Graduate Intern supporting Transportation for Seniors

About the OCDOA and Transportation for Seniors in Orange County: Orange County’s Department on Aging is committed to educating older adults about the availability and use of existing transportation services, taking leadership to foster cooperation and collaboration among Orange County’s transportation providers, and working with local stakeholders to expand the current transportation system and create alternatives such as volunteer-driver programs.

Current services include:

1. A dedicated Transportation Help-line is available M-F 8am-5pm. The Help-line receives an average of 85 calls per month from clinicians looking for transportation resources for a patient or a resident who is becoming temporarily or permanently transit dependent.
2. The Volunteer Driving Program (VDP) provides necessary trips for seniors that have no existing public or non-public transit options that meets their needs. The program has grown from 9 to 15 volunteer drivers and has provided 426 one-way rides this past year.
3. Community outreach and Travel training provided through regularly scheduled speaking engagements, community events, classes, day trips and one-on-one trainings
4. Master Aging Plan (MAP) Transportation Workgroup serves as a hub for improving transportation in the area by bringing together social service, transit, and health organizations for regular meetings to improve transit.

About the Intern Position: The Transportation Intern will focus on expanding Orange County’s Volunteer Driver Program (VDP) through co-development of a rideshare web/mobile app with our non-profit partner Code the Dream. Additionally, the intern will be working with the Aging Transitions team on a virtual event planned for early December for Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. This is a new idea, and will be loosely framed around a presentation currently being developed on “Driving: Planning for Retirement” for this fall’s Caregiver Summit.

A successful candidate for this internship will:

• Become a team player in our efforts to provide seniors with more transit opportunities via community education, new technologies, and 1:1 training.
• Enjoy working with a diverse set of stake holders to accomplish a high priority community goal.
• Have an interest in project management, specifically; planning, marketing, and implementing a community-wide event.
• Be self-directed, take initiative, troubleshoot challenges, and reach out proactively for support.

Position Details: 

• The ideal candidate will be a UNC graduate student in City and Regional Planning, the School of Government, Public Health, Public Administration, Social Work, Occupational Therapy or similar discipline.
• Expected commitment is 6 hours/week throughout the academic year, Sept 2020-May 2021.
• Intern will be encouraged to participate in a weekly (virtual) meeting with Code the Dream, Mondays at 1pm.
• Other hours are flexible and can be performed on-site or remotely.
• Compensation – $20/hour

To Apply: Submit a resume and cover letter to Alison Smith, Transportation Specialist* @ alsmith@orangecountync.gov . Priority will be given to applications received before September 14, 2020

*The Transportation Specialist (Mobility Manager) is part of the OCDOA Senior Transportation Expansion, Assessment and Mobility Management (STEAMM) project that is funded through the Section 5310 enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO).