Summer 2019 Human Rights Internship Positions are Open for Applications

The Master of Human Rights and the Human Rights Program are sponsoring summer internship opportunities with top human rights organizations. Only students pursuing a Master of Human Rights or a Human Rights Graduate Minor, at the University of Minnesota, are eligible to apply.

To apply please submit a cover letter, resume and three references to mhr@umn.edu by January 15, 2019. If you are awarded the internship placement the Master of Human Rights staff and faculty will work with you to find funding for your placement.

If you intend to apply for more than one of these opportunities please write a cover letter for each position and indicate in your email which is your preferred placement.
 

Amnesty International, USA

Amnesty International USA is the United States section of Amnesty International, a global movement of over 7 million supporters in 150 countries around the world. Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization. Amnesty International USA engages the United States public, media, and elected officials on human rights issues that impact people at home and around the world.

Amnesty International USA seeks three (3) interns for Summer 2019 to support its campaigns and advocacy work.  The campaigns which Amnesty seeks to supplement through the work of interns include: i) Protecting the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, and ii) Ending gun violence. Amnesty International USA engages Congress on a number of regional and thematic human rights issues.

Key responsibilities for Summer 2019 campaigns and advocacy interns for Amnesty International USA include, but are not limited to:

Research, Writing, and Design Support:

Interns may be asked to provide research, writing, and design support for…

• Issue briefs and other prep for Hill staff and other advocacy meetings

• Member of congress profiles, including public statements and voting record on key issues

• Legislative and policy analysis

• Blogs and other externally-facing editorial content

• Correspondence to state and federal policymakers

• Publicly and internally-facing campaigning materials

• Activist guides

• Tracking news coverage and policy developments on key issues

Meeting and Administrative Support:

Interns may be asked to provide substantive and logistical support for internal and external meetings, including…

• Curating invitee/participant lists of Hill staff, coalition partners, et al. and tracking RSVPs

• Coordinating event logistics (venue, catering, A/V, travel) with internal and external partners

• Coordinating programming and distributing materials

• Note-taking and tracking key takeaways from internal staff and coalition meetings

• Creating and maintaining membership lists by interest in key activities or issues

Amnesty International USA holds interns to professional standards. Summer 2019 interns are expected to work from one of Amnesty International USA’s offices in Washington, D.C.

Competitive candidates for Amnesty International USA internships will be meticulously organized, have a demonstrated interest in human rights, and have proven research skills, especially the ability to conduct Congressional research. Exceptional candidates will have experience with grassroots activism, a background in international law, human rights, refuge/asylum/immigration issues, gun violence issues, and/or experience working on human rights issues impacting a particular region (sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, MENA, Americas).  Working proficiency in one or more regional languages is a plus.

Read about Ana Vergara’s experience with Amnesty International, USA in the summer of 2018

Refugees International

Refugees International (RI) advocates for lifesaving protection and assistance for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises. This intern will be based at the RI headquarters in Washington D.C. and work with RI staff and leadership on a variety of projects. These may include; conducting research on focus countries; assisting in the creation and editing of research reports; and work with the Communications Department to promote RI through website development, media relations, and promotion of publications.

Read about Julia Wilber and Hayley Drozdowski’s experiences with RI in the summer of 2018