Want to work in your community and fight for social justice this summer? Considering a career as a community or labor organizer? Want to develop your political analysis and organizing skills? Check out these (paid) organizing internship opportunities that are based here in the Bay Area and around the country.

Why should I intern with a community organization or labor union?

Interning with an organization is a great way to put ideas you’ve learned while in school into concrete action for social change by joining a group of people who are already working towards justice and equality. As an intern, you’ll learn useful skills and get exposed to new issues in the community as well as deepening your understanding of issues you’ve worked on before, and those skills and that knowledge can be very valuable when you return to campus. Finally, interning with a community organization or a labor union is a good way to connect with people already in the field, which is especially valuable if you plan on working in one of these organizations during or after school.

Where can I get money to be an organizing intern?

First and foremost, check your campus for funded internship opportunities! Public service centers, ethnic studies departments, work-study/financial aid often have programs that allow students to choose an organization and get paid by the school to intern there. Oftentimes the deadlines for these programs are in the winter and early spring, so don’t miss it!

If your school doesn’t have any paid internship opportunities, there are training organizations that fund internships with community organizations or labor unions and also provide ongoing education and skills development.

Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program

The Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program (MAAP) is a paid 8-week intensive national organizer training program for people of color, who are committed to learning the theory and practice of building racial justice movements through direct-action community organizing. Participants learn the art and science of organizing through in-the-field training and skills development with a community or labor organization. Graduates of the program are supported in finding employment as organizers with community and labor organizations fighting for social justice. Over the years, MAAP has produced hundreds of organizers of color, who have continued to work for social justice and gone on to play key movement roles.

MAAP 2009 CYCLE June 15th – August 7th

Application deadline: March 13th To learn more about the application process, please go to http://www.ctwo.org/index.php?s=27

Qualified applicants must be people of color, at least 18 years of age, and display a commitment to building a movement for racial and social justice. In order to be considered, individuals must fill out an application and attend a Community Action Training. Please submit applications to the CTWO training department via email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , fax: (510) 533-0923 or snail mail: CTWO Training Department, 1218 E. 21st St., Oakland, CA 94606.

Hotel Workers Rising Summer Paid Internship 2009

Across North America, hotel workers are rising – organizing to lift one another out of poverty.  Housekeepers, dishwashers, cooks are standing together to win the right to organize a union and improve their lives.

They need you – your energy, your education, your enthusiasm – to join them in that fight.

UNITE HERE is offering a six-week, paid Hotel Workers Rising Internship for passionate student leaders who will spend their summer in the struggle for justice.  Internship sites will be based in major cities across the U.S. and Canada.

The Hotel Workers Rising Internship will run from July 13-August 21, 2009.  Applications are due by May 15, 2009 and applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early for rolling admission.

For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Apply Online at: jobs.unitehere.org/internapp.php  

SOUL Summer School

SOUL Summer School is an ten-week-long intensive introduction to community organizing and social change, designed for young activists (ages 18-25) who have been involved with social justice organizing for at least one year. SOUL is dedicated to helping young women, young people of color, young working class people and queer youth step up to lead the movement, and SOUL Summer School provides a structured time when you can work full-time to develop your grassroots organizing skills and your political analysis.