GVPT Undergraduate Newsletter

1. Human Rights Campaign seeks 20 Interns

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support to fair-minded candidates and works to educate the public on a wide array of topics affecting LGBT Americans, including workplace, family, health, religious and youth issues. The HRC Foundation, the public education and outreach division of HRC, engages in extensive research and provides educational resources and programming around these issues.

Focusing on leadership training and developing one’s voice as an LGBT advocate, HRC’s internship program connects interns to some of the foremost LGBT and allied leaders. In addition, interns play an active role within a program at HRC while developing professional skills and experiencing various parts of a non-profit advocacy organization. Interns should expect both substantive and administrative work.

Along with the duties listed in the internship descriptions, interns receive special projects that will allow them to grow and explore their interests while at HRC. The internship program also includes a series of educational brown bag lunches, through which every intern will learn about all aspects of the organization.

Application Process: Visit www.hrc.org/intern and complete the online application. In addition to the form itself, HRC requires applicants to submit a cover letter, resume and 2-5 page writing sample.

The application deadline for Spring 2010 is Friday, November 13. Interns are hired on a rolling basis. Visit www.hrc.org/intern to hear from past interns and learn more about HRC’s internship program.

2. Congressman Hoyer's Office seeks interns

Description: Interns will work in a fast-paced Congressional Office, gaining valuable experience and knowledge of the United States Congress. Unique opportunity to learn the particular role and responsibilities of the U.S. House Majority Leader in Congress. Interns will gain practical experience while assisting personal office staff, and have the opportunity to acquire a working knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the Legislative branch. Intern responsibilities include greeting constituents, handling constituent phone calls, assisting staff with administrative tasks, conducting legislative research, and assisting with correspondence. Opportunities to attend Capitol Hill briefings, congressional hearings, receptions, and press events.

Qualifications: Interns must be sharp, have good inter-personal skills, and excellent written and oral communication skills. Successful interns will be able to find information with little assistance, be observant and self-aware, require minimal supervision, and be able to both work independently and coordinate with others as necessary. Applicants should have working knowledge of current events and policy topics, as well as a willingness to do mundane tasks as needed, as well as have an interest in public service or government. Strong attention to detail and instructions a must. Maryland residency a plus.

Requirements: College-level students or recent college graduates. Ability to commit at least two full days a week, 9-6pm from January to May 2010. Proficiency in MS Office.

Application Process: Please send resume and cover letter to hoyer.internships@mail.house.gov.

3. Legislative Aide Required for Maryland State Legislature

Maryland State Legislator seeking Legislative Aide to manage legislative agenda, administrative tasks and all other legislative matters.

Education Required: Bachelors or Graduate degree in Political Science, Government Affairs, or related field preferred.
Responsibilities: Manage small to large scale projects from conception to inception, Organize and facilitate events, Interface with large numbers of people and organizations, Heavy involvement in conducting legislative, legal, and political research, Perform functions such as writing letters and other political correspondence, managing schedules, scheduling meetings, and preparing task lists, Attend legislative hearings, Handling heavy call and e-mail volumes, Handling constituent matters and correspondence, Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Candidate must have enthusiasm and an interest in government affairs as well as knowledge of the legislative process, Must be diplomatic and politically savvy, Self–starter, motivated, and able to seek results, Ability to work independently after being given initial instructions, Ability to prioritize and effectively manage multiple assignments, Highly organized with the ability to function effectively under moderate to high pressure, Advanced internet research skills will be essential for success in this role as you will be heavily involved in conducting legislative, legal, and political research, Must possess very strong written and oral communications abilities, Strong computer skills ( Microsoft Office suite), Minimum of 2 years of experience as legislative assistant or related position, Ability to be flexible in a dynamic work environment.

Special Requirements: 40+hours per week and some weekends required. Located in Annapolis, Maryland.
Compensation: Commensurate with experience (25K – 35K).

Application Process: Please email your resume dist14.mc@gmail.com to qualify.

4. Montgomery County Board of Elections Internship

The Montgomery County Board of Elections is looking for an unpaid intern to work on a specific project in February, 2010, to assist with establishing voter information communication avenues for County voters.

The intern will assist in the design and set- up of Facebook and Twitter capabilities for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, to make available additional formats containing election information for voters. Looking for a student with artistic, user-friendly design skills to effectively create electronic presentations for diverse cultures and technical familiarity with communication formats specified above.

Students majoring in computers, communications, or a related field should apply for this unpaid internship. Interested students should contact Dr. Cristina Kirkbride and send a resume by e-mail to cristina.kirkbride@montgomerycountymd.gov. She can also be reached at 240 – 577-5157

5. Internships with Senator Gillibrand

Senator Gillibrand internship program provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn and serve through first-hand participation in government service. Candidates for these unpaid positions will have a diverse, challenging experience and make a genuine contribution to Senator Gillibrand’s work on behalf of New York. Interns in the Senator's office will have the opportunity to work in one or more of the following departments, depending on which office they intern in: Legislative, Press, Scheduling, Constituent Affairs, Research, Office of the State Director, Community and Government Affairs, Regional issues.

Senator Gillibrand seeks highly motivated students with an interest in public service enrolled in or recently graduated from high schools, colleges or universities. Students from New York State or enrolled in a New York school are strongly encouraged to apply. The office requires a minimum of 15 hours of work per week between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Friday. There are internship opportunities available in the Washington DC, NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Long Island offices.

2010 Spring applications will be accepted through November 13th, 2009.

All applications must be FAXED to the attention of the Intern Coordinator at the appropriate office. The application and contact information may be found on Senator Gillibrand’s website at

http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

Please submit all materials together. ONLY COMPLETE AND FAXED APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

6. United Jewish Communities Internship

The national office of one of the premier American Jewish organizations is seeking spring interns who are looking to combine their interests in Jewish communal work and national politics.

United Jewish Communities Washington is the legislative arm of United Jewish Communities (UJC), bringing the voice of 155 Jewish community federations and 400 independent Jewish communities throughout North America to Capitol Hill as a prominent force in health and human service policy decision making. UJC’s legislative agenda is focused on bolstering baby boomer retirement policy, protecting Medicaid’s mission and funding, safeguarding non-profits from terrorism, and creating new alternatives for long-term elder care.

UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America Interns will have the unique and unparalleled opportunity of exposure to a wide range of national public policy issues. Through this internship, interns will learn innovative approaches to stimulate community interest by organizing and informing local grassroots networks of Jewish federations. This includes day to day responsibilities of attending congressional hearings; taking part in advocacy/leadership training days; compiling and analyzing surveys; and researching and writing on issues which include, but are not limited to, senior transportation, aging, and family care-giving.

UJC is looking for students that are at least a sophomore in standing. A potential intern should have a strong interest in Jewish communal work, Jewish studies, poly-science, government affairs, or sociology. Office experience and Microsoft office understanding is required.

Interns must have exceptional writing skills, be able to work independently, and have good time management abilities.

Spring semester internships, and a stipend is available.

Please forward a resume, short writing sample, references, and any questions to: Francie.harris@ujc.org or fax to 202.785.4937

7. Washington DC Law Firm Internship Opportunity

Brownstein-Hyatt-Farber-Schreck is a DC law firm that is seeking unpaid interns for the Spring of 2010. The internship provides an array of opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the political system with hands-on experience in a variety of subject areas, including energy, telecom, healthcare, antitrust, financial services and others.

Duties and Responsibilities: Conducting research on potential clients; providing research on federal legislation; delivering documents/letters to Capitol Hill and elsewhere; covering Congressional committee hearings, markups and press conferences and drafting memos on the same; the assembly of presentations; and other writing and minor administrative tasks.

Necessary Skills: Applicant must be proficient in Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel. Must be deadline-oriented, attentive to detail and must possess excellent oral and written communication skills. *Applicants with a background or major/minor in government affairs, American politics and public administration are encouraged to apply*

Application Process: Please send cover letter, resume (complete with current GPA and contact information), writing sample, dates/hours of availability and any other inquiries to Jack Jacobson: jjacobson@bhfs.com. Application materials due no later than October 30, 2009.

8. Internship with Global Terrorism Database

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is an open source, unclassified database including information on terrorist events around the world since 1970 (currently updated through 2007). The database is maintained by researchers at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence.

currently seeking graduate students and exceptional undergraduate students with an interest in terrorism research and public policy for a number of projects. These projects include geo-spatial patterns and terrorism, situational determinants of maritime security, police as paramilitary, country coding and terrorism, terrorism in India, desistance patterns of terrorist organizations, historic and contemporary terrorism data verification, and etiology of eco-terrorism. In addition to the BSOS credits received, there are several advantages to be gained from this internship experience including acquiring knowledge regarding the problem of terrorism and the nature of global terrorist violence, working with students and faculty who specialize in the study of terrorism, and directly participating in research that is having a policy impact. Interns will also experience what it is like to be a member of a large, multi-year social science research project through working with a team of homeland security practitioners and researchers in a supportive working environment.

Requirements: Applicants should be self-motivated and responsible; any regional expertise or language skills would be a definite asset. Applicants must also have a minimum of 60 university credits, a record of academic achievement, a strong interest in research, and be willing to sign up for the BSOS internship program. Upon selection, interns will be required to attend relevant training and biweekly meetings (every other Monday 1:30-3pm), to commit 10 hours a week of their time to projects, and to communicate frequently with their assigned project manager.

Application Process: Send a resume and unofficial transcript as well as a cover letter outlining interest and qualifications to Jennifer Varriale Carson at jvarriale@crim.umd.edu.

9. Capitol Partners, Inc Internship Program

Capitol Partners Inc seeks interns who will work directly with the president of the firm, attend congressional hearings, report to firm members among other duties.

Qualifications: Junior or Senior. Public Affairs, International Relations and/or Political Science major (or related field). Strong research and writing skills. Computer/web/marketing skills are a plus but not required.

Requirements: Conducting research, attending congressional hearings on the Hill and reporting back to firm about what occurred duringthese hearings. Researching and reporting on policy areas and congressional news, client follow up, potential client research, research for proposals, marketing, assist with website. Some assistance with bookkeeping, handling some expenses, invoices, lobbying reports, etc. Scheduling meetings, compiling itineraries, running errands, coordinating events, fundraisers, etc.

A small stipend and a daily paid meal is available.

Application Process: Interested candidates should email a resume, cover letter and relevant writing sample to Laura Jones, ljones@capitol-partners.com

10. Woodrow Wilson Center Internship Opportunities

The Latin American Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars seeks interns with an interest in, coursework related to, and/or experience working on Latin American issues. The Latin American Program will be hiring graduate or undergraduate interns for the spring. Students who have graduated within the past year may also apply. Seeking either one person who will work on a full-time basis or two interns to work on a part-time basis, so please indicate availability and desired schedule in application. This is a paid internship.

Qualifications: Successful applicants should have strong research and/or administrative skills, be detail-oriented, be able to work independently and collectively as part of group, and be currently enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate degree program, a recent graduate (within the last year), and/or have been accepted to enter an advanced degree program. Strong writing skills, language ability in Spanish, and translation experience are preferred.

Application Process: To apply, send a resume, covert letter, and a 3-5 page English writing sample in one Word file. Clearly indicate availability. All materials should be submitted together by Sunday, November 15, 2009 to Nikki Nichols at nikki.nichols@wilsoncenter.org. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information about the Latin American Program and the Woodrow Wilson Center, visit www.wilsoncenter.org/lap.

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The Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars seeks an intern with an interest in, coursework related to, and/or experience working on Mexico. The internships are designed to provide the individuals selected with the opportunity for practical experience in an environment that successfully mixes academic study with public policy. Interns will gain valuable experience in a variety of projects such as conference organization, library and Internet research, assistance with the preparation of publications, and administrative assignments in support of Center activities. Additionally, interns will assist in the Mexico Institute’s development of multimedia resources, contributing to a podcast series and managing content on the Mexico Portal (www.wilsoncenter.org/mexicoportal). Internships also provide opportunities to attend events within the Wilson Center and around Washington.

Qualifications: Successful applicants should have strong research and/or administrative skills, be detail-oriented, be able to work independently and collectively as part of group, and be currently enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate degree program, a recent graduate (within the last year), and/or have been accepted to enter an advanced degree program. Strong writing skills and language ability in both English and Spanish are essential. Translation experience will be considered an asset. The Mexico Institute hires one graduate or undergraduate intern for each semester. This is a paid internship.

Application Process: To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and a 3-5 page English writing sample in one Word file. Clearly indicate availability. All materials should be submitted together by November 15, 2009 to Katie Putnam at kate.putnam@wilsoncenter.org. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information about the Mexico Institute and the Woodrow Wilson Center, visit their website at www.wilsoncenter.org/mexico.

11. Suicide Terrorism Database Project seeking Research Assistants

Students seeking to attend graduate school and those interested in modern intergroup conflicts and the use of violence therein are encouraged to join Kristen Klein's graduate team as a research assistant for the summer 2009 and/or the 2009-2010 academic year. Students will have the opportunity to read through the project's database on suicide attacks in many of the major ethnic, political, and religious conflicts in the modern world, including: Palestine&Israel, Sri Lanka&the Tamil Tigers, Iraq&America, Chechnya&Russia. Assistants will gain knowledge of the individual and organizational accounts of these attacks and attackers, will gain experience in using primary and secondary source materials to verify critical information, and will learn much about the human causes and consequences of suicide terrorism in intergroup conflicts.

Qualifications: Students must be responsible and self-motivated. Fluency in languages involved in these conflicts (Arabic, Hebrew, Tamil, etc.) is a plus, but neither required nor necessary.

Duties: Students will comb through the database for specific types of information about the attacks and the attackers.

Interested students should contact Kristen Klein at kleinkm@umd.edu.

12. Thimun Youth Assembly seeks Participants

The THIMUN Youth Assembly (TYA) is a program of the THIMUN Youth Network. Every January, it brings together young people from all over the world in The Hague, The Netherlands to create project-oriented, realizable, concrete action. The TYA is an international youth think tank that strives to strengthen and broaden youth participation in the community. Each session consists of anywhere from 5 to 9 committees which focus on a specific issue. Past committees have included HIV/AIDS, water, the Millennium Development Goals, and the media. Each committee is led by two Co-Coordinators. The coordinators organize the work of the committees, asking critical questions to ensure project-based outcomes are realizable, and help maintain cohesion within the 8 - 15 person committees. The committee's participants are the ones who run the Youth Assembly. Candidates will develop the solutions to the pressing questions of today, will network with local community efforts to help execute these projects and will benefit from this multicultural setting of like-minded young people.

Apply for the 14th session which runs from January 24-29, 2009. The application can be found online at www.youthassembly.org.

13. Health Equity Week of Action

The University of Maryland's Chapter of the American Medical Student Association wants students to join them on the front lines of the health care debate. Health Equity Week of Action is a chance for students to join in recognizing and fighting the injustices of the current healthcare system - with a particular focus on children's health. Take a stand by participating in any of the following events:

November 2, 2009: Letters for Health Literacy

Time: 11am - 3pm

Where: Stamp Food Court Info Tables

What: Information Session and Letter-Writing to our Legislatives

November 4, 2009: Champions for Children's Health - Stroller Brigade

Time: 10am - 12pm

Where: Capitol Hill

What: Rally with the Children's Defense Fund

November 4, 2009: Make-A-Wish with CalTor

Time: 5pm - 10pm

Where: California Tortilla on Rt. 1 next to Maryland Book Exchange

What: Charity Fundraiser and Social

November 5, 2009: Shedding Light on Health Equity

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Where: Nyumburu Amphitheater

What: Candlelight Vigil for the Uninsured (w/ HOT CHOCOLATE!)

November 6, 2009: Preventative Health 4 Kids!

Time: TBD

Where: Langley Park Elementary

What: Service and Awareness Event

14. National Security Education Program Boren Scholarship

The National Security Education Program's Boren Scholarship is aimed at undergraduate students interested in studying abroad for at least one semester in 2010-11 in non-traditional regions and countries, and in learning the languages of those areas. The Boren Scholarship provides up to $20,000 for two semester of study abroad, and up to $10,000 for one semester (two semester proposals - Fall/Spring or Summer/Fall - are strongly preferred). Science/Math/Engineering majors are eligible for summer-only programs.

Eligible regions for Boren Scholarships include Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin American, and the Middle East. (Proposals for study in the countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.) The Boren Scholarship is a U.S. Government-funded award that seeks applicants who have a strong interest in future Government service; the award carries a one-year service expectation.

The National Scholarships Office is hosting a series of information sessions about the Boren Scholarship - please RSVP to nsepboren@umd.edu and let them know which session you plan to attend:

Monday, November 2 at 4:30 pm - 2403 Marie Mount Hall

Tuesday, November 3 at 12 noon - 2403 Marie Mount Hall

Wednesday, November 4 at 12 noon - 2403 Marie Mount Hall

All Maryland applicants for the Boren Scholarship must take part in a campus review process which is designed to help you strengthen your application. The deadline for Maryland's review process is JANUARY 25, 2010. If you are interested in learning more about the Maryland review process for the Boren Scholarship, please contact the National Scholarships Office at: nsepboren@umd.edu.

15. Gemstone Team CP2 Requests Student Opinions

CP2 is a group of undergraduate students in the Gemstone program conducting a study concerning crime in College Park. Students who frequent Route 1 and its surrounding areas are eligible to take the following survey at http://teams.gemstone.umd.edu/classof2011/cp2/project.html.

Questions or concerns can be relayed to the team at cp2.umd@gmail.com.