CDP Boot Camp Launches Talented Student Interns

The Center For Arts Education's Career Development Program (CDP) creates opportunities for high school students and educators to participate in school-to-career activities in the arts and related industries. The goal is to expose students, teachers, counselors, and administrators to the many career options in New York City's $21.2 billion arts and creative industries.

CDP kicked off its 2010 student intern program in February, with an intensive two-week orientation known affectionately as Boot Camp.

Designed to provide practical job-skills training, Boot Camp prepares students for work site placements CDP coordinates in fields such as marketing, theater design, music, architecture and fashion.

Drawing on over a decade of experience, CDP has partnered with over 100 work sites to date, helping close to 500 students throughout New York City's five boroughs. The many organizations who have participated in the program include Bloomingdale's, Ballet Hispanico, Rockwell Group, and The Broadway League.

Throughout each student's 13-week internship, which ends May 28th, regular feedback and support is provided from the work site mentor, CAE and the school's educator interns.

Recent interns' work has ranged from keeping press logs, creating Flash animation, writing newsletters, and doing research for a television documentary.

Some of this year's Boot Camp highlights included team-building exercises, communications and presentation skills, writing résumés, workplace etiquette and job-hunt training workshops.

In addition to learning and polishing these skills, students had the opportunity to actively engage in the arts, such as participating in a dance workshop hosted by Daniel Gwirtzman of the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company.

On the final day of the Boot Camp, called Career Awareness Day, students gathered at the Guggenheim Museum for a special behind-the-scenes tour with associate director of education Sharon Vatsky.

Students had the opportunity to hear from a group of distinguished teaching artists representing different arts-related industries, including filmmaker Shari Carpenter and Boston Review Fiction Prize winner Tiphanie Yanique, who shared their professional odysseys.

Beyond providing valuable knowledge and skills, Boot Camp also offered the chance for students to come together and meet other young people who share a similar devotion and passion for the arts.

As intern Estafania Pardo reflected, "Through this internship I feel that now I am part of a team that brings the arts to people. I feel that I am doing something to support the arts in New York City!"

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