Vivid Stage Partners With Eleven+ to Provide Internships For Students of Color

Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, will partner with Eleven+ to help underserved students gain important, paid work experience that will better prepare them for the job market when they complete their education.

Elevate to Even Plus Incorporated, abbreviated to its day-to-day operating name as Eleven+, is a start-up nonprofit which has developed what many think is a win-win situation. It aligns underserved students of color from low-income families with the large number of nonprofits operating in local and neighboring communities through a paid internship program. The organization identifies sources of underutilized high achievers and partners with nonprofits to host summer internships. Additionally, Eleven+ raises funds and pays grants to each host so they can pay the interns' wages at $15 per hour. It maintains partnerships with hosting organizations in Northern NJ, New London, CT, and Cleveland, OH.

Vivid Stage is partnering with Eleven + for the summer of 2022 and is providing a paid internship experience for a student from NJ. Vivid Stage recognizes the importance of internships in providing students with valuable work experiences and opportunities for skill-building and networking that can improve prospects in education, work, and life for the participating students. Vivid Stage will also be providing a mentor to guide the intern through what is likely to be their first professional work experience.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jamir (Jay) Freeman, a student at Centenary University, to an internship this summer. He is a young theatre professional, and will bring his enthusiasm and talent to the job while learning from the rest of the team," said Laura Ekstrand, Artistic Director of Vivid Stage.

Additional information about Eleven+ is available at eleven-plus.org and about Vivid Stage at vividstage.org. For more information, please contact Carolyn Parelli carolyn.parelli@eleven-plus.org. For information on any of Vivid Stage's programs, please visit www.vividstage.org or contact Vivid Stage at Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, 908-514-9654.