Overview

The volunteer opportunity is intended for highly-motivated undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in gaining valuable experience in the athletic department in the areas of:

• Psychology
• Social Work
• Mental Health Advocacy
• Project Management
• Marketing
• Graphic Design
• Communications
• Public Health and more! 

The volunteer intern position will help execute internal and external programming and day-to-day operations, based on assigned tasks. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to break into future employment in the sports world and gain hours of experience for their résumé. Positions can begin as early as Summer 2024 for students who will be in Boise or have the ability to work remotely, as well as start dates in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 with a commitment of 5-10 hours a week. Internships will be one semester long, with the possibility to reapply for a second semester.  

Qualifications:

• Interest in working in collegiate athletics or with student-athletes in a variety of fields.
• Ability to work well under pressure in the fast paced environment of Division I Collegiate athletics.
• Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate at all levels.
• Organized with attention to detail and effective time management.
• Ability to problem solve and work autonomously, as well as in a team structure.
• Experience with Canva and/or other graphic design programs and/or Excel strongly preferred.

Duties:

Duties are personalized to the volunteer intern and based on interest and area of study. These duties may include (but are not limited to):

• Assist with project management, marketing, and/or graphic design for the BroncoBOLD and mental health programs.
• Aid in the creation of student-athlete mental health educational initiatives and resources to be displayed around the athletic department and distributed to teams.
• Attend monthly BroncoBOLD Mental Rep Talks with student-athletes and learn from experts in the field of mental health and sports psychology.
• Assist in the planning and implementation of campus-wide events, such as Suicide Prevention Week, the Suicide Prevention Football game in fall 2024, and the Mental Health Awareness games for all sports during fall 2024 and spring 2025.
• Manage daily tasks such as refilling stress relief baskets in team rooms and lounges.
• Assist in the development of content for the BroncoBOLD social media accounts.
• Attend monthly BroncoBOLD Student-Athlete Leadership Committee* meetings to assist the leadership group with project management.
• Other duties as assigned.

*Please note, as a volunteer intern, you will have the opportunity to serve in an oversight capacity to the Student-Athlete BroncoBOLD Leadership Committee. 

Purpose:

The internship is designed to: 

• Develop your knowledge of mental health and help you apply it through best practices. 
• Learn how to manage relationships with coaches and support staff while always keeping the health, safety, and privacy of the student-athletes (SA) as the focus of your decision making. 
• Provide exposure to mental health-related NCAA compliance policies, as well as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities in the mental health space.
• Provide exposure to multiple teams carrying student-athlete needs, and collaboration with a team of Sports Performance, Health and Wellness professionals.
• Create material to communicate relevant and educational mental health information to student-athletes or staff through the use of social media, team talks, handouts, newsletters, or other avenues. 
• Improve time-management skills. 
• Observe first-hand the role of licensed mental health providers in collegiate athletics. 
• Learn how to set appropriate boundaries and how to have formal conversations within a working environment. Learning what is socially acceptable in a professional setting and what is not. 

We do not expect you to know everything there is to know about student-athlete mental health. We do ask that you be honest with strengths and limitations. It is better to admit your gaps in knowledge than to fake them. By being honest about where you are at, you are allowing yourself the full capacity to learn and grow.

This volunteer intern position is NOT a graduate level clinical psychology, counseling or social work internship. This position WILL NOT provide you with 1:1 direct client hours, session shadowing, group hours, etc. 

Weekly Time Commitment:

• On average, your weekly time commitment will be 5-10 hours.
• You may request your time commitment to be more time intensive or less time intensive, depending on your schedule. 
• If you are using this internship experience to complete hours for credit, you are responsible for keeping track of your own hours. Each month, review your hours with your supervisor to check off on them. 
• General Tasks: resource development (newsletter, handouts, protocols, social media posts), attendance at staff meetings, BroncoBOLD Mental Rep Talks and team talks,  researching team talk topics, assisting with the BroncoBOLD Idaho High School Ambassador program and various mental health advocacy and awareness events throughout the academic year.  
• Take responsibility to initiate tasks you believe would be helpful.  
• Be effective and efficient with your time. 
• Athletics is continuous. Often times when students have breaks, the athletic department is still working.
• Please take note: Dead Week & Finals Week: If feeling overwhelmed and need to take time off during dead week and finals week, that is acceptable. Please communicate with your direct supervisor ahead of time to ensure there is appropriate coverage for your absence.