Summer InternsHIPS
Internship Description
Our mission is to inspire the children and youth of Honduras to reach their potential by equipping them with the skills necessary for life management, academic achievement, spiritual growth, and leadership rooted in the Christian faith. Our summer interns serve in multiple ways to come alongside local leaders in their communities throughout Latin America. Internships follow various tracks that can tie into different passions and skillsets, with the intent of helping fulfill our greater mission and vision.
2025 Dates
Mid June- Early August
*Summer internships start and end in Nashville, TN for a pre-departure training and post-return debriefing retreat.
Cost
$2500 + Airfare
Internship Tracks
Click on a photo below to learn more about our different internship tracks
Intern Profile
Most of our interns are in the 18-25 year old range, coming from various universities across the globe. Some are coming to explore work in cross-cultural ministry, education, or a nonprofit. Others may be looking to stretch and develop their leadership skills, Spanish language skills, or serve outside their comfort zone. Others have come as they transition between jobs, or before beginning their university studies, or because of a personal connection from a friend. Whatever your story, we look for those with a heart aligned with our mission, adaptability in new situations, and a willingness to grow and be transformed as you serve.
Age Requirement: 18 years or older
Intern Program Objectives:
To act as a catalyst to active servant leadership
To instill a deeper understanding and appreciation for community
To provide a positive educational and personal development experience
Community Living
All our interns share a house together in the town of Copán Ruinas, Honduras, located in the very heart of the community you will be serving and learning from for the summer. The purpose for intentional community living is for interns to learn to value and cultivate an atmosphere of kinship, harmony, and a cooperative spirit among each other as housemates and teammates.
Spiritual Formation
We believe an essential piece of every internship is the spiritual formation that happens as we work together in community and learn more about God’s heart for the vulnerable. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in reading and discussions with staff and fellow interns around topics of justice, diversity and privilege, and how it relates to God’s Kingdom. Interns will be part of regular community building meetings leading up to, during, and after the internship.
Our Context
UrbanPromise Honduras is a non-profit ministry made up of about 15-20 local Honduran staff, some of whom grew up as children or youth in our programs over the last 15 years. We serve over 600 children and youth throughout the year in various AfterSchool and Vacation Camp programs in the community of Copán Ruinas, Honduras. About 120 of those children and youth come from one of the local Bilingual schools, and the rest are part of the local Spanish-speaking public schools. Copán Ruinas is a small town of about 15,000 people located four hours from San Pedro Sula, on the border of Guatemala. Copán Ruins is famous for its magnificent Mayan ruins, declared by UNESCO as an Archaeological World Heritage Site in 1980. It is also the home of Macaw Mountain Bird Park, a bird rescue, rehabilitation and release center, which has reintroduced scarlet macaws back into the wild of the Copán Valley. Coffee farms, natural hot springs and local markets & cuisine all contribute to making Copán Ruinas a cultural gem in the midst of the beautiful surrounding mountains. While serving in Copán Ruinas, interns will have the chance to visit and learn from some of these local cultural and historical sites, which we believe is an integral part of the personal formation that happens as part of the internship.