This internship program is part of the University of Arizona's 100% Student Engagement initiative. Through Community Partnership, participating in this program offers students the opportunity to earn the Engaged Learning Experience notation on their transcripts for the "Civic and Community Responsibility" competency. To help facilitate the development of skills related to civic action, we encourage all interns to participate in a scavenger hunt to expose them to aspects of the civic process in Tucson that they likely are not exposed to in the classroom setting. Excerpts from 2015-2016 waterWRLD intern final reflection essays: "At the beginning of this internship, we were asked what Civic Engagement meant to us. I felt like Civic Engagement was giving back to the community. This internship has taught me it is more than just giving back to the community; it is about being about the community. Civic engagement is bringing the community closer through actions and involvement." "...we talked about how there are hundreds to thousands of different communities to which we (or anyone) can belong, and that everyone belongs to multiple communities. This was a very important point in getting me to understand civic and community engagement because the community we belong to or identify with at a certain moment can change the perspective from which we view certain events." "...getting out, learning your community, hearing what people have to say, and working together to find solutions to issues that you may have in common, and issues you did not even know were issues." "I have begun to involve myself more and more with the Tucson community over the last year, and I never thought that it would be as rewarding as it has been." "Prior to this semester, I had little to no knowledge and experience observing Mayor and Council meetings...I was very surprised to see how packed Mayor and Council agendas are...I was pleasantly surprised to see how well-informed the Mayor and Council was on a variety of topics, especially the hydrologic processes mentioned during the Green Streets Policy presentation." "...an increased emphasis on not just learning about civic engagement, but also participating...On a basic level, simply understanding the components of your community put you at an advantage for taking part...Understanding what your community has to offer is the first step in becoming a contributing member." "Looking back over the last year and the various projects and events I have been involved in through the waterWRLD internship I have a very different outlook on civic responsibility and community engagement. I know that it goes far beyond voting and reporting to jury duty, it includes saying hello to your neighbor when you see them in their yard and donating your time to enrich the experience of others." "Volunteering gives me a confidence booster, knowing I am capable to helping others out, selflessly. This in turn pushes me to continue volunteering." "The interns were also given a Scavenger Hunt assignment where the first question asked us to define civic and community engagement in our own words. I wrote 'becoming actively involved in local government and decision-making; participation in community or town activities'. I think this is a solid definition that sums it up, but now that the semester is over, I would like to redefine civic and community engagement. I think it is 'becoming actively involved by participating in many local activities that directly impact one's life or pertain to one's vested interests and passions, such as government and decision making, organizations, societies, clubs, sporting groups, charities, etc.'"