Founding Research Associate Intern (Qualitative or Quantitative) Make the Difference Network A Division of Voice Up Position Overview The Founding Research Associate is a pioneering role within the Make the Difference Network, a division of Voice Up, designed for individuals who are ready to participate in building a new model of research, workforce development, and community impact from the ground up. This role is not based on prior credentials it is based on practice, participation, and contribution. It begins with the understanding that: Many individuals are already performing research, behavioral health, creative, and leadership functions in their daily lives but have never had those experiences named, structured, or connected to a formal pathway. The Founding Research Associate role exists to: Recognize those capacities Develop them through structured practice Translate them into research, media, workforce, and creative contributions Role Purpose The Founding Research Associate contributes to the development of a new research and application ecosystem that integrates: Behavioral health workforce development Community-based knowledge creation Media and publication Creative expression Applied purpose science This role supports the expansion of the Naming Gap framework, the Voice Up system, and the Make the Difference Network across institutions, communities, and populations. Entry Pathway All Founding Research Associates begin through a: Voice Up Internship The internship serves as the entry point into the research ecosystem, where participants: Identify and name their lived experiences Engage in structured reflection and inquiry Develop practice-based skills Participate in collaborative learning environments Core Responsibilities 1. Research Participation Engage in inquiry-based activities related to: Behavioral health Workforce pathways Purpose development Community systems Contribute to: Qualitative insights Structured reflections Emerging research questions 2. Practice-Based Development Participate in: Weekly practice sessions Guided reflection exercises Peer feedback and collaboration Develop competencies in: Critical thinking Communication Applied learning 3. Media & Publication Contribution Contribute to quarterly community publications (Elementary through Adult) Produce: Written reflections Research-informed content Creative work (optional but encouraged) Engage in: Drafting Revision cycles Peer review 4. Creative & Applied Expression Translate ideas into: Storytelling Visual or digital content Community-facing outputs Connect lived experience to: Broader themes Social impact Behavioral health awareness 5. Workforce Exploration Explore nonclinical behavioral health roles such as: Community Health Worker Peer Support Specialist Health Educator Program Facilitator Develop: Career awareness Pathway clarity Action-oriented goals 6. Community & Network Engagement Participate in: Group sessions Collaborative projects Community discussions Contribute to: A culture of belonging Shared learning Collective growth Developmental Framework The Founding Research Associate progresses through the following stages: Stage 1: Recognition Identify existing experiences and skills Understand the Naming Gap Stage 2: Practice Engage in structured learning and participation Develop foundational competencies Stage 3: Contribution Produce research, media, or creative outputs Participate in publication cycles Stage 4: Application Connect work to workforce pathways Engage in real-world opportunities Stage 5: Leadership (Optional Advanced Stage) Mentor new participants Lead projects or publications Contribute to system design Qualifications (Non-Traditional) This role is intentionally designed to be inclusive. Required: Willingness to participate Openness to reflection and growth Commitment to consistent engagement Not Required: Prior research experience Formal credentials Academic background in behavioral health Time Commitment Flexible structure Typically 2 5 hours per week Designed for participation alongside school, work, or other responsibilities Compensation & Benefits Initial Phase (Founding Cohort) Unpaid / stipend-based depending on funding Academic credit opportunities (through partner institutions where applicable) Benefits: Participation in a national research and workforce initiative Publication opportunities Portfolio and skill development Access to university-affiliated pathways Exposure to grant-funded initiatives Unique Value of the Role This is not a traditional internship or research assistantship. It is an opportunity to: Help build a new model of how people enter research, workforce development, and social impact systems. Founding Research Associates are: Early contributors System builders Co-creators of a new paradigm Organizational Context The Founding Research Associate operates within: Voice Up the parent organization Make the Difference Network the integrated ecosystem Applied Purpose Science Research Lab the research and ethics backbone Expected Outcomes Participants in this role will: Gain clarity on their purpose and direction Develop transferable skills across research, media, and application Contribute to real-world projects and publications Build pathways into behavioral health and related fields Final Statement The Founding Research Associate role begins with a simple but powerful idea: You do not need to wait to be qualified to begin contributing. Through participation, practice, and recognition, individuals move from: Unnamed experience to Structured contribution to Recognized impact Apply / Join Participation begins with: A Voice Up Internship From there, individuals are invited into the Make the Difference Network as Founding Research Associates where they help shape the future of research, workforce development, media, and creative expression. When asked about her strengths, she hesitated. When asked what she was good at, she minimized. When asked where she saw herself, she felt a quiet pressure she couldn't name the sense of being asked to choose from a map she had never been shown. She was not behind. She was not confused. She was something subtler and harder to describe: a person whose experience had arrived years before the language to describe it. This is the Naming Gap. The phrase comes from Art Fuller, a doctoral candidate in health sciences, a behavioral health executive in Indiana, and the founder of Voice Up Publishing. Fuller developed the framework over years of working in education, policy, and behavioral health years of watching capable people be systematically overlooked, not because they lacked ability but because the systems evaluating them were designed to detect one thing (fluent articulation of experience) while those people had developed something else (the experience itself, without the language to make it legible).