems to develop a hands-on urban agriculture curriculum designed for drop-in garden education programs like theirs.

JustDane offers an array of direct service programs for individuals and families involved in the criminal justice system, including prison reentry programs and services for children who have an incarcerated parent, community events designed to help people understand what it’s like to walk in the shoes of someone newly released from prison, and jail and prison in-reach programs. JustDane also runs Just Bakery, an employment training program for individuals with barriers to employment, as well as Healing House, an 8-bed recuperative shelter for unhoused families who have a member recuperating from a medical procedure.

Make Music Madison is a free, citywide, outdoor day of music held annually on the summer solstice. Initiated in Madison in 2013, our festival is part of the larger Make Music Day, an international summer solstice music celebration occurring in 1,000+ cities across the globe. Make Music Madison celebrates all genres of music, skill levels, and ages of musicians. The goal of this event is to fill the city with music from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at outdoor venues hosted at community centers, museums, retailers, restaurants, parks, theaters, places of worship, private residences, and other locations. Anyone can perform and anyone can host a performance, as long as the event is within the City of Madison, free, outdoors, accessible to the public, and maintains a 6′ clearance on the sidewalk for pedestrian passage.

F.O.S.T.E.R. of Dane County is a nontraditional case management and counseling program that has served Black families in Dane County for more than 12 years. They take a multigenerational and community-focused approach to addiction recovery and healing from trauma that aims to stabilize and support all levels of the family structure.

Healing Our Hearts is an organization dedicated to supporting mothers and families who have experienced the loss of a child. They aim to provide a safe space for the black and brown community to process grief and begin to heal, including getting families connected with wraparound services like food, rental and housing assistance, and treatment services.

Girls Inc. is a national organization that utilizes interactive activities, mentoring relationships, intentional programming, and research-based curricula in a girls-only environment to inspire our girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold. Our program strives to offer activities that support girls’ academic enrichment and leadership development as well as their right to career exploration and health and wellness. At Girls Inc., we believe that every student has the power within them to succeed and we want to do our part in helping them to recognize their own power and potential. Girls Inc of Greater Madison is the local chapter of Girls Inc. and our programs primarily welcome BIPOC youth of Madison and are run out of the Goodman Community Center.

EOTO Culturally Rooted is a community recovery and wellness organization led by certified peer support specialists in Wisconsin. They are guided by a “Each One Teach One” philosophy that dictates those who have learned have a duty to teach. Their innovative programs and culturally rooted community engagement events are founded within the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental.

Nehemiah was created in the mid 1990s in response to the unmet social, academic and spiritual needs of at-risk and disenfranchised African American and biracial children in the greater Madison community. For nearly twenty years, Nehemiah has focused on empowering children, youth and families that are economically disadvantaged and socially at-risk through culturally relevant educational and social service support programs.

The Wisconsin Academy is a place for people to connect with experts and learn from each other. Founded in 1870 to gather, share, and act upon knowledge for the betterment of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Academy today showcases contemporary Wisconsin art at our James Watrous Gallery, examines science and culture in Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine, and explores pathways to a sustainable future through the Wisconsin Strategy Initiatives. Their Academy Courses and public talks provide opportunities for lifelong learning and personal enrichment, and they recognize excellence through their annual Fiction & Poetry Awards for emerging writers and Fellows Awards for leadership in and across disciplines. They also support the Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Wisconsin Visual Artists, the Cultural Coalition of Wisconsin, and other endeavors that help them to fulfill their mission: to create a better world by connecting Wisconsin people and ideas.

Arts + Literature Laboratory’s mission is to steward a community laboratory for creative experimentation, collaboration, and excellence in contemporary visual, literary, and performing arts. Their vision is a thriving creative culture where artistic labor is valued and all people can have meaningful experiences with the arts and literature of today. This grassroots arts organization was founded by local artists and writers in November 2015, and quickly grew to host over 200 events per year plus year-round arts education for all ages.