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Internships
Volunteer Opportunities
Internships
We are a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in
solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the U.S. Army
School of the Americas (SOA, now renamed the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation or WHINSEC), and to change oppressive
U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents. We are grateful to our
sisters and brothers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for
their inspiration and the invitation to accompany them in their struggle
for economic and social justice.
Our staff is made up of paid,
unpaid, full-time, and part-time activists who are all dedicated to this
work. Interns have played a critical role in the campaign to close the
School of the Americas. While these positions are unpaid, financial
assistance for housing and transportation is available.
All of
the internships and volunteer opportunities listed below are offered at
the SOA Watch Washington DC office, which is a ten-minute walk from the
Brookland-CUA station on Metro's Red Line.
Internships in SOA Watch's Washington, DC office
Organizing Intern
The Organizing Intern work with the National and Field Organizers to
coordinate, develop, and promote the SOA Watch campaign and major events
such as the yearly November demonstration to close the SOA/WHINSEC and
Trial Preparation for members of the SOA Watch movement who are standing
trial for civil disobedience actions. The internship could include, but
is not limited to: working with SOA Watch working groups on elements of
event organizing, assisting the Outreach Coordinator with convening the
organizing process for major events and bottom-lining major events,
updating the web site, and contacting partner organizations and
supporting grassroots activists in their work to build outreach, media,
direct action, legislative and organizing capacities.
Research and Legislative Intern
The Research and Legislative Intern will work with the staff
collective (South and North), national council, and working groups to
implement the national legislative strategy to close the SOA/WHINSEC,
and to expand our research efforts. This work could include, but is not
limited to: Assisting with the preparation of materials for Members of
Congress and for the grassroots including website updates, attending
meetings with coalition partners, participating in direct lobbying
efforts, researching and monitoring Congressional activity as it
pertains to Latin America, and working with the nationally
representative Legislative Working Group and Research Working Group via
email and conference calls to discuss, formulate, and carry-out the
legislative and research strategies.
Communications Intern
The Communications Intern will work with the SOA Watch Communications
Coordinator in implementing media efforts to close the SOA/WHINSEC.
This could include generating US and Latin American media lists,
developing educational material for media and grassroots activists,
updating the web page, and building relationships and pitching stories
about the SOA to alternative and corporate media.
Fundraising Intern
The Fundraising Intern will work with the SOA Watch Development
Working Group, and directly in the office with the Development and
Operations Coordinator. Tasks for the Fundraising Intern include, but
are not limited to:
1. Grant research and writing
2. Organizational funding appeals
3. Facilitating donor relations
4. Compiling regional fundraising toolkits and guides
5. Updating the fundraising page on SOA Watch's website
More Information About Interning with SOA Watch:
Interns commit to a certain number of hours per week. The minimum
commitment is 20 hours per week; 32-40 hours per week is most common.
Interns
become a full member of the SOA Watch staff during their internship.
All staff responsibilities are expected of interns, such as
participating in weekly staff meetings and sharing in the facilitation
and note-taking of these meetings. By the same token, these interns are
given the same decision-making power as a staff person. These interns
have input into her/ his job description and work. In other words, an
invitation to join SOA Watch in one of these four internship roles is an
invitation to join the staff collective.
A little less than
half of these interns' time will be spent doing the general
administrative work that all office staff participate in. These duties
include answering the phone, responding to e-mail requests, going to the
post office, etc. These interns' share of these duties will be no more
than any other staff member. These four positions are not all filled at
once; typically there are one or two of these interns working at any
given time.
The internship program is generally very flexible and
can be shaped for each person. An important part of the work
environment is participating in the collective process and supporting
each other in our work.
Qualifications for Internships:
Required:
1. Strong commitment to working in a diverse,
grassroots movement rooted in solidarity with the people of Latin
America. Commitment to the mission of SOA Watch as described above.
2. Ability to work independently and in a collective process; follow-through and attention to detail is essential.
3. Strong computer skills.
4. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
5. Willingness to work in a consensus decision-making environment
Desired:
1. Experience overseas
2. An ability to speak Spanish
3. Strength in the program area for which you applying
To Apply:
Please send your resume, list of three references, and a cover letter indicating:
1. Why you would like to intern at SOA Watch.
2. What strengths you would bring to the staff collective.
3. Whether you are applying for a half-time or full-time position, and that you acknowledge this position to be unpaid.
4. What types of projects are you most interested in. Describe what you would like to do in an internship at SOA Watch.
Please submit your application by mail to SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington, DC 20017, or e-mail to
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We are accepting applications for these internships on a rolling basis.
Fall Internship in the SOA Watch Latin
American Offices in Barquisimeto, Venezuela and
Santiago, Chile
This
fall we will be inviting several activantes from around the Americas to join
our School of Americas Watch (SOAW) Latin America offices in Barquisimeto,
Venezuela and Santiago, Chile The term activante was coined by our first
international team of young activists, who felt that the word ‘intern’ did not
reflect the initiative required by their work. They flipped the Spanish version
of the word, pasante – associated to the Spanish pasivo, passive – to its
opposite: ACTIVANTE. This term is a good reflection of what the role
calls for: energy, leadership, dynamism, creativity, collective reflection,
collective decision and collective action.
The
fall activantía has 3 major components:
· Interchange
of experiences among activantes. An important component of the experience is to
share deeply with one other, about each one’s story of struggle, perspectives,
strategies, dreams and projects for peace and against militarism in the
Americas.
· Resistance
against U.S. militarization in Latin America. Activantes will work to deepen
our connections with Latin American partners in the efforts to close the SOA
and resist US militarization in Latin America by actively supporting the
struggles of our partners in different countries, building new alliances
locally, nationally and internationally, and through both virtual and
grassroots community-organizing.
· Promote
a culture of peace. Because our movement is not only about resisting, but also
about proposing alternatives for peace, we ask that the activantes spend about
a third of their time with community-based projects that resonate with that and
with their own interests.
A time
commitment of approximately 12 weeks would be expected, from mid September to
mid December. There is flexibility with exact dates. Activantes will be housed
with a local families.
Qualifications
1.
Strong commitment to working in a diverse, grassroots movement rooted in
solidarity with the people of Latin America.
2. Fluency in written and spoken Spanish.
3. Openness to and interest in new cultures is
essential to having a good experience, as is a large dose of flexibility.
Previous experience with other cultures is ideal.
4. Ability to work independently and in a
collective process; follow-through and attention to details is essential.
5. Good computer skills
6. Willingness to work in a consensus decision-making
environment.
For
more information, please contact Lisa Sullivan
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Volunteer Opportunities
The Media Volunteer will support the Communications
Coordinator and media working group during SOA Watch events and when
general media work is needed throughout the year
Duties include:
1. Making pitch calls to media outlets--newspaper, television and radio.
2. Website Updating
3. General Media Office Support
Required Qualifications:
1. Excellent communication skills
2. Familiarity with CMS and HTML systems
Desired Qualifications:
1. Professional experience working with media
2. Bilingual Spanish/English
If you are interested in any of these volunteer positions, please contact the SOA Watch office at (202) 234-3440 or
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to arrange for a short interview. Volunteer positions may start at any time.
The Database and Correspondence Volunteer will facilitate communications with its grassroots membership of over 60,000 supporters.
We need someone who can:
- Enter new contacts into database
- Change and delete contacts based on the Postal Service's Address Service Requested system
- Respond to e-mail and letter requests for information
- Manage partner outreach operations
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