Human Rights Documentation, Citizen Journalism and Techonology Internship- Employment, career opportunity in USA

Job Title: Human Rights Documentation, Citizen Journalism and Techonology Internship
Organization: WITNESS
Country: United States of America
Deadline: 14th Oct 2013

Organization

WITNESS uses video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. WITNESS empowers people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change. Founded 20 years ago by musician and activist Peter Gabriel, WITNESS supports citizen activists, NGOs, community groups, and grassroots organizations around the globe. witness.org

Internships at WITNESS offer a unique, hands-on opportunity to enhance their educational objectives through practical, real-world experience under the guidance and mentoring of experienced professionals in the areas of human rights, video advocacy, communications, media operations, fundraising, IT, human resources, and nonprofit administration. Interns participate in an array of activities depending on the department and projects, which may include logging footage, translation, research, event planning, online outreach, and organizational support.

Description
WITNESS is looking for an intern to participate in our ‘Systems Change’ initiative addressing the challenges and opportunities to alter the human rights space currently presented by the widespread use of video by citizens all over the world. The intern will work across different areas, with a focus on the use of ‘citizen media’ as evidence, the role that technology companies can play in supporting human rights and issues of privacy, security and anonymity as they related to activism and human rights.

The intern will participate in research, outreach, communications and blogging on current issues at the intersection of technology, human rights law and practice. The position also provides opportunities to gain experience in NGO management and work alongside the Program Director on a variety of tasks.

An intern should anticipate that their time will be split roughly 70/30 between work on the ‘Systems Change’ initiative and general support to the Program Director in areas of program management. However, an intern with a strong preference to work in only one of these two areas will also be considered.

Tasks include:

Assisting with research into relevant issues in human rights, privacy, ethics, media practice, law, technology and social media.
Assisting with the development of relevant internal and public documents and preparation for stakeholder meetings and conference presentations
Assisting with outreach to news and technology audiences around the InformaCam and J3M projects
Preparation for outreach and engagement on social media and in press around key issues
Under supervision, drafting blog entries on the ‘Systems Change’ initiative as well as other relevant video-for-change topics for inclusion on the WITNESS blog
Providing support to the Program management functions of the Program Director including developing management plans and monitoring program performance
Providing administrative support
Attending and contributing to staff and department meetings

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the internship, the intern will learn how to:
Better understand outreach processes around technology and human rights
Better analyze and blog on current issues in technology and human rights
Better understand NGO management issues

Qualifications

Currently we are seeking interns enrolled in a 4 year or graduate program related to human rights, news/journalism, technology, law, media, political science and/or international relations. We also review applicants of recent graduates who may be seeking the same type of mentorship and educational focus related to their career choice or educational background.

The following would be beneficial for entering our program:

A background in human rights, technology, online or mobile social justice activism or video
An understanding of current issues around the internet and civil liberties
An understanding of the contemporary news and journalism landscape
Research experience
Previous experience in NGO, journalism or technology development environments

General Information

We require a minimum commitment of 2 months, for at least 16 hours a week. Internships are unpaid. Preference is given to intern applicants receiving credit at their educational institution. All internships are based in our Brooklyn office, convenient to the Atlantic Terminal / Barclay Center (2,3,4,5,B,D,Q,N, & R trains), LIRR, and the C (Lafayette) and G (Fulton) trains.

How to apply:

Application Instructions

No phone inquiries, please. We strongly prefer applications by email to internship@witness.org including a Resume and Cover Letter with “Name of Internship in the Subject. Applications are accepted and considered on a rolling basis and early application is encouraged.