Brenna and Spencer are both warm, adventurous members of Invisible Children’s spring 2014 Engagement Team- that makes them the personal voice of Invisible Children to our supporters. Pioneer woman Spencer wove her way down to southern California from her homeland Canada (she’s from Vancouver) in her faithful Honda Element, stopping along the way to camp and hike. One of Brenna’s many talents is being able to whip up a batch of almond milk. It’s not surprising then, that part of her preparation for coming to San Diego was gathering all the cooking equipment that she’d need to indulge her foodie passions while here. I got to talk to them both (because my internship’s amazing) about what brought them to Invisible Children, what it’s like to intern here, and what on earth being an ‘Engagement’ Intern means.

Brenna and Spencer outside our downtown San Diego office.

Hi Spencer and Brenna! Walk me through a typical day as an engagement intern.

Spencer: A typical day involves getting to work, answering the phone, checking voicemails- seeing what’s come in overnight- then spending the morning getting back to people who’ve called us. After lunch we sometimes work as a group doing things like update calls, thank you cards or phone calls, or we each have a different aspect of donor stweardship that we focus on and we take ownership of in the afternoon.

Brenna:  For example, I’m getting to work with campus clubs and Spencer’s doing a lot of our offline checks.

Why did you guys want to intern at Invisible Children?

Brenna: Ever since I saw The Rough Cut [Invisible Children’s first film] my freshman year of college, I just knew that this was the kind of place I would thrive in. It’s a team of people who, more than this just being their day job, have an overall mission and goal, which is really incredible. I graduated this summer and I knew Invisible Children was my next step, and it worked out, which was great!

Spencer: I found out about Invisible Children primarily though watching KONY 2012 and from that point onward my family was really involved- I got my community, my church and the people surrounding me really involved. I really was excited to have an issue that I cared about and took ownership over in my community. From there, I hosted a couple of screenings, then fundraised, and have wanted to be a part of Invisible Children by working inside the walls, contributing what I can, for about a year and a half.

What sets your internship role apart from others, and what impact are you able to make in your specific role?

Brenna: We’re a team of people, to start off with. There’s several of us doing not exactly the same job, but pretty similar jobs, so I think that the comradery that we have on the Engagement Team is really nice.

Spencer: The biggest impact that I’ve been able to see is being Invisible Children’s personal voice to supporters, because we have our mass media and we have our social media, but it’s cool that when somebody calls us and they have a question or they need encouragement- that they call us, and you get to have that really individual relationship with them. Also, in Engagement we see the fruit of a lot of ‘little’ adding up to a really big difference and to a big financial impact.

"Here there's people from all different backgrounds, who have their own skills, their own passions, their own educations, and are choosing to apply those to something they care about. "

“Here there’s people from all different backgrounds, who have their own skills, their own passions, their own educations, and are choosing to apply those to something they care about. “

What’s it like living and working in community with the other interns?

Spencer: I really thrive in community. I’ve lived in community a lot in my life, and I think that community is how we were intended to live. That’s how we’re able to work together best and be our best selves. It is a challenge- there are weeks when I love it, and there are weeks when I don’t want to live with anyone! But ultimately that’s what makes this internship so powerful and Invisible Children as a whole so powerful: there is a community that is grounded in each other and who trusts each other, and that’s why this idealism and these dreams are able to work, because there’s a trust and dependability that is the foundation for these crazy ideals.

Brenna: Living in community with 15 other people in a house is breeding grounds for excellence, especially with the calibre of people who come and work for Invisible Children. Everyone who is here wants to be here. That makes the community so much better and of so much value.

HOW DO YOU THINK THIS INTERNSHIP IS SHAPING YOUR FUTURE?

Brenna: Something I’ve gained an appreciation of while I’ve been here is how young Invisible Children is but how much they’ve been able to accomplish. The entire staff is under the age of 35, basically, but they’re such incredibly powerful people. It’s incredible to see that age doesn’t limit you at Invisible Children if you have that dedication to your position.

Spencer: It’s been so encouraging for me to come in the midst of people who’ve been here for the past 10 years of their lives and seeing how they are so committed to what Invisible Children stands for that they’re willing to do whatever it takes, even if it takes personal sacrifice. That’s been really important for me to witness as a young person who’s new to the workforce and adulthood in general. Another thing that’s been cool is that here there’s people from all different backgrounds, who have their own skills, their own passions, their own educations, and are choosing to apply those to something they care about. That’s has shaped the way I’ll view my education and the different opportunities that come forth for me. It’s expanded my idea of what it means to pursue justice and work for a non-profit with my own skill set.

Spencer- you’ve been taking college classes while interning here. How have you found balancing that with the internship?

Spencer: I’m in full-time school online at the same time as dong this internship. It has been extremely challenging and difficult to prioritize for sure. The thing that keeps me motivated is remembering how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be pursuing full time education while also having the incredible life-transformation experience of interning here.

Brenna- Why did you want to intern here after graduating from college?

Interning at Invisible Children was my dream for so long, and seemed like the perfect cherry on top of four years of school. I get to forget about class and forget about work, forget about all of the student organizations that I’d been involved in, and pour myself completely into working for Invisible Children.

As part of her internship, Brenna gets to work with Invisible Children’s campus clubs.

What would your perfect Saturday in San Diego consist of?

Spencer: Going to the farmers’ market in Little Italy in the morning, (Brenna will probably say the same thing!), then I would have lunch at one of the many delicious restaurants in San Diego, then either hang out at the park of go to the beach and do watersports- go Kayaking or go surfing. Either that or a big day hike somewhere I haven’t been.

Brenna: I’d start my day at the farmers’ market for sure! I’m such a huge foodie that fresh produce makes me happy. I love being at the farmers’ market and the one in Little Italy is an amazing experience. Brunch is my favorite meal so there’d be brunch with some sort of Eggs-Benedict concoction and mimosas. I’d love to go to the beach after that and play some sand volley ball, lay out…do something active but also just relax.

Sum up, in one sentence, what it’s like to work for Invisible Children.

Spencer: A wild ride…it’s a job with work that needs to be done and deadlines that need to be met, but it’s a job that has purpose and direction and is inspiring, even in the midst of routine.

BRENNA: Feeling constantly inspired and pushed by the amazing people who are working around you.

Thanks Spencer and Brenna!

WE’RE LOOKING FOR PASSIONATE INDIVIDUALS LIKE BRENNA AND SPENCER TO JOIN OUR SUMMER 2014 ENGAGEMENT TEAM. IF YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CAN BE AN ENGAGEMENT INTERN AT INVISIBLE CHILDREN, VIEW OUR INTERNSHIP OPENINGS AND FILL OUT AN APPLICATION.

Brenna (back row, second from right) and Spencer (front row, second from right) with some of the spring 2014 intern class and a few of Invisible Children’s staff.