WASHINGTON OFFICE ON LATIN AMERICA
Internship Location: Washington, D.C.
Intern
Organization Website: www.wola.org
Description of Organization:
"The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is a
nonprofit policy, research and advocacy organization working to advance
democracy, human rights and social justice in Latin America and the
Caribbean. Founded in 1974, WOLA plays a leading role in Washington
policy debates about Latin America. WOLA facilitates dialogue between
governmental and non-governmental actors, monitors the impact of policies and
programs of governments and international organizations, and promotes
alternatives through reporting, education, training and advocacy."
Description of Internship:
"The Washington Office on Latin America's interns are
exposed to the dynamics of U.S. foreign policy –making at close range, focusing
on the effects of U.S. policies on human rights, democratization and economic
development in Latin America. WOLA staff interact daily with various
congressional offices, the State Department and many non- governmental,
international and religious organizations. WOLA seeks to influence policy in
many ways: briefing congressional aides, writing reports and issue briefs,
organizing press conferences and seminars, addressing academic audiences and
writing op-ed pieces for periodicals.
WOLA’s internship program works to give interns a wide range
of exposure to the foreign policy making process and aims to familiarize its
interns with current events in Latin America through regular meetings with our
policy-making associates, attending NGO coalition meetings, brown bag lunches
and congressional hearings throughout the semester. As an intern, you
will be involved in producing detailed research on a specific topic that will
be used in WOLA’s advocacy work. Previous "intern projects" have
included: working on the declassification of CIA documents pertaining to the
Guatemalan civil war; researching and writing portions of a grassroots packet
on U.S. policy toward Cuba; planning official delegations of government
officials from Peru; writing a background brief on land reform in Nicaragua;
and documenting human rights abuses by the Mexican military.
WOLA has internships three times each year - summer, fall and
spring. WOLA selects seven interns per session. All of our
internships are unpaid. During the fall and spring, interns are expected
to work at least 24 hours each week. During the summer, they are expected
to work 32 hours each week. Approximately 65% of the internship is
administrative in nature-- answering telephones, faxing, copying, etc.
The remainder of an intern's time is spent working on a specific tasks (i.e.
fulfilling orders for our many publications, helping to keep our website updated,
working with the press) and working with a senior associate on a specific
project. The nature of that project is entirely designed by the senior
associate. WOLA is interested in developing and expanding a program
focusing on Brazil. WOLA is interested in a student who is knowledgeable
about Brazil and proficient in Portuguese, in addition to the qualifications
listed below. In general, our internships are not open to either graduate
students or to students who have already graduated as they are generally
looking for something more substantive in nature.
Interested applicants should have a demonstrated interest in
human rights, democracy and economic justice in Latin America; initiative and
flexibility; the capability to work in a fast-paced, non-smoking environment;
good organizational skills; follow-through and attention to detail. Spanish
proficiency is recommended.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE In order to be considered for an internship, WOLA needs the
following materials: a cover letter in which you state that you understand that
the internship is unpaid and that you can work at least 24 hours each week (32
if you are applying for a summer internship) and giving us an idea of your
specific interests regarding Latin America. We also need a resume, the
names and telephone numbers of at least two references and a short writing
sample. The application deadline for summer internships is March
15th. Internships during the summer run from late May/early June through
August. Applications for fall and spring internships are accepted on a
rolling basis. Fall internships generally run from early September
through mid-December. Spring internships generally run from mid-January
through May. Application materials should be addressed to the
Intern Coordinator:
Contact Information:
WOLA - Washington
1630 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 200
Wash., DC 20009
Tel. (202)797-2171
Fax (202)797-2172
wola@wola.org
Current as of May 25, 2003.