Treetops Drivers Training Program

PLEASE NOTE: Although this posting may display a longer availability window on Handshake due to system requirements, applications for this internship must be submitted by June 12th.

Description: 

Immigrant and refugee women in Kent County face significant transportation barriers that limit their ability to access healthcare, employment, education, and essential community resources. These barriers contribute to increased isolation, missed medical appointments, and reduced economic stability—key factors that negatively impact mental health and overall well-being.

Treetops Collective’s Drivers Training Program addresses this critical gap by providing culturally responsive, accessible driver education and support to immigrant and refugee women. This project will strengthen and expand the program by improving participant coordination, tracking outcomes, and enhancing resource navigation to ensure participants can successfully obtain driver’s licenses and use their mobility to access care and opportunity.

A BRIDGE Fellow will support program implementation by coordinating participant engagement, assisting with scheduling and logistics, and developing tools to track outcomes related to access to healthcare, employment, and social connection. The Fellow will also help document participant experiences and identify barriers to completion, informing improvements to the program.

Importance to Public Health: 

This project is designed to both sustain and strengthen an existing program—Treetops Collective’s Drivers Training Program—while also addressing an ongoing and growing service gap in transportation access. While the program currently supports participants in obtaining driver’s licenses, there is a need to expand coordination, improve tracking of outcomes, and better understand barriers to completion to increase its effectiveness and reach.

This need has been identified through ongoing program engagement, participant feedback, and internal data collection. Participants consistently report transportation as one of the most significant barriers to accessing healthcare, employment, and community resources. Additionally, program staff have observed high demand for the Drivers Training Program, alongside challenges related to scheduling, follow-through, and access to supportive resources.

By strengthening this program, the project will reduce transportation barriers, improve access to care and opportunity, and ultimately contribute to improved mental health, stability, and long-term well-being for immigrant and refugee women and their families.

Project Deliverables: 

• A participant tracking system/dashboard to monitor progress toward obtaining driver’s licenses, including enrollment, completion rates, and key barriers
• A Drivers Training Program impact report highlighting outcomes related to access to healthcare, employment, and social connection
• A resource navigation guide for participants, including information on healthcare access, employment opportunities, and community services
• Standardized program workflows and coordination tools (scheduling templates, communication systems, and participant follow-up processes)
• A barriers and solutions summary report identifying common challenges participants face and recommendations for program improvement
• Educational materials to support participants through the licensing process (e.g., step-by-step guides, translated resources where needed)
• Documentation of participant outcomes and metrics, such as number of participants enrolled, number completing training, and number obtaining driver’s licenses
• Direct program support to the Drivers Training Program Manager, including coordinating participant communication, scheduling lessons and testing, tracking attendance, and supporting day-to-day program implementation
  
  Minimum Qualifications: 
   
• Students applying for this internship must be enrolled in an Associate’s-level or higher degree program.