CAIR-LA Internship Application

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Internship Dates: Completed applications must be received by the deadlines:

	SESSIONS	APPLICATION DEADLINE
Fall 2017	October 16 - December 22	October 15, 2017

Be sure everything is completed & make sure it is signed and dated.

Part A: Introduction

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a nonprofit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada.

The internship program’s objective is to further CAIR's mission to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, promote and protect civil liberties, and empower American-Muslims to build coalitions that ensure justice.

The internship program provides a means to complement academic work with practical vocational experience through professional development and department support that identifies skills, develops leadership, and addresses critical community needs. The goal of the program is to empower the interns in hopes to further their career goals.

This is an unpaid internship. Interns will receive college credit, if needed. However, it is the responsibility of the intern to file all necessary paperwork in order to obtain credit.

Fall, Winter & Spring interns are expected to work at least 12 hours a week. Summer interns are required to work 20 hours a week. Additionally, interns must be ready to work weekends and evenings, as needed. A total of 160 hours of work is needed to complete the internship in the summer and a total of 120 hours must be completed for the winter, spring, and fall internships.

Interns are responsible for their own travel, living (housing & food), and transportation arrangements.

Qualifications

Candidates must be third-year or higher university students pursuing a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree. Exceptions may be made for highly qualified applicants.
Enthusiasm, interest, and familiarity with CAIR’s work.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and internet research.
Ability to convey information in a professional and diplomatic manner
Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
Good organizational skills and the ability to manage a variety of tasks.

NOTE: Due to the number of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Internship Term *

Fall 2017
Part B. Internship Positions

Interns will receive basic training in all aspects of CAIR’s work, but will be assigned a focus project in one of the following areas:

Youth Empowerment: Interns assist with implementing CAIR’s youth programming which engages K-12 and college students/young professionals around the issues of identity, civil rights, civic engagement and social justice. Responsibilities include research on a wide range of issues affecting Muslim youth, developing curriculum materials, program planning, outreach and recruitment, and delivering workshops and presentations as needed.

Community Organizing: Interns assist with the coalition building and community organizing aimed at challenging Islamophobia and violence in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Interns will be required to attend coalition meetings, assist with the development of a strategic plan, provide outreach and communications support and organize direct actions. Students interested in grassroots community organizing, challenging systemic oppression and building authentic relationships with communities of resilience are highly encouraged to apply.

Civil Rights: Interns are the first point of contact for community members reporting incidents and seeking assistance. Interns typically spend most of their time working with community members, documenting, and conducting research to assist with resolution of cases. Interns assist the civil rights department with all of the case management process. There is occasional local travel required for event participation and meetings with clients or partner agencies. Individuals fluent in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu would be especially helpful; however it is not a requirement. An ability to confidently communicate and ask questions is essential to successfully advocate on behalf of the community- without effective communication, there is no effective advocacy. Strong organizational and research skills are desired.

Development: Intern will assist in creating and implementing grants calendar, researching methods to introduce mobile fundraising for CAIR-LA. Applicant must have excellent research skills to seek out foundation grants, potential donors, and anything related to nonprofit capacity building. Use Raisers Edge software to track donor profiles, and assist in stewardship (Thank You cards and letters).

Policy & Advocacy: The Policy & Advocacy internship provides students with an opportunity for community engagement around issues related to civic engagement. Interns can expect to learn about the legislative process and the intersection of the public policy process and grass roots advocacy. Interns can expect to research current policy topics, develop fact sheets, action alerts and other advocacy materials, draft memos and letters to federal, state, and local policymakers, plan events and potentially attend meetings and legislative visits. Some understanding of the legislative process is preferred.

Outreach: Responsibilities include organizing events sponsored by CAIR, assisting with inquiries by members and guests, planning workshops, talks, forums, sensitivity trainings, and civic and educational campaigns. Other responsibilities may include acting as a liaison between CAIR and local Muslim and other faith and ethnic communities, organizing outreach programs with Islamic centers, local universities and volunteers, and developing and implementing strategies to attract individuals to become involved with CAIR. Interest in event planning is encouraged.

Media Relations: Responsibilities include assisting with media requests, keeping track of positive and negative coverage of Islam and Muslims in local media, and writing letters and opinion pieces. Interns will develop skills for writing in a journalistic style and effectively responding to media requests. Intern will also learn the role of media, how to develop press releases and media packets, and hold press conferences. An interest in media and communications is recommended.

Non-Profit Administration: Interns assist with daily operations such as coordination of staff meetings, trainings, and activities; greeting guests and interacting with patrons; and assisting with office organization projects. The internship will also include a membership component with responsibilities such as donor and community outreach, development of membership program, and more. Intern will be encouraged to explore and present ideas for improving overall office efficiency.

Graphic and Web Design: Responsibilities may include webpage, brochure, poster, multimedia illustration and design for CAIR-LA and other chapters. Intern must develop and maintain the CAIR-CA website to ensure timeliness, accuracy and consistency of site; develop and maintain databases; create designs, concepts, layouts for publication of advertisements and other printed and graphic materials. Proficient in Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign; and knowledgeable in Microsoft Office programs, particularly Access; comfort with developing/designing visual interface and coding in HTML and CSS preferred.
Internship Application

Please complete the form below to apply for a position with us.
Full Name *

First Name Middle Name Last Name
Date of Birth *

- Month - Day Year

Current Address *

Street Address
Street Address Line 2
City	State / Province
Postal / Zip Code	Country

Email Address *
Cell: *

- Area Code Phone Number
University *
Major *
Expected Graduation Date *
If you have already graduated, state yout graduation year
Department of Interest *
Alternative Department *
Cover Letter *
Explain what qualifications and skill sets enable you to be an intern and explain why you are interested in this internship & what you want out of it.
Upload Resume *
Writing Sample #1 *
Attach past written assignments, essays, grant proposals, news articles, press releases or any sort of work, no longer than 2 pages, that shows strong writing skills and is in line with CAIR’s mission.
Writing Sample #2
Attach past written assignments, essays, grant proposals, news articles, press releases or any sort of work, no longer than 2 pages, that shows strong writing skills and is in line with CAIR’s mission.
Graphic/Web Design Sample (mandatory for graphic/web design intern applicants)
Web Design URL
If you have a sample available online, please provide the URL
Position Assessment

Please answer the following questions so we may better understand your skill set

How familiar are you with the legislative process? *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not familiar						Very Familiar

Have you ever been involved in student government? *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not Involved						Very Involved

Have you ever been involved in a political campaign? *

Yes No

Do you have any prior experience in Journalism? *

	1	2	3	4	5
No Experience						Very Experienced

How well do you work with people who have difficulty communicating in English *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not Very Well						Very Well

Have you ever worked with a school newspaper? *

Yes No

How well can you cope with individuals who appear stressed and/or emotionally disturbed? *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not Well at All						Very Well

If you were to become a journalist, would you prefer the investigation or writing the story?

Writing the Story Investigation

How much do you enjoy problem-solving? *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not at All						Very Much So

Are you available to attend events that occur on weeknights or weekends? *

Yes No
Are you willing to drive to events that will involve travel to Orange County, the Inland Empire, and Los Angeles County? *

Yes No
Have you ever designed and maintained a professional website? *

Yes No
If you are applying for the graphic/web design internship position, would you be able to provide a portfolio of past graphic design work?

Yes No
Do you have experience with QuickBooks and Raiser’s Edge? *

Yes No

How comfortable are you calling members of CAIR on a regular basis? *

	1	2	3	4	5
Not Comfortable						I can talk to CAIR staff all day

Which computer programs have you worked with in the past? *
Have you done any media relations work for a student group or any community group? Describe your work. *
Schedule

Please provide your daily commitments in the weekly schedule below

Please indicate your availabilities. *

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:00AM
9:00AM
10:00AM
11:00AM
12:00PM
1:00PM
2:00PM
3:00PM
4:00PM
5:00PM
6:00PM

Please provide us details of potential family commitments, midterms, finals, etc. Also, provide any more clarification regarding your schedule as you see fit.
Personal References

Please provide a minimum of two references. It is strongly encouraged that the references be academics, employers/other professionals, and community leaders/activists not related to you.
Name *

Prefix First Name Last Name
Phone Number *

- Area Code Phone Number
E-mail *
Affiliation *
Name *

Prefix First Name Last Name
Phone Number *

- Area Code Phone Number
E-mail *
Affiliation *
Internship Agreement

I understand that by submitting this application for admission to CAIR, CAIR has the liberty to place me in the position most suited to my qualifications or needs of CAIR. If I am selected as an intern, I agree to notify CAIR, in writing, of my acceptance within 3 days of selection. If CAIR does not receive notification from me, then CAIR can assume that I am not participating in the internship program. I certify that I have read and understood all the information mentioned above and the information I have provided is complete, accurate, and to the best of my knowledge.
Signature *

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