Ukiah’s School of Performing Arts and Cultural Education (more often referred to as SPACE) is offering an Internship Program for local high schoolers to gain meaningful professional experience and eventually be paid for their work.
Laurel Near, the Executive Director of SPACE, said in a YouTube video “A child’s work is to play.” She brings that motto to life with the hard work and detail she’s put into the program. As a SPACE Intern, you will work with the instructors and students to help bring Near’s motto to life.
SPACE interns are essentially teacher’s assistants. They learn with the kids, have fun with them, and get to act, sing, and dance. An Intern does tasks such as taking roll, sweeping after class, setting up equipment, and sometimes leading warm-ups. One of the most heart-warming tasks is performing with the kids so they don’t feel nervous or scared without their teacher.
Rachel Young, a well-known dance instructor at SPACE, said, “There’s just so many wonderful moments of joy and being uplifted when you participate in the arts.”

She also says that teens and children who participate in SPACE learn how to communicate better, and will most likely interview better for college and jobs.
As a student and Intern at SPACE, this reporter has first-hand experience with the care, support, and safety each intern is provided and the valuable experience of being part of the SPACE team.
To become a part of this program, you can follow SPACE’s Instagram at @ukiahspaceofficial to see the dates of the intern training programs.
If you have specific questions about the internship, email spaceamanda5678@gmail.com
Chloe Harmony is a Freshman and a journalist at Ukiah High School. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading and dancing. She joined the journalism class because she is interested in writing. Chloe thinks of herself as a vivacious but hard working young woman and is looking forward to writing about athletics and student life.

