Voice Up Grassroots Media & Civic Leadership Internship 100% Remote

VOICE UP PUBLISHING, INC.
Find Your Pathway to Purpose
National Grassroots Civic Leadership & Mental Health Internship
Internship Position Voice Up Publishing, Inc.

Organization
Voice Up Publishing, Inc.

Position Title
National Grassroots Civic Leadership & Mental Health Intern

Term
Spring 2026 Summer 2026 Fall 2026

Format
100% Remote (with optional local, in-person engagement in your city or community)

Schedule
Flexible hours per week based on academic, professional, or personal availability

Compensation
Academic Credit Volunteer/Unpaid

Contact

ABOUT VOICE UP
Our Mission: To connect people to purpose one conversation at a time.
Voice Up Publishing, Inc. is a purpose-driven public health startup and grassroots movement founded in November 2024. Voice Up operates as a first-of-a-kind action think tank grounded in IRB-approved doctoral research. Our work specializes in reaching traditionally underserved communities through a light-touch, human-centered 8-week methodology.
In just over one year of operation, our impact has been significant:
Convened a growing ecosystem of universities, nonprofits, and public health leaders across the United States and globally
Generated real-world artifacts, campaigns, and initiatives already being adopted by external organizations
Built a national and global network of students, professionals, and purpose-driven leaders across multiple disciplines
Reached communities across 250 institutions of higher learning.
Documented measurable outcomes, including a significant reduction in anxiety among participants
Voice Up’s work focuses on helping individuals discover purpose, strengthen mental and behavioral well-being, and create tangible pathways for leadership and service within their own communities.

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
This internship is designed for individuals across the United States who are interested in mental and behavioral health, community leadership, and local civic engagement.
Interns will support and help build a new national model for local elections, empowering individuals in any city to step into leadership roles and successfully run for local office.
This work is grounded in real-world conversations and community-based strategies, such as:
Building small, committed core teams (3 5 people)
Expanding into broader community networks (10 20 people)
Creating coordinated action and shared rhythm across participants
Developing messaging rooted in authenticity, presence, and trust
This internship is built on a simple and powerful idea:
Strong communities are built by people who show up locally, consistently, and with purpose.
This internship provides experience in:
Grassroots campaign strategy adaptable to any city or community
Mental and behavioral health advocacy through civic leadership
Community-based outreach, storytelling, and engagement
Digital coordination and synchronized communication strategies
Purpose-driven leadership development grounded in research
Because Voice Up operates as a living laboratory for innovation, interns will also gain exposure to cutting-edge approaches grounded in doctoral research and real-world implementation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
FOCUS AREA 1 Local Campaign Activation (Any City, Any Community)
Interns will:
Identify and support local candidates, emerging leaders, or community members interested in running for local office
Assist in building small, highly engaged core teams (typically 3 5 individuals)
Support the expansion of these teams into broader volunteer networks (10 20 individuals or more)
Help design and implement simple, repeatable campaign actions that can be used in any city regardless of resources
Participate in or observe local campaign efforts (when applicable) to better understand community dynamics

FOCUS AREA 2 Messaging & Narrative Development
Interns will:
Translate real conversations into clear, authentic, and relatable campaign messaging
Support the development of messaging frameworks centered on:
Leadership that shows up
Responsible leadership
Stronger communities
Assist in creating written, visual, and digital content that reflects real lived experiences
Ensure that messaging remains accessible to everyday community members, not just political audiences
Help align messaging with mental and behavioral health priorities within the community

FOCUS AREA 3 Digital Engagement & Community Rhythm
Interns will:
Assist in organizing coordinated weekly or biweekly campaign actions
Help develop simple content calendars that community members can follow
Support synchronized social media engagement across small teams
Help establish a consistent rhythm of communication and action among participants
Track participation and engagement to identify what strategies are most effective

FOCUS AREA 4 Mental & Behavioral Health Integration
Interns will:
Help ensure that campaigns reflect real community needs related to mental and behavioral health
Support candidates who demonstrate empathy, lived experience, or commitment to community well-being
Assist in connecting campaign messaging to public health principles
Identify opportunities to incorporate youth development, family support, and wellness initiatives into campaign platforms
Contribute to a broader understanding of how civic leadership can positively impact mental health outcomes

FOCUS AREA 5 Research, Documentation & National Model Development
Interns will:
Document campaign processes, strategies, and outcomes across different cities
Gather feedback from participants, volunteers, and community members
Assist in identifying patterns and best practices that can be replicated nationally
Contribute to the development of a scalable model for grassroots, mental health-informed civic leadership
Support the creation of reports, summaries, or case studies based on real-world implementation

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By participating in this internship, students and professionals will gain:
Real-world experience working at the intersection of public health, mental health, and local civic engagement
Exposure to IRB-grounded doctoral research applied in real community and campaign settings
Experience building and activating grassroots teams within diverse communities
Skills in strategic communication, messaging, and storytelling
Understanding of how mental and behavioral health can be integrated into public leadership
Experience designing scalable, low-resource campaign systems
The ability to translate ideas into real-world action within their own city or community
Interns will also gain experience working within a collaborative ecosystem that includes universities, nonprofit organizations, and emerging civic leaders.

ELIGIBILITY
This internship is open to:
Undergraduate students
Graduate students
Working professionals seeking academic credit or career transition experience
Individuals from any academic or professional background
Students and professionals pursuing the following areas may find this internship especially valuable:
Public Health
Social Work
Psychology
Political Science
Communications
Education
Business
Nonprofit Leadership
Community Development
Behavioral Health
No prior political experience is required.
Individuals who care about their community and are willing to learn are strongly encouraged to apply.

THREE WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
ACADEMIC CREDIT
Earn credit toward your degree while creating real-world impact.
Coordinate with your university’s internship or field placement office
Provide documentation of your work and hours as required by your institution
Voice Up provides a supervising contact and can sign required university forms
Typically 1 3 credits depending on institutional requirements
Interns must meet minimum hour and deliverable expectations

VOLUNTEER
Contribute your time and skills to a mission-driven national movement.
No financial barrier to entry
Flexible hours designed around your schedule
Receive formal documentation of participation
Build a professional portfolio through real-world impact
Minimum commitment determined collaboratively

VOICE UP UNIVERSITY
Deepen your experience through structured learning and application.
Access to the B Curriculum and Voice Up University resources
Participate in weekly learning and application cycles
Engage with global peer cohorts
Ideal for individuals seeking a more immersive experience
Eligible for future opportunities within the Voice Up ecosystem

INTERNSHIP STRUCTURE
Format:
100% Remote with optional local engagement
Schedule:
Flexible determined by the intern
Hours:
5 15 hours per week (adjustable based on academic requirements)
Term Options:
Spring 2026 Summer 2026 Fall 2026
Check-In:
Weekly virtual check-in with a Voice Up supervisor
Deliverables:
Local campaign support or activation plan
Community outreach, engagement, and reflection summary
Compensation:
Academic Credit or Volunteer/Unpaid

WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY MATTERS
Across the United States, communities are seeking leaders who:
Understand mental and behavioral health
Are present and engaged at the local level
Reflect the lived experiences of the people they serve
At the same time, many individuals who would make strong local leaders do not run for office because they lack:
Clear guidance
Support systems
A practical starting point
This internship addresses that gap by providing a simple, scalable model that can be used in any city, in any state, regardless of resources.
Participants will help build a new approach to civic leadership that is:
Grounded in empathy
Driven by community relationships
Focused on real, everyday impact
This represents a shift from traditional top-down political models toward community-driven, purpose-centered leadership development.

THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF VOICE UP
All interns are expected to embody these principles:
Collaboration All are welcome
Humility We all have much to learn
Precision All the details matter
Patience We all need forgiveness
Empathy We walk in each other’s shoes

HOW TO APPLY
Students and professionals interested in this internship are encouraged to apply.
Contact:
Include:
Your name and current institution or organization
Your area of study or professional background
Your preferred participation track (Academic Credit, Volunteer, or Voice Up University)
A brief statement (2 3 sentences) explaining:
Why you are interested
How this connects to your community or purpose

FINAL STATEMENT
This internship is designed so that:
Anyone, in any city, can participate
Anyone can help build a campaign
Anyone can contribute to stronger communities
It is a national movement with local impact built one conversation, one team, and one city at a time.

Modern research echoes this framing. Studies in behavioral science and public health consistently show that subjective distress often precedes measurable decline. Before clinical anxiety, there is unease. Before financial crisis, there is avoidance. Before social isolation, there is disconnection. These early signals are rarely acted upon not because people don’t notice them, but because they lack a system to respond.
The dominant models in health and education have historically assumed a knowledge deficit: if people know better, they will do better. But decades of evidence from to implementation science have demonstrated the opposite. Knowledge is necessary, but insufficient.
The real challenge is execution.

A Different Hypothesis
The second document the formal theory of change states the premise with unusual clarity:
Individuals do not lack awareness they lack a structured, socially reinforced system that converts awareness into sustained behavioral action

This is not a minor distinction. It is a reframing of the entire problem.
If the issue is not awareness, then interventions that focus solely on education, information, or motivation are misaligned. What is required instead is something closer to infrastructure: a repeatable, lived system that bridges intention and behavior.