Voice Up Founding Research Associate Intern 100% Remote

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.

There is a trap embedded in unnamed helping that Fuller describes with clinical precision. People who help well are often given more responsibility but not more recognition. More requests but not more authority. More trust but not more choice. "Over time, helping without naming can become a trap. People feel indispensable but replaceable. Trusted but not advanced. Needed but not developed. They carry systems without being carried by them."

He draws a distinction he clearly considers essential: care versus extraction. Care recognizes the human cost of helping. Extraction relies on helping without acknowledging it. "When systems depend on unnamed helping, they extract value without responsibility. They benefit from stability without investing in the people providing it. They rely on emotional labor without making it visible. They assume resilience without supporting it." Naming, he argues, is the first step toward ethical engagement. Without it, helping remains exploitable — even when intentions are good.