Ethics & Leadership in Law Politics & Government

Job Title: Communications/Policy Intern (20 hrs/wk)

Job Location: Austin, Texas, United States
Internship Dates: Spring, summer and fall internships available
Salary: Small stipend available
Deadline: Deadline for Fall 2018 applicants is Aug 1, 2018

Job Description: The internship is based in Austin and provides social media and communications support for the CDF-TX Policy Department. The intern works 20 hours/week, and will contribute to social media campaigns to promote the research, reports, legislative issues and advocacy-related activities of the organization. CDF-TX organizes advocate training/recruitment, story collection, public education, legislator visits, legislative briefings, and public policy events.

Primary Responsibilities:

Supports CDF’s social media platforms
Monitors blogs and social media accounts of allied groups to develop basic content knowledge about current policy issues related to health care and children’s health
With supervision, plans, prepares, and executes social media campaigns (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) focused on current public policy issues and other subjects as needed
Organizes weekly and monthly content calendars
Assists in the development and execution of special projects and events
Performs other division, department, and organization-wide special projects as needed and assigned

Job Requirements:

Experience using social media for advocacy efforts, volunteer or paid
Visual design skills, video skills a plus
Ability to work effectively and calmly in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and ability to multi-task
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Strong organizational and execution skills
Attention to detail
Commitment to social advocacy and CDF’s mission to be a voice for all children
Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact diplomatically and professionally with CDF staff and external partners/contacts
Strong computer, Internet and research skills

Application Instructions: To apply, candidates should email a resume and a one-page cover letter to: Cheasty Anderson (canderson@childrensdefense.org) and type POLICY INTERN in the subject line.

Contact: Dr. Cheasty Anderson, Senior Policy Associate
Email: canderson@childrensdefense.org

Website: http://www.cdftexas.org/

Job Title: Health Care Policy Intern (20 hrs/wk)

Job Location: Austin, Texas, United States
Internship Dates: Spring, summer and fall internships available
Salary: Stipend available
Deadline: Deadline for Fall 2018 applicants is Aug 1, 2018

Job Description: The internship is based in Austin and provides general support for the CDF-TX Policy Department. The intern works 20 hours/week, and provides substantive research, compiles reports, monitors interim legislative committees and helps with the execution of advocacy-related activities, including story collection, public education, legislator visits, legislative briefings, special event planning, and social media work.

Primary Responsibilities:

Policy research, briefs and training material
Conducts research on public policy, media trends and other subjects as needed
Assists in the development and execution of special projects
Perform other division, department, and organization-wide special projects as needed and assigned
Assist in maintaining CDF’s social media platforms

Job Requirements:

Ability to work effectively and calmly in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and ability to multi-task
Strong organizational and execution skills
Attention to detail
Commitment to social advocacy and CDF’s mission to be a voice for all children
Ability to organize facts and present issues in a clear, concise and logical manner, both orally and in writing
Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact diplomatically and professionally with CDF staff and external partners/contacts
Strong computer, Internet and research skills

Application Instructions: To apply, candidates should email a resume and a one-page cover letter to: Cheasty Anderson (canderson@childrensdefense.org) and type POLICY INTERN in the subject line.

Contact: Dr. Cheasty Anderson, Senior Policy Associate
Email: canderson@childrensdefense.org

Website: http://www.cdftexas.org/

Job Title: Youth Civic Education and Engagement Intern (20 hrs/wk)

Job Description: The internship is based in Austin and provides general support for the CDF-TX Youth Civic Education and Engagement initiative. The intern works 20 hours/week supporting both our policy and organizing work to increase youth civic education and engagement.

The intern is someone deeply committed to empowering young people to be actively engaged in their communities and to ensuring young people are represented in the decision-making process in their local and state government.

The youth civic engagement intern provides substantive policy research and reports and monitors interim legislative committees and the State Board of Education on improving youth civic engagement and education in Texas. Additionally, the intern assists with outreach to partners and school districts on behalf of the Texas Civic Education Roundtable to support the prioritization of culturally sustaining civic education in Texas’ public school classrooms.

The intern also supports outreach to young people statewide to support our high school voter registration campaign, as well as provides critical support in developing training curriculums to support young people’s knowledge of and engagement with state legislative and local civic processes.

Primary Responsibilities:

Plans civic engagement opportunities with and for youth (ex: youth townhalls and youth voter registration drives)
Policy research, briefs and training material
Conducts research on public policy, media trends and other subjects as needed
Assists in the development and execution of special projects
Perform other division, department, and organization-wide special projects as needed and assigned
Assist in maintaining CDF’s social media platforms

Job Requirements:

Ability to work effectively and calmly in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and ability to multi-task
Strong organizational and execution skills
Attention to detail
Commitment to social advocacy and CDF’s mission to be a voice for all children
Ability to organize facts and present issues in a clear, concise and logical manner, both orally and in writing
Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact diplomatically and professionally with CDF staff and external partners/contacts
Strong computer, Internet and research skills

Application Instructions: To apply, candidates should email a resume and a one-page cover letter to: Cheasty Anderson (canderson@childrensdefense.org) and type CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INTERN in the subject line.

Contact: Dr. Cheasty Anderson, Senior Policy Associate
Email: canderson@childrensdefense.org

Website: http://www.cdftexas.org/

The Barbara Harlow Internship in Human Rights & Social Justice

The Barbara Harlow Internship in Human Rights & Social Justice honors the life and work of Barbara Harlow (1948-2017), who was the Louann and Larry Temple Centennial Professor of English Literature at the University of Texas. She was a committed colleague, friend, and mentor to countless students, activists, and intellectuals. As a collaboration between the Rapoport Center and the Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDP), the internship aims to introduce BDP students to Harlow’s scholarship and activism, and to encourage them to imagine future trajectories for her work.

This internship is chosen to honor Barbara Harlow because it was largely through her efforts that the Rapoport Center and the BDP partnered to create the Human Rights & Social Justice BDP certificate in 2009. Harlow chaired the faculty panel for the certificate from its inception until 2017. While the internship is open to all BDP students, regardless of which certificate they are pursuing, it is meant for students who are working on issues of social justice.

Barbara Harlow’s intellectual praxis crossed continents and encompassed diverse agendas: resistance, translation, political engagement and solidarity, human rights, and pedagogy. She contributed greatly to the University of Texas at Austin, not only through the English department, the Rapoport Center, and the BDP, but through several area studies programs and centers, including African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Studies. To learn more about her life and work, please visit the Rapoport Center’s tribute page and the website for our 2017 conference, Barbara Harlow: The Sequel.

The internship is made possible by seed money that Harlow gifted to the Rapoport Center and the BDP. Though the internship is similar to the Rapoport Center’s standard undergraduate internship, it offers a higher stipend and requires three additional components:

In the cover letter, students should reflect (in one paragraph) on how Harlow’s scholarship and activism might influence their work with the Rapoport Center and their pursuit of human rights and social justice more broadly.
During the internship, each recipient will write a piece for our Human Rights Commentary page, which either engages directly with Harlow’s work or uses her work as a lens through which to engage critically with a topic.
After the internship, each recipient will create a poster to reflect on the internship, taking into account Harlow’s impact on their experience, and present it at the Annual BDP poster session in April. (Fall and Summer interns will submit at the end of their respective term, and then present in April.)

Application

Note: July 16 deadline is for Fall 2018 internships

Required Qualifications

Commitment to working on issues of human rights and justice
Excellent writing and editing ability
Individual initiative and flexibility
Strong organizational and time management skills
Professional demeanor

The following qualifications may be preferred in some candidates:

Demonstrated experience with publication, design, and website software (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite)
Proficiency in a foreign language
Experience with scholarly research and editing
Journalism experience

How to Apply

Qualified students should submit the following items individually in PDF format via email (subject: Barbara Harlow Internship) to humanrights@law.utexas.edu:

Cover letter
State why you are interested in the position; demonstrate basic knowledge of our programs and activities. Reflect (in one paragraph) on how Barbara Harlow’s scholarship and activism might influence your work with the Rapoport Center and your pursuit of human rights and social justice more broadly.
CV/Resume
Indicate any relevant skills and foreign language proficiency
Transcript
Unofficial is acceptable; an official copy can be mailed or emailed if needed, to arrive by the application due date
List of three references
At least two must be UT faculty; include name, title, and contact information; full letters not required
Writing sample
3-5 pages; does not need to relate directly to human rights, although that is preferable

Deadline

July 16, 2018