Human Rights & Social Justice

Summer Internship for College Students and Graduate Students

The Texas After Violence Project (TAVP) is accepting applications for part-time internships from college students and graduate students for Summer 2013. All interns will contribute to ongoing initiatives in our Storytelling Project, Conversations Project and Culture Project.

TAVP is a non-profit organization working toward a more just and less violent Texas by encouraging people affected by violence to share their experiences, preserving unrepresented voices in the criminal justice system, and inspiring community conversations as a way to move toward a more just and less violent Texas. The Storytelling Project is our flagship project and our current focus is on interviews with people directly affected by murder and capital punishment in Texas. TAVP records interviews with people from all walks of life about the impact of violence on their lives: from murder victims’ family members, to mothers whose sons were executed by the state, to prison wardens who perform executions. The goal of TAVP is to preserve and share these videos as a way to increase public dialogue on alternative ways to prevent and respond to violence.

TAVP is currently recruiting interns and volunteers in all areas, but is especially looking for media interns with specific skills in production and post-production, including camera work and sound for both observational shoots and oral history interviews, as well as editing skills to help create short thematic videos and podcasts.

• Media track: Media interns must have specific skills in audio production and video-making, including video editing and/or videography and an interest in oral history and storytelling. Media interns will focus on the creation and management of our media files. We hope to produce several podcast projects this summer, as well as move forward with short videos for our website. Tasks may include managing digital files, editing clips and short videos, assisting with the maintenance of web-based video, making DVDs with iDVD and DVD Studio Pro, writing copy, and assisting with maintaining and updating equipment. Interns may also assist with operating the camera at interview sessions, capturing observational footage for TAVP, photographing sites relevant to our ongoing research, identifying relevant archival photographs, footage and music,. Media interns will also have the opportunity to learn about the praxis of oral history as social change throughout the semester by working closely with staff on office work/assignments, as well as through guest lectures, recommended readings, and attendance/tabling at events and visits to off-site locations. Media interns with an interest in social media are also encouraged to contribute to this area.

TAVP also always welcomes interns interested in research in the humanities and social sciences, including oral history, anthropology, and interdisciplinary human rights.

• Oral history track:  Oral history interns will focus especially on the creation and management of the textual archive of our oral history interviews. Media interns will learn about the praxis of oral history as social change throughout the semester by working closely with staff on office work/assignments, as well as through readings, guest lectures, and attendance/tabling at events and visits to off-site locations. Tasks will include but not be limited to research on ongoing and new cases, identifying and contacting potential narrators, assisting with interview preparation, assisting with updating and managing transcripts (as word documents), writing copy for our website, assisting with narrator database, and assisting with outreach with narrators. Oral history interns with an interest in social media are also encouraged to contribute to this area.
• Community Outreach track: Interns will contribute to ongoing efforts to develop community programs for our Conversations Project and assist with administrative and programmatic tasks in this area.

All interns will also assist with administrative tasks, social media and event planning.

Volunteers are welcome to contribute in multiple areas: volunteers may assist with program-related and administrative tasks, including transcribing interviews, updating TAVP’s digital database and organizational materials, and representing TAVP at community events. Depending on individual interest and preparation, volunteers may also photograph sites for use in our program work, help staff coordinate outreach, edit and manage video files, create content for social media, take photographs for TAVP, undertake targeted research, and help conduct interviews.

As part of the internship, students will undergo multiple training sessions throughout the semester involving hands-on workshops in oral history praxis, database management, and video software; on-site visits and instruction in archival research on capital cases in Texas; guest lectures on death penalty jurisprudence, victims’ rights, and restorative justice, and facilitated discussions and exercises about trauma and grief care as it relates to our work.

TAVP welcomes students from all disciplines and departments, but our work may overlap most with those majoring in such fields as American Studies, Anthropology, Education, English, Ethnic Studies, History, Political Science, Social Work, Sociology, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, Information Studies, Media Studies, Non-Profit Administration, Women’s and Gender Studies, and those students who have special interests in law, human rights, social justice, conflict resolution, archives, public history or digital media.

Internships are unpaid, but students may receive credit from their university. The internship will begin in June and end in August. Hours are negotiable, but you should check with your university’s or department’s internship supervisor to confirm university requirements.

If interested, please send a cover letter describing your interest in TAVP and resume to volunteer[at]texasafterviolence[dot]org with the subject line Summer Internship. The deadline is April 26^th.

For more information please visit our website at www.texasafterviolence.org.