Campus Internships with Florida PIRG Students

Florida PIRG Students works with professional staff at colleges and universities to make sure our peers have the skills, opportunities and training they need to create a better, more sustainable future for all of us. Our campus chapters provide the training, professional support and resources students need to tackle climate change, protect public health, revitalize our democracy, feed the hungry and more.

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 professional organizing staff.

Responsibilities will include:

  • Organizing political support. Florida 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 in the fall to increase voter participation and work to hit goals each week that elevate the status of our campaign work.
  • Media outreach. Florida 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. Each week interns will be taught grassroots campaigning skills from our professional staff, some of whom have worked in student organizing for over 30 years.

The list of skills workshops include:

  • 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

Requirements:

10-15 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 in law, political science, public policy, sociology or environmental studies, but students in any area of study may apply. Previous campaign and/or advocacy experience is a plus.