 |
|
|
|
Career, Internship and Volunteer Opportunities at SOA Watch
- Career Opportunities
- Communications Coordinator
- Internships
- Organizing Intern
- Legislative Intern
- Communications Intern
- Fundraising Intern
Volunteer Opportunities
Database and Correspondence Volunteer
Media Volunteer
Career Opportunities
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
School of the Americas Watch is hiring a Communications Coordinator to be based in Washington, DC. The position is full-time with health benefits, paid vacation and holiday time. Salary is competitive, and there are opportunities for skills development.
Coordinate Media Campaign – 25%
- Develop a proactive media campaign
- Update and maintain a database of Spanish- and English-language media outlets and reporters
- Monitor news and respond to stories with an SOA/ WHINSEC connection
- Send out news releases; host press conferences; develop messaging strategies
- Pitch stories to mainstream and alternative, national and international, English and Spanish media
- Field media inquiries and interview requests by either handling them or directing them to others as appropriate(including photos, background info, etc)
- Provide media skills training sessions and resources for grassroots activists and assist grassroots activists in developing local media plans
- Coordinate a volunteer media working group to assist with events and other ongoing media work
- Facilitate the operations of a media office for each major event
- Communicate relevant news info to research point person
Grassroots Communication & Education - 45%
- Compose and send out mass emails to grassroots base
- Maintain and update website
Coordinate Translation & Interpretation - 10%
- Coordinate volunteer translation and interpretation working group(s)
- Coordinate translation of documents
- Serve as staff point person for interpretation for each major event
- (Re)Organize, maintain and update Spanish sections of website
- Coordinate translation of website
Administrative Tasks - 20%
- Provide staff support for major events throughout the year
- Respond to ongoing telephone, mail and e-mail inquiries
- Maintain listservs
- Help to fill requests for speakers from grassroots organizers
Requirements: Ability to work independently and with a team in a collective organizational model. Strong oral and written communication skills. Some experience working with the media. Spanish fluency. Familiarity with HTML and web work.
People of color, women, differently-abled people and LGBT persons are strongly encouraged to apply. Strong preference for Spanish-speaking candidate. Knowledge of the School of the Americas issue and familiarity with layout design and Photoshop and Pagemaker a plus.
How to apply: Please send a resume, a writing sample of no more than 600 words, a cover letter explaining what qualities you would bring to this job and three references to Eric Le Compte at elecompte(at)soaw.org. Email or call 202-234-3440 with questions.
SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that places like the School of the Americas represent. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.
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.
There are four different internships and two volunteer positions currently available at SOA Watch.
Organizing Intern
The Organizing Intern work with the Outreach and Events Coordinator to organize, 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.
Legislative Intern
The Legislative Intern will work with the Legislative Coordinator to implement the national legislative strategy to close the SOA/WHINSEC. 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 via email and conference calls to discuss, formulate, and carry-out the legislative strategy.
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:
These positions last for two to four months and 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 info@soaw.org
We are accepting applications for these internships on a rolling basis.
Volunteer Opportunities
Database and Correspondence Volunteer
The Database and Correspondence Volunteer will facilitate communications with its grassroots membership of over 40,000 supporters.
We need someone who can:
--Enter new contacts into FileMaker Pro software (eBase version)
--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
Media Volunteer
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 info@soaw.org to arrange for a short interview. Volunteer positions may start at any time.
|
|
|
|
|
