Georgia County Internship Spotlight

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Image courtesy of Lumpkin County

University of North Georgia Student, Haley Brown, Interns with Lumpkin County

Haley Brown, a communications major at the University of North Georgia, interned for the County Manager’s Office in Lumpkin County, where she was tasked with creating and developing a Citizen’s Academy to help citizens better understand county government.  

The Academy was designed to inform citizens of county operations, boost participation at meetings, and produce a line of open communication between the citizens, officials, and county staff. Along with constructing the program, Brown also had to provide county management with the tools they needed to make this information easy to understand and accessible to the public.

When asked about her most significant successes during the internship, Brown noted it was using and improving her writing and research abilities for the project and then getting to see the positive results. By the end of her internship, she had created both the Citizens Academy class and a booklet to complement the course.

Skills gained over the course of the internship included learning how to communicate with staff, proper organization of county information, and advancements in writing skills. Her favorite part of the internship was learning about the services provided by Lumpkin County and getting to know the department heads and what they do.  Brown advised anyone interested in working in county government to consider an internship to gain as much real-life work experience as possible. When asked about her interest in pursuing a career in county government, Brown noted that she would be open to the experience.

For more information on the GCIP, please visit the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation website at http://www.civicaffairs.org.