THE SERVING COMMUNITIES INTERNSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINES and PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Program Objectives:

• Create meaningful opportunities for students to develop skills and deepen applied learning opportunities to support personal and career goals.
• Foster an appreciation for community engagement while supporting the efforts of Non-profit/Voluntary Organizations to achieve their missions and strengthen local communities
• Increase student awareness of the important contributions of the Nonprofit/Voluntary sector to their communities and the possibilities of working in the sector.

Program Guidelines:

• The Intern has a specified project of activity with clearly outlined deliverables that support the advancement of the organization's mission. The deliverables of each Internship are to be articulated and agreed upon by both parties prior to commencement of the Internship through the Letter of Agreement.
• There is a clear, written understanding from both the Intern and the Nonprofit/Voluntary Organization of the timeframe, working arrangement, and desired outcomes of their involvement.
• The Intern can only complete one SCiP internship per program year.
• During the internship term, the participating organization cannot provide additional compensation of any kind to the Intern.
• The Nonprofit/Voluntary Organization does not need to a member of the Volunteer Alberta, but must meet the eligibility requirements to participate in SCiP.

Program Length:

• The Internship must ideally be completed within one program year, or equivalent, and be of sufficient duration to achieve the agreed upon outcomes of the Internship.
  • The average internship is about three months in length, but can be longer or shorter depending on the terms agreed upon by both parties.
  • Award applications must be submitted 18 months from the beginning of that internship.
• Internships can start at any time during the academic year, provided the student is enrolled in an academic program at one of the eligible institutions for that year.

Privacy Policy Statement and Confidentiality

Your Organization’s Commitment to Program Stakeholders:

• Your Organization is committed to protecting the privacy of your employees, volunteers, members, customers, and public stakeholders.  You value the trust of your stakeholders, and commit to being clear, transparent, and accountable when dealing with the information they share with you.
• In delivering programs and services, the intern or organization may gather and use personal information.  You carefully protect this information and will obtain consent to utilize the information for any other purpose.
• Personal information gathered by organizations must be kept confidential.  Your employees, volunteers and interns will utilize personal information only for the reason that is was intended.  Safeguards are in place to ensure the information is not disclosed or shared beyond its original purpose.  You also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent it from being lost or destroyed.

What is Personal Information?

• Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual.  This information can include an individual’s opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about or related to that individual.  
• The law outlines some exceptions. These include: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers that are published in directories.