Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

Internships at GHRC

The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA is seeking interns for Spring 2009. The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA, founded in 1982, monitors, documents, and reports on the human rights situation in Guatemala, advocates for survivors of human rights abuses in Guatemala, and works toward positive, systemic change.

Role of Interns

Because the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA is a small organization, interns are integral and have to opportunity to be involved in all aspects of our work. Depending on their interests, interns can hone their translating and editing skills working on our biweekly publication, gain experience planning and organizing events (such as fundraisers, speaking tours, or delegations to Guatemala), fine-tune their research skills assisting staff with affidavits for political asylum cases, and, in general, learn up close how a nonprofit organization functions. Interns have an opportunity to work in all of the following areas:

Publications: Translating, writing, editing, and publishing reports.

Outreach: Maintaining and updating our media list, creatively forging links between our organization and others, and helping with congressional work, when applicable.

Development: Researching grant opportunities, preparing direct mail letters, organizing fundraisers, and acquiring basic database and website management skills.

Asylum documentation: GHRC works with a national network of attorneys on political asylum cases by providing legal research and expert testimony. Intern work may include researching particular subjects to support political asylum claims, organizing subject files, and compiling information to draft affidavits.

*All interns will have the opportunity to attend monthly coalition meetings, where upcoming legislative work and strategies are discussed, regarding US policy as it relates to Guatemala.

*Often, interns have the opportunity to attend congressional briefings and/or meetings with congressional staff. All interns will be able to participate in a thorough orientation session on legislative work.

*Interns often have the opportunity to meet prominent Guatemalan human rights defenders.

*All interns will also be able to research a topic of interest pertaining to the human rights situation in Guatemala, work with an editor, and submit articles for publication.

It is a policy of our office that we all share in communal administrative tasks. Those tasks include answering phones, data entry, photocopying, filing, mailings, processing orders, and dispatching information.

The intern and GHRC/USA staff will usually decide together on the intern’s particular focus, according to the person’s interests and previous experience. A minimum of twenty hours per week is preferable.

Though not a pre-requisite, the following background is strongly preferred:

* Demonstrated interest in Latin America/human rights issues

* Activism in human rights, peace, and justice causes

* Strong written and oral Spanish skills (ability to translate is particularly useful)

Useful skills include:

* Good organizational, communication, writing, and editing skills

* Solid computer skills

Internships at GHRC/USA are unpaid positions. College credit for an internship can be arranged. Please email, fax, or mail resume, cover letter, and brief writing sample to:

Kelsey Alford-Jones , Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA 3321 12th St, NE Washington, DC 20017 phone: (202) 529-6599 fax: (202) 526-4611 kajones@ghrc-usa.org www.ghrc-usa.org

 

Home | Site Map | Contact Us

3321 12th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017

This site is maintained by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
as a means of informing the general public of the Commission's work
on behalf of the people of Guatemala