The Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) invites human rights graduate students in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the School for International and Public Affairs to apply for an eight-week internship in the summer of 2013. The internships are being offered by alumni of the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP). ISHR will make available travel grants of $1500 to at least two students.
Founded in 1989, HRAP is a unique and successful model of human rights capacity building providing grassroots leaders and human rights activists the tools, knowledge, access, and networks to promote the realization of human rights and strengthen their respective organizations. Participants in the program have gone on to become recognized leaders in their respective fields due to the advocacy training, networking, skills-building, and academic coursework the program provides.
Human rights graduate students are strongly encouraged to expand their own advocacy training, networking, skills-building, and education by volunteering with HRAP alumni and going into the field with their organizations. As an intern, you will work onsite at the organization and witness firsthand as well as contribute to the work of grassroots human rights advocacy efforts.
ISHR will review all applications received by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, March 7, 2013. Interviews by ISHR staff will be conducted during the latter half of March 2013. Applications and interview results will then be sent to the hosting organizations, which may request interviews. At the end of April 2013, at least two applicants will be chosen to participate in this program and given a travel grant of $1,500 each from ISHR. You will have to pay for your own housing. You may even have to find your own housing. Some organizations may be able to identify housing in advance.
Please read each description carefully and be sure to ask questions during the interview with the hosting organization. Each volunteer position is a minimum of eight weeks, but longer volunteer experiences may be available. Students are expected to coordinate the exact start and end dates directly with the organization.
Preference is given to first-year graduate students who expect to continue their graduate studies at Columbia University in the fall of 2013. Upon their return, the students will be expected to talk about their experiences at brown bags sponsored by ISHR in the fall of 2013 as well as contribute at least one article each to ISHR RightsNews.
Please do not contact the organizations or HRAP alumni listed below. Please contact Stephanie Grepo at sg2670@columbia.edu before Friday, March 1st at 3 pm EST if you have any questions. You should make every effort to complete the application in advance of the deadline. All technical questions should be sent to hradvocates@columbia.edu.
Volunteer Options
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Brazil: Children’s Rights, Human Trafficking
Organization: Organização de Direitos Humanos Projeto Legal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -
India: Labor Rights, Women’s Rights
Organization: Centre for Women’s Development and Research, Chennai, India -
Kenya: LBTI Rights
Organization: Minority Women in Action, Nairobi, Kenya -
Kenya: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Organization: Economic and Social Rights Centre, Nairobia, Kenya -
Sierra Leone: Rights of Incarcerated Women
Organization: AdvocAid, Freetown, Sierra Leone -
Uganda: Children’s Rights
Organization: Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, Kanungu District, Uganda
Start your Application Now for the Graduate Student Volunteer Program.