Global Staff Care Chaplaincy Internship

Program: Global Staff Care

Reports to: HR Manager

Internship Type: Graduate Practicum / Clinical Hours

Duration: 10–12 weeks (Summer 2026)

Hours: 30–35 hours per week (300–350 total hours)

Location: Primarily remote

Program Overview:

Kids Alive International invites a graduate student from Palm Beach Atlantic University to serve as a Chaplaincy Intern during Summer 2026. This internship is designed to provide clinical ministry experience within a global, trauma-informed nonprofit context, while offering meaningful spiritual care and support to Kids Alive staff across multiple countries.

The Chaplaincy Intern will complete 300–350 clinical hours over a 10–12 week period (approximately 30–35 hours per week), engaging in both individual and group-based spiritual care. The role will be primarily remote, with an initial two-day in-person orientation at Kids Alive’s headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia.

This internship provides a unique opportunity to explore chaplaincy within a cross-cultural, organizational setting, supporting staff who serve vulnerable children and families in complex and often high-stress environments. This work will be in partnership with existing support structures, including existing staff support and the participation of local pastors.

Program Vision:

The Global Staff Care Chaplaincy Internship is designed to strengthen the spiritual and emotional well-being of Kids Alive staff while forming emerging ministry leaders who are equipped to serve in complex, cross-cultural environments.

Internship Objectives:

The Chaplaincy Internship is designed to:

•       Provide supervised, hands-on experience in pastoral and spiritual care (supervision will be established prior to the start of this internship)

•       Support the emotional and spiritual well-being of Kids Alive staff globally

•       Develop competencies in cross-cultural ministry and trauma-informed care

•       Integrate theological reflection with real-world ministry practice

•       Strengthen skills in listening, presence, discernment, and spiritual leadership

•       Explore chaplaincy within a nonprofit and organizational context

Key Responsibilities:

Individual Spiritual Care

•       Offer one-on-one virtual meetings with staff across Kids Alive’s U.S. office and international sites

•       Provide prayer, encouragement, and spiritual guidance

•       Practice active listening and emotional support in a safe setting; boundaries of confidentiality will be clearly communicated before the start of the internship

•       Support staff navigating stress, burnout, secondary trauma, or personal challenges and work with KAI on ways to prevent and mitigate the effects of these things

Group Care and Formation

•       Design and lead regular spiritual care offerings for staff, including:

-        Prayer gatherings (new and existing)

-        Devotional reflections

-        Guided spiritual practices

-        Opportunities for lament, reflection, and encouragement

Staff Well-Being and Self-Care Initiatives

•       Develop and facilitate self-care webinars and workshops for both English- and Spanish-speaking staff

These may include:

-        Biblical and theological foundations of rest and care

-        Practical self-care strategies for frontline workers

-        Stretching, breathing, or light movement practices

-        Guided reflection or journaling exercises

-        Creating rhythms of Sabbath and renewal

Cross-Cultural Engagement

•       Engage staff across multiple cultural contexts with humility and sensitivity

•       Adapt communication and care approaches for both English- and Spanish-speaking participants

•       Learn from global staff about the realities of ministry in diverse environments

Collaboration and Organizational Support

•       Work collaboratively with Kids Alive leadership and HR to identify staff care needs

•       Participate in team meetings as appropriate

•       Contribute to the development of sustainable staff care practices

•       Assist in identifying opportunities to strengthen spiritual formation across the organization

Supervisory Responsibilities:

•       None

Supervision and Formation:

The Chaplaincy Intern will receive structured supervision and support, including:

•       Weekly supervision with a qualified supervisor

•       Opportunities for case reflection and theological integration

•       Feedback on ministry presence, care practices, and leadership

•       Guidance in navigating ethical and pastoral considerations

•       Support in developing a personal philosophy of chaplaincy

Learning and Development Components:

To support clinical and vocational formation, the internship will include:

•       Reflective journaling throughout the internship

•       Participation in theological reflection sessions

•       Development of a final reflection paper or presentation

•       Exposure to trauma-informed care frameworks used by Kids Alive

•       Opportunities to observe and learn from multidisciplinary teams

Evaluation and Program Impact:

To ensure meaningful impact for both staff and the intern, the program will include a light evaluation component:

•       Pre- and post-internship feedback from participating staff to assess perceived support and well-being

•       Participation tracking for individual sessions and group offerings

•       Intern self-assessment of growth in key chaplaincy competencies

•       Supervisor evaluation and final feedback

Insights gathered through this process will help Kids Alive continue to strengthen staff care practices and refine future iterations of the internship.

Schedule and Structure:

•       Duration: 10–12 weeks (Summer 2026)

•       Hours: 30–35 hours per week (300–350 total hours)

•       Format: Primarily remote

•       Orientation: Two-day in-person orientation in Alpharetta, GA, and potentially a trip to one of the KAI countries

•       Flexible scheduling to accommodate global time zones

Desired Qualifications:

•       Graduate student in a Chaplaincy, Divinity, Counseling, or related program

•       Demonstrated interest in pastoral care and spiritual formation

•       Ability to engage cross-culturally with humility and sensitivity

•       Strong listening, communication, and relational skills

•       Comfort working in a remote and self-directed environment

•       Spanish language ability is a plus, but not required

Impact:

This internship provides a meaningful opportunity for a graduate student to develop as a chaplain while directly supporting the well-being of staff serving vulnerable children around the world.

Through this role, the Chaplaincy Intern will:

•       Grow in confidence and competence in spiritual care

•       Gain experience in a global, nonprofit ministry context

•       Contribute to the health and sustainability of Kids Alive staff

•       Develop a deeper understanding of trauma-informed, Christ-centered care

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by the selected candidate to successfully perform the essential functions of this internship. If requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role, absent undue hardship.

Physical Demands:

•       Remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time and be able to move about inside an office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.

•       Perform internship functions for durations of time representing the typical workday and on rare occasions exceeding the typical workday

•       Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery and technology, and must have the ability to use hands to handle, control, or feel objects or controls and reach with hands and arms

•       Constantly communicate and exchange correct information with team members, partners, and other stakeholders effectively

•       Read and comprehend, communicate clearly orally and in writing, with reasoning and analytical abilities, and mental flexibility

•       Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus

•       Hearing ability to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking level with or without correction, and to receive detailed information through oral communication

Regular Work Environment:

•       While performing the duties of this role, the intern will primarily work in a remote environment

•       The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate

•       This role may on rare occasions be required to work outside of normal working hours to accommodate global time zones

Travel:

This role may require limited domestic or international travel, including an initial two-day in-person orientation in Alpharetta, GA, and potentially a visit to one of the KAI countries during the internship period.

Nothing in this internship description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.