ILR High Road Ithaca Fellowship
Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

ILR High Road New York is statewide program that aims to teach ILR students practical methods for civic & community engagement and leadership. The High Road Ithaca Program offers students paid community engaged internships with partner organizations committed to social and environmental justice, diversity and equity, access and education in Ithaca and surrounding areas during the fall or spring semesters. Students work 5-10 hours a week and participate in critical reflection activities throughout the semester.

The Tompkins County chapter of the Mental Health Association was established in 1954, to address mental health needs in the Ithaca community. Our organization is 1 of 25 affiliates of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) ​and 1 of the 140+ national affiliates of Mental Health America (MHA). Today the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County continues this legacy through a peer-led model of support, grounded in the belief that lived experience is a powerful source of hope, understanding, and change.

Our programs are led by trained Peer Specialists and Peer Advocates, individuals who have navigated their own journeys with mental health, substance use recovery or supporting a loved one through behavioral health challenges. Because of this shared experience, peers are able to build trust, reduce stigma, and meet people where they are with compassion and respect.

Through peer counseling and navigation, recovery and justice support, family peer support, community education and our drop-in program, we provide services to about 1500 people a year. People can access support without judgment, diagnosis requirements, or barriers.

Mission: As a team of Peer Specialists, we draw on our lived experience and specialized training to empower individuals, families, and groups through peer support, advocacy and the provision of services which promote mental health recovery, prevention of mental illness, and early intervention. 

We advocate for the human and civil rights of people with mental health concerns on the community level through educational programs and community conversations about mental health issues, barriers to accessing support, and combating the social stigma around mental health issues.

Community Needs Assessment Intern:

MHATC is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented student intern to assist with a Community Needs Assessment project. This internship offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in community-based research, data collection, stakeholder engagement, and program development while contributing to meaningful work that helps improve mental health services in Tompkins County.

The intern will work to identify community strengths, gaps in services, emerging needs, and opportunities for future program development.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the development and implementation of a community needs assessment plan.
• Conduct literature reviews and research on community health and mental health trends.
• Help develop surveys, questionnaires, and interview guides.
• Collect and organize quantitative and qualitative data from community members, service providers, and stakeholders.
• Assist with focus groups, interviews, and community outreach activities.
• Compile and analyze data using spreadsheets and Monday.com.
• Prepare summaries, reports, presentations, and visualizations of findings.
• Identify service gaps, barriers to access, and emerging community needs.
• Support grant writing and strategic planning efforts by contributing assessment findings.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Interest in mental health, community wellness, and social justice.
• Experience with research methods, data analysis, or survey development is helpful but not required.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace.

Preferred Qualities

• Curiosity and willingness to learn.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Cultural humility and commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Comfort interacting with diverse community members and stakeholders.