Hellenic College, Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries Forge Partnership for Nonprofit Leadership Internships

Hellenic College and Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries (OYM) are pleased to announce a new partnership providing Hellenic College students with opportunities to gain practical experience in nonprofit leadership and Orthodox Christian ministry through internships with OYM.

The partnership provides a meaningful connection between the classroom and the workplace for students in Hellenic College’s online Nonprofit Leadership and Management (NPLM) Program. As part of the NPLM curriculum, senior NPLM majors complete NPLM 4000, a required two-semester internship designed to give students sustained, hands-on experience in the field of nonprofit management.

Through placements with Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries, students will have the opportunity to apply their academic preparation to the work of an active Orthodox Christian nonprofit organization. Depending on their assignments, interns may contribute to youth and young-adult programming, communications, event planning, administrative projects, outreach, organizational development, and other areas of nonprofit ministry.

The partnership reflects Hellenic College’s commitment to educating students not only through academic study but also through experiences that connect learning with professional practice and service to the Church. By working directly within an Orthodox Christian organization, students can develop professional competencies while gaining a deeper understanding of the particular opportunities and responsibilities involved in nonprofit leadership within the Church.

“We are very pleased to establish this partnership with Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries,” said Dr. Nicholas Ganson, Dean of Hellenic College. “Partnerships like this are an important part of Hellenic College’s commitment to expanding experiential learning opportunities for our students and to building relationships with organizations whose work reflects our mission of spiritual and intellectual formation, personal development, professional preparation, and service to the Orthodox Christian community.”

ccording to Fr. Michael Lambakis, HCHC Interim president, “the wonderful partnership allows our Hellenic College community to apply what they learn in the classroom, to not only the world around them in a practical sense, but it allows them to carry out the petitions of the Divine Liturgy in which we pray for the entire world, and which gives our students the opportunity to actually live their Orthodox Christian faith.”  

The Executive Director of OYM, Dr. Chris Krampe emphasized that “this partnership will allow Hellenic College students to get hands-on experience in the essential operations of an Orthodox ministry, and provide OYM with reliable, mission-aligned support as we grow and expand our offerings. We are honored to be able to help provide a space for Hellenic College’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program to ensure these students will have even more opportunities to serve.”

The internship experience is structured as an academic course as well as a professional placement, with an OYM site supervisor responsible for the student’s day-to-day activities at the organization, including workplace guidance, assignments, professional expectations, and feedback concerning the student’s performance, and a faculty liaison from Hellenic College overseeing the academic dimension of the internship, including the course learning objectives, academic assignments, assessment, and awarding of academic credit.

For more information about the fully online Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program at Hellenic College, please contact the Hellenic College Dean’s Office or visit https://www.hchc.edu/undergraduate/nonprofit-leadership-management/. Prospective students can learn more by contacting the HCHC Office of Admissions at 617.850.1345.