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All Summer 2009 internship positions are filled.
Summer 2009 Community Organizing Internships
Chicago, NY (NYC and Nassau), California (SF and LA), Portland
The Midwest Academy, a 35-year-old national training institute for progressive organizing, will train community organizing interns during a ten week summer program, from Monday, June 1 - Friday, August 7.
There are three ways to apply:
Paid Internships: Students will receive a stipend of $3500 for the ten week period. There will be 14 paid internship positions in Chicago, and 10 positions in other states (see below). Freshmen are encouraged to apply for the for-credit internship, since we rarely hire freshmen in the paid internship program. Acceptance to this program is very competitive.
Unpaid For-Credit Internships: Undergrads may receive 6 credits for a cost of $600 through the Univ. of Colorado-Colorado Springs Women's and Ethnic Studies Program; MA level students will receive 6 credits for a cost of $900 through the Sociology Dept. Students doing the internship for credit will not be paid a stipend.
College-funded Internships: If your college has funding for summer activities, and you are eligible, you may apply to be a Midwest Academy intern, bringing your own funding. In addition to the internship application form, please let us know what kind of funding you are applying for at your school, how much you might receive, what the decision date is, and when you need a decision about acceptance from us.
Locations
Fourteen interns will work in Chicago; 6 in California (4 in SF area and 2 in LA); 2 will work in Nassau County, NY and one in NYC; and one in Portland, Oregon. You must have housing in your chosen location. All locations outside Chicago and NYC will require interns to have a car (mileage will be reimbursed). In the paid program in Chicago, strong preference will be given to applicants from the Chicago area, or in school in the Chicago area.
Internship Description
Interns will receive a week of training similar to the Midwest Academy five-day training (see training agenda). They will learn how organizers choose issues, develop strategy, assess their own organizational power and that of their targets, allies and opponents, recruit constituents, and move into action. (Costs for the training, including room/board, are covered in all versions of the internship.)
Following training, interns will be placed with community organizations in Chicago neighborhoods from 95th and State to Brighton Park, Kenwood-Oakland, and Uptown, as well as in several suburban locations and with statewide organizations. Interns outside Illinois, as well as two Chicago interns, will work on campaigns of Food and Water Watch. In the paid internship program, preference will be given to applicants from the Chicago area, or in school in the Chicago area.
During nine weeks in the field, interns will conduct community outreach and organize one or more public meetings. Interns will receive day-to-day supervision from their placement organizations, and ongoing training and mentoring from Midwest Academy staff. For interns who are interested in pursuing a job in community organizing, we will provide job search assistance at the end of the internship or at college graduation. (For-credit interns will receive additional supervision from our Director of Special Projects, who has an MA from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.)
We are looking for young people who are ready to work hard and take on new challenges and responsibilities, who have a passion for social justice, and who want to learn solid skills in the field of organizing. We are particularly looking for people who want to explore a career in progressive organizing. Fluency in Spanish or other languages relevant to recent immigrants will be a plus for some locations. Use of a car will be required in some, but not all, placements.
To apply: Fill out the Application for Midwest Academy Summer 2009 Internship. Review of applications will continue until positions are filled, at which time we will post on our website. Likely candidates will be interviewed via telephone.
Read excerpts from student letters to future interns
 The Susan Blad Seldin Internship Scholarship award recognizes an outstanding student in the area of field organizing and encourages her/him to consider a career in organizing.
Susan Blad Seldin was a veteran grassroots organizer who worked to elect progressives and promote progressive causes in thirty four-states. Susan was nationally acclaimed for her ability to craft new strategies, see the big picture, and motivate others to find the margin of victory in close races. Susan served as Managing Partner of FieldWorks, the premier grassroots organizing, field development and strategic planning firm she helped found. Her clients were progressive organizations and campaigns throughout the country.
Email: Interns@midwestacademy.com
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