Internship Applications Open!

We are now accepting internship applications!
To begin the application process, please complete the Interest Form

For more information, please contact Nathalie Martinez at [email protected]

Universidad Popular Internship Program

Universidad Popular is a grassroots community-based organization promoting health, education and nurturing a culture of trust and civic participation in our nation’s democratic process. We bring together community leaders and educators with bold ideas who create programs that are culturally and linguistically responsive, data-driven, and social justice focused.

We build on a resilient tradition of resistance known as educación popular or popular education, meaning education of the people. This model of education is most commonly known as a liberating pedagogy through which an individual becomes aware of his or her personal experiences and how these experiences are connected to the larger society. An essential element to the model is empowerment and connecting individuals’ learning with their role in creating positive social change.

Internships/Volunteer Opportunities at Universidad Popular 

Universidad Popular offers programs throughout North County with the intent of capturing community knowledge and fostering an appreciation for traditional know-how while strengthening family and community cohesion. The goal is to teach living skills and to learn from each other. For us, it is about building self-reliance in a unique multi-generational setting and facilitating hands-on learning experiences.

Interns are expected to participate in at least one of the following programs:

Cultivando Liderazgo - Citizenship (Naturalization) and Civic Engagement  

Students work with community members who are preparing for naturalization/citizenship interviews by reviewing history, government and English language content. Students will gain an increased understanding of the Latinx community in the service area and will develop teaching and communication skills. Additionally, students will gain expertise in language and culturally relevant approaches working with Spanish speaking members of the community.

Community education classes are scheduled every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm San Marcos Elementary School, 1 Tiger Way, San Marcos, CA 92069.

Community education classes are scheduled every Monday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm House of Prayer 795 N. Rose St. Escondido, CA 92027

Cultivando Fortaleza - Disaster Preparedness 

Students work with community members, community leaders, promotores, and community educators in order to cultivate community education around disaster preparedness. Students and community members will engage in a series of courses to prepare our community for disaster through the CA Listos initiative. We are working together to build sustainable leadership skills among community members in order to bring the needed resources into our communities. Additionally, students will gain expertise in language and culturally relevant approaches working with Spanish speaking members of the community. 

Community education classes are scheduled every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm in our office, 261 Autumn Dr, Suite 115, San Marcos, CA 92069. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Access, Education and Outreach 

Students work with Universidad Popular’s Community Health Workers team to conduct outreach and education activities in hard to reach communities with the goal of informing community members and facilitating COVID-19 vaccine and testing access. Students will gain an increased understanding of the Latinx community in the service area and will develop an understanding of the community needs. Additionally, students will gain expertise in language and culturally relevant approaches working with vulnerable community members.

Community education activities are scheduled at different times throughout the week and weekend. Students must have availability on the weekends. Activities are mainly in North County (San Marcos & Escondido). 

Cultivando Salud - Food Justice 

Students work with Universidad Popular’s Community Education Team and partnering organizations to assist in the distribution of food to community members in multiple locations in North County, primarily in the unincorporated Pauma Valley area. Students will gain an increased understanding of the Latinx community in the service area and will develop community education and communication skills. Additionally, students will gain expertise in language and culturally relevant approaches working with vulnerable community members.

Food distributions are scheduled every Tuesday from 9am to 2pm in Pauma Valley Community Center (16650 CA-76, Pauma Valley, CA 92061). In addition, other distributions are scheduled at different times throughout the week. Students must have availability and reliable transportation. 

The Application Process

The application process serves to: a) assess applicants’ academic interests and needs; b) determine applicants' qualifications; c) identify project availability, and d) ensure appropriate internship placement.

Step 1. Initial Contact – Interested individuals are encouraged to contact our Internship coordinating team. Please include in your email your name, major, reasons for interest, and course information (if applicable). Universidad Popular will contact interested individuals with information on current projects and how to apply.

Step 2. Application – Applicants submits required application forms/documents on deadline provided. The UP team reviews student’s information to determine eligibility and availability of projects.

Required documents:

• Letter of Intent (In 1 page, describe the reasons for your interest in an internship with UP, your academic goals, experiences, areas of interest, and what you expect to accomplish as an intern with UP).
• Resume or CV
• Current class schedule (if applicable)
• Course Syllabus (if applicable)

Step 3. Training – Selected applicants are invited to attend a mandatory training session before they can begin their internship. This is an all-day training that includes: 1) An introduction to Universidad Popular and projects; and 2) cultural and linguistic competency training. 

Step 4. Project Placement – Interns will be assigned to a project and will receive a starting date.

Comunidad,

A month ago today, tragedy struck our friends and neighbors working at a nursery in Fallbrook when one of their co-workers shot and killed one worker, injured two others, and left a group of six workers in terror after witnessing the horror. During the last month, they bid farewell to one of their friends as his family took his remains to rest in Mexico, one of their injured friends was released from the hospital and is recovering at home with his family. A third friend remains hospitalized and faces an arduous recovery.

Not a day goes by that the survivors of this tragedy and their families forget the day it happened. They feel the impact daily. Not only are they dealing with the ever-present emotional trauma, but they have also been without work or income for a month. Their bills accumulate and they don’t see relief or assistance coming their way anytime soon. Government assistance for eligible victims could take months to process. And the winter storms continue to disrupt the availability and possibility of work for those who might be able to work. 

Our friends are asking us to put ourselves in their situation just for a moment and to try to understand the level of desperation and powerlessness they are feeling in the face of this tragedy.

As concerned community members, we are mobilizing to help those directly affected. If you or your foundation/organization/business would like to donate to help farmworkers impacted by this tragedy, you can donate here or reach out to us to make an award/grant.

The funds donated will be dispersed to impacted families to be used for emergency and critical needs and services to support the families affected by the Fallbrook shooting.

FUNDS FOR VICTIMS

Universidad Popular and Comité Cívico del Valle are collecting funds to support the farmworker community impacted by the shooting in Fallbrook, CA. You can donate here: https://gofund.me/173096f3

Comité Cívico del Valle, a 501c3 community-based nonprofit organization acts as the fiscal agent for the Fallbrook Farmworker Victims Relief. Comite Civico del Valle Inc.’s EIN # 33-0411322.

Donate here or mail check to:

Comité Cívico del Valle, Inc.
c/o Fallbrook Farmworker Victims Relief
235 Main St.
Brawley, CA 92227

To read the Voice of San Diego article about Covid-19 pandemic impact on farmworkers at Atkins Nursery and specifically, farmworker Marisela Monroy, read here.

Photo Courtesy of Adriana Heldiz 

Thank you for your generosity, love, and concern.

Many families in our community continue facing economic hardship and are going hungry. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse and inflation compounded the situation. We see the need first-hand. 

On Tuesdays, cars begin to line up in the dirt field in front of the Pauma Valley Community Center on Highway 76 and wait for several hours until the Feeding San Diego truck arrives at around 11am. Don Hilario’s small pickup truck is usually the first in line.  

To help alleviate the immediate need for food, we partnered with Feeding San Diego and have coordinated the food distributions in Pauma since 2010. However, we had to increase the number of distributions and more than doubled the amount of food being distributed in Pauma every Tuesday, currently serving over 250 families.  

In 2022 alone we had a total of 32 food distributions in Pauma Valley and distributed food to over 6,500 families. We invited community partners to bring additional services and resources to support families in this rural community. Thank you to the Pauma Valley Community Center Association, SD County Health and Human Services, Education Begins In the Home, and SDSU’s Communities Fighting COVID-19 for joining our efforts to ensure farmworkers and their families in the rural region of our county have access to healthy foods and other critical resources. 

Muchas familias en nuestra comunidad continúan enfrentando dificultades económicas y están pasando hambre. La pandemia de COVID-19 empeoró las cosas y la inflación agravó la situación. Vemos la necesidad de primera mano.  

Los martes, desde muy temprano por la mañana los autos comienzan a formar una línea enfrente del Centro Comunitario de Pauma Valley en Highway 76 y esperan varias horas hasta que el camión de Feeding San Diego llegue alrededor de las 11 a.m. La pequeña camioneta de Don Hilario suele ser la primera en la fila.

Para mitigar la necesidad inmediata de alimentos, nos asociamos con Feeding San Diego y hemos coordinado las distribuciones de alimentos en Pauma desde 2010. Sin embargo, tuvimos que aumentar el número de distribuciones y más del doble de la cantidad de alimentos que se distribuyen en Pauma todos los martes, sirviendo actualmente a más de 250 familias. 

Solo en 2022 tuvimos un total de 32 distribuciones de alimentos en Pauma y distribuimos alimentos a más de 6.500 familias. Invitamos a nuestros colaboradores comunitarios a traer servicios y recursos adicionales para apoyar a las familias en esta comunidad rural. Gracias a la Asociación del Centro Comunitario de Pauma Valley, a SD County Health and Human Services, Education Begins In the Home y a Communities Fighting COVID-19 de SDSU por unirse a nuestros esfuerzos para garantizar que los trabajadores agrícolas y sus familias en la región rural de nuestro condado tengan acceso a alimentos saludables y otros recursos críticos.

Curso de Promotores
Posted by Universidad Popular · July 22, 2022 4:46 PM · 1 reaction

Capacitación de Promotores Comunitarios
Posted by Universidad Popular · June 23, 2022 9:31 AM · 1 reaction

Partners
Posted by Francisco Ramirez · November 30, 2019 8:08 PM

Universidad Popular – Dignidad - ofrece un programa educativo que promueve los derechos humanos, incluyendo los derechos de la comunidad inmigrante.

 Popular es miembro de Alianza Comunitaria. Para más información sobre Alianza, favor de visitar http://alianzacomunitaria.org.

Universidad Popular es miembro de San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC). Para más información sobre SDIRC, favor de visitar http://immigrantsandiego.org.