2008 Woodie Awards
No Luck at the Career Center?
A guide to finding progressive summer internships
Lauren Engelbert
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: News/Features
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Summer presents innumerable possibilities for motivated college students. If you are disenchanted with the array of opportunities presented to you through places such as the Career Center, consider pursuing the progressive in you and making a difference this summer. Whether you stay in your hometown or work in a distant village, a few searches on the Web open another world of opportunities. Here are just a few worthy sites to begin your journey:
University of Michigan Archive
http://umichdems.com/internships/?cat=6
This site, compiled by the College Democrats of the University of Michigan, contains pages of internship opportunities for the "left-leaning" student, and is a good starting point. The site allows you to browse categories, such as "Washington, DC-based," "issue-based," "human rights," "lobbying," etc. Environmentally focused groups such as Energy Action and Greenpeace are listed. Organizations like the Center for American Progress (of which Campus progress is a project) are explored, as well as the Progressive Policy Institute, which is a project of the centrist Third Way Foundation.
College Democrats of America
http://www.collegedems.com/a/2007/01/apply_for_a_democratic_and_pro.php
If you want the chance to explore opportunities both locally and nationally, the College Democrats of America site is a good place to begin and, in their words, to gain some critical "political experience." Offers are listed directly on the site, and there are also links to various progressive organizations.
Idealist.org
http://www.idealist.org/
If you have international pursuits, check out idealist.org. You can do a detailed search using your country of choice, specific organization or mission, dates you are available, and whether or not you want to be paid. There are listings in the U.S. and 165 other countries among the 59,000 nonprofit and community organizations.
The Pluralism Project
http://www.pluralism.org/resources/calendar/summer_internships.php
Harvard's Pluralism Project catalogs peace and religion-oriented organizations from a variety of sources. Options include anything from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship to the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER). They do require some background in religious studies, or at least interest in world religions, but even if you aren't qualified, perhaps you will be inspired to explore other areas of interest.
Not surprisingly, many of the organizations overlap among the various sites. This will only aid you in narrowing your interests within the many related groups and establishments. No matter where your principal interests lie, whether on a global scale, at a national level, or down the street, the organizations you will encounter on these sites should only aid in your search for a quintessentially progressive summer experience.
University of Michigan Archive
http://umichdems.com/internships/?cat=6
This site, compiled by the College Democrats of the University of Michigan, contains pages of internship opportunities for the "left-leaning" student, and is a good starting point. The site allows you to browse categories, such as "Washington, DC-based," "issue-based," "human rights," "lobbying," etc. Environmentally focused groups such as Energy Action and Greenpeace are listed. Organizations like the Center for American Progress (of which Campus progress is a project) are explored, as well as the Progressive Policy Institute, which is a project of the centrist Third Way Foundation.
College Democrats of America
http://www.collegedems.com/a/2007/01/apply_for_a_democratic_and_pro.php
If you want the chance to explore opportunities both locally and nationally, the College Democrats of America site is a good place to begin and, in their words, to gain some critical "political experience." Offers are listed directly on the site, and there are also links to various progressive organizations.
Idealist.org
http://www.idealist.org/
If you have international pursuits, check out idealist.org. You can do a detailed search using your country of choice, specific organization or mission, dates you are available, and whether or not you want to be paid. There are listings in the U.S. and 165 other countries among the 59,000 nonprofit and community organizations.
The Pluralism Project
http://www.pluralism.org/resources/calendar/summer_internships.php
Harvard's Pluralism Project catalogs peace and religion-oriented organizations from a variety of sources. Options include anything from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship to the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER). They do require some background in religious studies, or at least interest in world religions, but even if you aren't qualified, perhaps you will be inspired to explore other areas of interest.
Not surprisingly, many of the organizations overlap among the various sites. This will only aid you in narrowing your interests within the many related groups and establishments. No matter where your principal interests lie, whether on a global scale, at a national level, or down the street, the organizations you will encounter on these sites should only aid in your search for a quintessentially progressive summer experience.
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