Internships

The Champaign Park District, located in East Central Illinois, invites college students (undergraduate and graduate) to apply for a jam packed semester experience. Spend time with us to explore new areas, gain experience, network with professionals, and build your resume. Our certified and professional staff will help you understand the daily operations of a park district while developing your skills and knowledge to prepare you for a career in parks, recreation, cultural arts, special events, risk management, marketing, sports, human resources, facilities, operations, or landscape architecture.

Only students seeking to do an internship for credit or graduation requirement from an accredited college or university will be considered.

Internship options are assigned based on your strengths, growth, and interest areas. In addition, district staff is available to help you with resume and cover letter preparation, interviewing techniques, and your job search.

As an intern you will have office space in one of our facilities and access to office equipment and supplies. Staff shirts and a name tag are also provided to wear to district programs.

Mission

The mission of the Champaign Park District is to provide quality parks and recreation for our community - Adopted 10/03

Get The Facts

The Champaign Park District is a special district of local government with its own financial and legal responsibilities.
Governed by five elected residents
2 outdoor pools, one a full aquatic center with lazy river and slides
2 owned gyms, 2 shared gyms
$5 million outdoor sports complex
1 Skatepark
1 Historic Virginia Theatre
1 Cultural arts center
1 Childrens' petting farm
1 Indoor tennis facility
Large community special events
70 Full time staff
Serves a population of 78,000
Provides over 1,200 leisure opportunities annually
Staff active in state and national professional organizations
United States' Nations in Bloom representative
Types of Internships
Internships may be full-time or part-time depending on students’ needs. The duration is at least 12 weeks but may go longer if your program requires it.
Full-Time
Full-time internships are usually reserved for recreation, sport, and tourism majors (or related) that need to complete a full-time internship as a graduation requirement for their college or university.

Options for full-time internships:

Cultural Arts/Springer Cultural Arts Center
Receive hands on experience in a wide variety of program areas including art programming, exhibitions, contests, concerts, festivals, pottery, dance, preschool programming, day camps, and facility management.  In addition, work with the Virginia Theatre and gain experience in learning how a 1500 seat historic community theatre operates.  This includes work in concessions, ticket sales, sponsorships, event management, fundraising, tours and restoration of our beautiful Theatre!

Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation
Learn all aspects of programming for individuals with disabilities, primarily developmental, through hands on experience. Participants range in age from 4 through adulthood. Program areas include Youth & Teen, Sports & Fitness and Adult Programs. 

Douglass Community Center
Learn how a true community recreation center and park works with the community.  Assist in developing programs and special events for the Douglass community.

Special Events
Work district-wide special events. Learn how to plan, execute, and evaluate these programs and recruit volunteers to ensure the events’ success.

Sports/Leonhard Recreation Center
Be part of the division that plans, organizes, develops, coordinates, and evaluates youth, adult, and senior sports. May also be part of tournament planning, concessions, and field maintenance programs depending upon the season.

Tennis/Fitness/Aquatics
Learn the ropes of providing fitness programs, outdoor swim activities, and indoor and outdoor tennis to a large community.

Environmental
Develop environmental program curriculum for Porter Park, Kaufman Lake and Mattis Lake.  Develop a maintenance management plan for Porter as it develops into Prairie.  Address where it should get mowed, etc.  Work with the Green Team to ensure that environmental practices are in place.

Human Resources
Network with HR and business leaders, who provide an understanding of HR's role in the Champaign Park District’s success. Experience first-hand the environment that makes the Park District an employer of choice.  The internship provides administrative support in the area of Human Resources, which includes, but is not limited to, some specific daily tasks and special projects. Will review resumes and help maintain general Human Resources e-mail. Special projects include I-9 processing and completing specific EEO reports.

Part-Time
Part-time internships are typically for other majors looking to gain experience in the field of arts education, marketing, public relations, accounting, or risk management. Although part-time internships last 12 weeks, the hours worked per week will be significantly less than a full-time internship.

Pay Rate

Full-time interns receive a $50 per week stipend for a forty-hour week. Hours agreed to over forty hours are paid at the going hourly rate for the position. Part-time interns do not get paid or receive a stipend for their internship work. All interns are eligible for other paid employment opportunities within the district available during your internship.

Deadlines

To Apply

1. Select an internship option. Make sure you will be able to get school credit for your plan.
2. Send your resume with a cover letter to:
   Champaign Park District
   c\o Tammy Hoggatt
   706 Kenwood Road
   Champaign, Illinois 61821
   Fax: 217-355-8421
   Email:
3. We will contact you to set up an interview if you are a selected candidate.
4. At the interview, you will be asked to discuss past experiences, future goals, areas of interest, and your desired outcomes from the internship. During this visit you will also meet the staff in your area of interest.
   

Have Questions?

• Call 217-398-2550