Yours for Humanity—Abby Internship Opportunity

The Worcester Women’s History Project (WWHP) announces the availability of an unpaid internship related to one of its ongoing projects, "All Things Abby." This project focuses on the life and work of Abby Kelley Foster, Worcester's renowned 19th century women's rights activist and abolitionist. The WWHP is a vibrant organization dedicated to highlighting, celebrating, and sharing the accomplishments of contemporary Worcester area women as well as those with historical significance. 

What the Internship Involves: 

The primary goal of the internship is to help in the marketing and booking of performances for the one-woman play, 

Yours for Humanity — Abby, performed by Lynne McKenney Lydick. This play, which has been performed hundreds of times both locally and regionally, powerfully brings Abby Kelley Foster to life for diverse and highly appreciative audiences. 

Specifically an intern will: 

• initiate contact with libraries, schools, colleges, historical societies and other organizations which might be interested in hosting a performance of Yours for Humanity — Abby 
• follow up with interested organizations with the goal of booking performances 
• engage in some promotional work, for example, producing flyers, adding a video clip of an aspect of the performance of the play to the WWHP website, and/or updating the section of the website focused on "All Things Abby" 
• attend meetings of and draft reports for the WWHP focused on the activities of the "All Things Abby" project 
• serve as a liaison between the "All Things Abby" project and the Steering Committee - the governing body of the WWHP 
• learn about and participate in the grant writing processes currently in place that help defray the costs of the play's performance for organizations with limited budgets 
• participate in the drafting of a budget for the "All Things Abby" project 

In order to accomplish the activities outlined above, the intern will meet with Lynne McKenney Lydick to learn about the play and the process of selecting and contacting organizations which might be interested in hosting a performance of the play. In addition, the intern will be asked to read Ahead of her Time, the biography of Abby Kelley Foster.  The intern will also attend selected performances of the play as a way of understanding the historical significance of Abby Kelley Foster, thus making the promotion of the play about her more skilled and effective. 

Qualifications: 

• strong communication skills, both written and oral 
• ability to work independently and to take initiative  
• computer literacy involving skill in e-mail correspondence, maintenance of a booking calendar, effective management of leads for performance venues, skill in searching for potential organizations interested in the play 
• time available, one evening monthly, to attend meetings of the WWHP Steering Committee    
• transportation to attend performances and meetings as well as to meet with Lynne McKenney Lydick as needed throughout the internship period 
• access to a personal computer and telephone 

For questions and more information, please contact Nancy Avila, WWHP Executive Assistant, 508-767-1852 or info@wwhp.org.