A semester of rewarding experience to gain grassroots organizing skills while working to get out the youth vote in the upcoming elections.

The Illinois PIRG Internship and Volunteer program is designed for college students who are passionate about political engagement and looking to increase their experience in political organizing and strategy. This semester long program provides interns with opportunities to build their leadership skills, political engagement, and interest in advocacy careers. Interns and volunteers will work remotely on the New Voters Project to get out the youth vote in the upcoming elections. Given the remote nature of the internship, students taking part in digital learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic can still apply and be considered for the position.

Internship Program Details

Our approach requires each intern not only to develop expertise in campaign strategy, but also to become skilled in organizing and the political process. As an intern you will work side by side with campus organizers working with students in Illinois.

The Campaign:

• New Voters Project: Interns will work on the Illinois PIRG’s priority campaign to help students register and get out and vote (GOTV) leading up to the 2020 Elections. On Election Day, young people will be the largest and most diverse group of potential voters, with distinct values and ideas. The Student PIRGs is gearing up to run a massive non-partisan voter registration effort from Coast to Coast. Interns will work with their campus communities to be ready for GOTV efforts.

Responsibilities for interns will include:

• Organizing political support. Illinois PIRG interns will help to broaden the constituency for our campaign, assist in building, organizing, and managing a coalition of groups that are interested in increasing the youth vote.
• Devising an effective strategy to implement civic engagement plans on college campuses. Interns will work to craft effective tactics for the campus to use to increase voter participation and work to hit goals that elevate the status of our campaign work.
• Media outreach. Illinois PIRG interns work to get our issues and opinions covered by the media, through news releases, “op-eds,” online webinars, and more.
• Attending a weekly skills workshop taught and led by Illinois PIRG Campus Organizers.
• Volunteers are welcome to assist in any of these responsibilities, given the interests of the individual

Examples of potential skills workshops:

• Digital campaigning- How to mobilize student voters in the time of COVID-19
• Working with the media –Generating media coverage on the youth vote
• Running a meeting-From getting the right people in the “room/zoom” to facilitating a productive meeting
• Building diverse and effective coalitions and mobilizing student leaders
• Developing winning campaign strategies and tactics
• Public Speaking –in forums varying from virtual classrooms to town halls and press conferences
• Using social media to educate and mobilize

Internship Requirements:

• 7-10 hours per week
• A commitment to making a difference on issue based campaign work
• Strong organizational abilities
• The ability to engage others, whether one-on-one or in a group
• The ability to think strategically
• Strong writing and communication skills

Internships are available for undergraduate and graduate students from any major. Previous campaign and/or advocacy experience is a plus.

By providing my contact information, I am consenting to have the Student PIRGs, and their affiliates contact me with information about this and future campaigns.