Voice Up Publishing
Lived Experience Series Internship
Editorial, Storytelling, Filmmaking & Art Internship — A voiceuplearning.life Practicum Track
Priority Focus: Films, Stories & Art That Inspire Youth, Teens & Young Adults Toward Purpose
Independent Filmmaker Track
Documentary & Short Film · Open Worldwide
Editorial & Storytelling Track
Writing & Editing
Visual & Applied Art Track
Illustration, Comics, Mixed Media & Digital Art
Why This Internship Exists
National and state data show youth and young-adult behavioral health as a population-level crisis, not a marginal concern. Research points to a clear need: expanded pipelines for behavioral health professionals and early intervention models built on school connectedness, family engagement, and trauma-informed care.
The Lived Experience Series — and this internship supporting it — exists to help people name and share their own relevant experience early, rather than years into adulthood, turning that experience into published insight others can learn from. This internship is intentionally focused on work created for and about youth, teens, and young adults: films, stories, and art built to inspire a younger audience toward a sense of purpose, rather than general-audience content.
2 in 5
U.S. high school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness
Verlenden et al., 2024
47%
of Indiana high school students felt sad or hopeless for 2+ weeks
Indiana DOH, 2024
25.2%
seriously considered attempting suicide in the prior year
Indiana DOH, 2024
"The goal of this initiative is to create films that inspire our teens, youth, and young adults towards greatness."
About the Role
Voice Up Publishing is seeking interns to support the Lived Experience Publication Series, run through Voice Up's Lived Writing platform (purposedriven.health) and tracked as a practicum placement through voiceuplearning.life. This internship is built around three complementary tracks — writing, film, and visual art — with a shared priority: producing work that speaks directly to youth, teens, and young adults and helps them see purpose as something they can name and pursue now, not years into adulthood.
You'll work directly with contributors and the Voice Up editorial, production, and creative team inside Lived Writing's 8-session workshop structure, learning how lived experience is identified, shaped, and turned into published writing, short film, or visual art aimed at inspiring a younger audience — grounded in the belief that personal experience carries real, describable value, and that the skill to articulate it, in any medium, is learnable.
Three Tracks, One Purpose
Editorial & Storytelling Track
Supports contributors working in written narrative, from intake through a published piece written with a youth or young-adult reader in mind.
Independent Filmmaker Track
Open to filmmakers based anywhere in the world, working remotely, who want to adapt contributor stories (or their own) into short documentary or narrative films that speak to and inspire teens and young adults.
Visual & Applied Art Track
Open to illustrators, designers, and visual artists who want to translate lived experience into art (illustration, comics, mixed media, digital art) that makes purpose visible and relatable to a younger audience.
What You'll Do
Support intake and onboarding conversations with new contributors, with attention to stories that will resonate with a youth or young-adult audience
Writers: assist with drafting, structuring, and editing personal narrative submissions inside Lived Writing's workshop sequence
Filmmakers: assist contributors in translating their lived experience into a short film treatment, and support pre-production, filming, or editing of contributor stories where applicable
Artists: help contributors translate their lived experience into illustration, comic, or mixed-media pieces suited to a younger audience
Help contributors identify the most compelling and precise language, imagery, scene structure, or visual style for their story — prioritizing clarity and resonance for a youth or young-adult viewer/reader
Contribute to the platform's combined grading process — supporting the human-review half of the 40% AI / 60% instructor rubric
Coordinate publication or release timelines and light production tasks across Voice Up's platforms
Help document and refine the series' contributor workflow — including medium-specific intake, consent, and release processes — as it scales internationally
What You'll Gain
Direct experience in editorial development, narrative nonfiction, documentary filmmaking, or applied visual art — with a focus on work made to inspire youth and young adults
Training in a transferable skill: describing lived experience with precision and impact, in writing, on screen, or through art
Automatic hour tracking and practicum credit through voiceuplearning.life, alongside Voice Up's other named practicum tracks
A pathway into Voice Up Mentor Training & Certification (Certified Mentor / Lead Mentor / Master Trainer) for those who want to continue supporting future contributors
Mentorship from Voice Up's editorial, production, and creative team, and exposure to how lived-experience storytelling translates across media
A published or produced body of work — built specifically for a youth and young-adult audience — to include in your own portfolio or reel
Who We're Looking For
Strong writer, filmmaker, or visual artist — comfortable working with sensitive personal material
Genuine interest in reaching and inspiring youth, teens, or young adults through storytelling, film, or art
Independent filmmakers and artists of any nationality or location are welcome to apply; these tracks are fully remote and open worldwide
Especially relevant for students or early-career professionals in social work, public health, counseling, education, film/media production, or visual art — Lived Writing's prompt libraries are already aligned to clinical and public-health documentation standards
Organized and able to manage several contributor projects at once
Comfortable working independently in a remote, part-time structure, and — for filmmakers and artists — comfortable coordinating across time zones
Details
To Apply
Send a brief note about why this work interests you, along with a short writing sample, a link to a short film/reel, or a portfolio of art. Tell us specifically how your work speaks to or has the potential to inspire youth, teens, or young adults. Filmmaker and artist applicants should indicate their country of residence and preferred working time zone.
We're especially interested in hearing why the idea that lived experience has real value — and that purpose can be named early — resonates with you.
Apply NowReferences
Indiana Department of Health. (2024). 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. State of Indiana.
Verlenden, J. V., et al. (2024). Mental health and suicide risk among high school students and protective factors — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Supplements, 73(4).