Newsletter: The Interns are Coming

The summer interns are approaching—if they’re not learning the ropes with you already!

We know that being fully-staffed for the summer can be a huge relief, but also bring its own challenges for casework teams figuring out how to effectively get interns involved with casework in a way that works for both the interns and constituents being served.

So today, we have a new blog post and an upcoming webinar focused on making use of interns and fellows to supplement your casework team’s capacity while providing an appropriate and rewarding learning experience.

And if you’re coming into town for the CAO’s caseworker fly-in day, don’t miss the chance to stop by and say hello at an in-person reception.

Involving Interns and Fellows in Casework

Interns are invaluable for handling typical tasks like answering phones, opening mail, and staffing the front desk, but it can be hard to find appropriate tasks for interns in a casework program.

Introduction to Casework

Pro tip - intern training is a lot easier when it’s scalable, using resources like videos, manuals, and worksheets to help interns get up to speed. This video from Internapalooza provides a quick overview of casework for district and DC interns, covering Congress’s authority to help constituents, how to listen for casework requests on the phones, and the do’s and don’ts of casework.

Upcoming Events

Bringing Interns and Fellows into your Casework Operation

In this webinar, we’ll dig in on some best practices for intern onboarding and training, and then open up the floor for casework teams to share the ideas and projects that have worked best for them.

Modernizing Government: a bipartisan conversation about what government needs to succeed in the digital age

If you’re coming into town for the CAO’s caseworker fly-in day June 6th, don’t miss our special event on why government is so slow to modernize, and what it will take to catch up to Americans’ expectations.

Speakers Jen Pahlka and Matt Lira have been at the heart of efforts in two administrations to fix the digital systems Americans use to access benefits, fulfill responsibilities, and understand their civic rights. The talk will be followed by a reception in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress. Stop by and say hello!

Comments, questions, suggestions, tips, concerns? Did someone forward you the newsletter, and you’d like to subscribe? Send all of the above my way: anne@popvox.org.

Anne Meeker
Deputy Director