CORO KANSAS CITY INTERNSHIP IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS
A partnership with Park University’s Hauptmann School for Public Affairs 

The Coro Kansas City Summer Internship in Public Affairs is offered through a partnership with Park University's Hauptmann School for Public Affairs. The 10-week program is open to recent college graduates and to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students from any college or university. Participants earn three elective credits from Park University and, in many cases, can transfer those credits back to their home institutions. Coro Kansas City pays summer tuition for program participants and provides a stipend.

The Program is led by The Honorable Kay Barnes, former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and Distinguished Professor for Public Leadership at Park University’s Hauptmann School for Public Affairs. Kay will work closely with Don Wise, Hauptmann School Fellow for Nonprofit Leadership at Park University, the former Executive Director of the Civic Leadership Training Council, and a respected non-profit consultant.

The purpose of the internship is to develop future community leaders through exposure to community issues, leadership development, civic leaders and organizations. This structured internship program is demanding, full time, and requires an interest in public affairs. Each intern is assigned an individual internship in each of the five sectors of business, government, labor, media, and non-profit organizations. Participants are immersed in these five internship sectors, allowing them to learn experientially and establish significant professional contacts.

In addition to individual placements, interns enjoy a broad range of leadership and professional development opportunities. They are also immersed in the Greater Kansas City Region – gaining first-hand knowledge of its challenges and its opportunities. In past years, interns have participated in sessions concentrating on: team-building; mock trials; diversity training; money management; career management; media training; labor mediation; entrepreneurship; small business; the arts; and many other topics.

Coro Interns have many opportunities over the course of the program to interview community leaders including elected officials, neighborhood activists, business leaders, and others who are charting the course of Kansas City’s future. We estimate the interns interact with over 1,000 people during the summer program.

The summer wraps up with a group community service project and graduation presentation.

Coro’s unique approach to community leadership training emphasizes experiential learning and trains participants in skills that are essential for effective citizenship, including communication, team building, conflict resolution, critical thinking, consensus, decision making and facilitation. 

In recent years, interns were placed with the following organizations:

BUSINESS

All Star Awards, American Century Companies, Kansas City Board of Trade, Canterbury Preparatory School, Citicorp,Inc., Hallmark Cards Inc., McCown-Gordon Construction, Missouri Bank & Trust, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, TreatAmerica, Sprint Nextel, Inc., Gold Bank, and VML (Valentine-McCormick-Ligibel, Inc.).

GOVERNMENT

Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Labor/Women’s Bureau, U.S. Health and Human Services, Kansas Health and Human Services, General Services Administration, Jackson County Executive Offices, Kansas City Missouri Mayor’s office, Unified Government of Wyandotte County & Kansas City Kansas, City of Overland Park, City of Independence, City of Lee’s Summit, City of Roeland Park, Jackson County Public Defender’s Office, Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Johnson County, Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, Mid-America Regional Council, Office of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, and The Kansas City Missouri Police Department.

LABOR

Insulators #27, BCTW, BCT-GM #16, Carpenter’s District Council, Graphic Communications International (GCIU) #235M, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) #53 and #124, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF ) #42, IAM-AW #1650, KCMO Teachers’ Union (AFT) #691, PACE, Pipefitters #53, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) #2000, Sheetmetal Workers #2, Teamsters #41, #52 and #955, UFCW #576, and United Auto Workers (UAW) #31, #249 and #710.

NON-PROFIT

Alphapointe, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, Bridging the Gap, Children’s Center for Visually Impaired, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Don Bosco Community Center, Center for Developmentally Disabled, Donnelly College, El Centro, Foster Parent’s Association, Friendship House/Catherine’s’ Place, Harvesters, Heart of America United Way Inc., Hope House, Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Kansas City Community Foundation, LINC, Mattie Rhodes Center, Mid America Assistance Coalition, MOCSA, Harmony/ NCCJ (National Conference of Community and Justice), Planned Parenthood, Project EAGLE, reStart, Rosebrooks, YMCA, YouthFriends, and Youth Volunteer Corps of America and Village Shalom.

MEDIA

Carter Broadcasting, Entercom Broadcasting, Cumulus, Union Broadcasting, Susquahana Radio, Dos Mundos, The Daily Record, The Globe, The Independence Examiner, The Kansas City Kansan, Northeast News, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Business Journal, The Pitch, Kansas City Hispanic News, KCPT TV19, KCMO TV 5, KMBC TV 9, WDAF TV 4, KCUR-FM, and KSHB TV 41.