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Summer 2008 Community Organizing Internship
Download Application for Midwest Academy Summer 2008 Internship
The Midwest Academy, a 35-year-old national training institute for progressive direct action organizing, will train community organizing interns in two ten week Summer 2008 programs. Both will run from Monday, June 2 - Friday, August 8.
For-Credit Internships: For the first time in 2008, we are launching a for-credit version of our internship program. Undergrads will receive 6 credits for a cost of $600 through the University 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 Department. Students doing the internship for credit will not be paid a stipend.
Paid Internships: Students will receive a stipend of $3500 for the ten week period, to be paid biweekly. Freshmen are encouraged to apply for the for-credit internship, since we rarely hire freshmen in the paid internship program.
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 target/opponents, recruit constituents, and move into action. (Costs for the training, including room/board, are covered in both 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. Preference will be given to applicants from the Chicago area, or in school in the Chicago area. Details about placements will be posted as soon as available.
Additional locations outside Chicago may be added shortly for the for-credit program only. Please check back in a week.
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 in Illinois. 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 2008 Internship. Review of applications will continue until positions are filled, at which time we will post here. Likely candidates will be interviewed via telephone. Questions? Review our website, then email Judy Hertz at mainterns@aol.com.
 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: Midwestacademy5@aol.com
Read excerpts from student letters to future interns
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