Field Organizing Internship – Climate and Energy Campaign–VA
Organization: Oceana
Job Title: Field Organizing Internship
Location(s): Norfolk, Virginia; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Newport News, Virginia
Hours and Compensation: Unpaid
Posted on: May 14
Organization Overview
Oceana’s Climate and Energy campaign is providing students
with internship opportunities for the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Internships will provide students with
invaluable experience in grassroots environmental advocacy organizing, and an
opportunity to make a real impact in moving our country away from offshore
drilling and towards a clean energy future.
Internship areas include, but are not limited to, media relations,
grassroots campaigning, coalition building, and political lobbying.
About the Campaign:
Oceana is working to prevent the expansion of offshore oil
drilling. Based on the direct impacts of oil to ocean wildlife, human health
and local communities and its contributions to climate change, Oceana
recommends the following:
– Reinstate the pre-existing moratoria for offshore oil
production, including the protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska.
– Begin the development of a comprehensive conservation and
energy plan for the Arctic that provides a transition from oil to renewable
energy and conservation.
– Promote energy efficiency and low carbon fuels. Energy
should be conserved at every opportunity, including through improved fuel
efficiency standards for cars, trucks, airplanes and ships.
– Prioritize the development of offshore wind energy in
place of offshore oil drilling using financial mechanisms such as loan
guarantees and refundable tax credits.
Description
As an intern with Oceana’s Climate and Energy campaign you
will help build a coalition opposing the push to bring offshore drilling to
Virginia and supporting the development of Virginia’s incredible offshore wind
potential. We will talk with community
members about the impact of offshore drilling, collect petition signatures,
hold press conference, and build grassroots coalitions of businesses and
organizations. You will be a part of the
nation-wide movement to stop the expansion of offshore drilling!
Interns may fill one of the following positions, or an
alternate plan can be developed with the lead organizer to fit your abilities
and career goals:
Business and Organizational Outreach Intern Job Description
Background: Building coalitions around the issues we work on
builds our power as an organization and behind our campaigns. Coalition work is
critical to demonstrate that our issues affect and concern a broad range of
people. The support of businesses helps us show that our campaign is good for
both the environment and the economy. Community organizations, such as
neighborhood associations and chambers of commerce, can also be powerful voices
that help us build momentum by bringing their names, reputations, visibility
within the community, and resources to the table. table. We will approach a
wide range of businesses and organizations that are somehow affected by the
campaign and ask them to get involved.
Responsibilities:
– Develop a list of potential coalition partners to target.
– Contact coalition partners. This involves doing outreach,
sending out mailings, making phone calls, and following up with groups until
they say yes or no.
– Recruit and train volunteers to help with coalition
outreach.
– Maintain contact with coalition groups. Send them updates
on the campaign, ask them to get more deeply involved with the campaign, thank
them for participating, and cultivate relationships with groups.
– Enter all coalition contacts into database and update their
records.
Visibility Intern Job Description
Background: We are constantly striving to create visibility
for our organization and our campaigns. We want the public to see us, as a way
to educate them about our issues and build their support for our campaigns.
Visibility also builds up our credibility and name recognition as an
organization. In addition, it can help to activate people and get them involved
with the group.
Responsibilities:
– Create visibility materials, such as posters, leaflets, signs,
banners, and props.
– Recruit and train volunteers to distribute visibility
materials. Coordinate their efforts to ensure that we’re reaching out to the
entire community.
– Assist in the planning of visibility events. This may
include tasks like finding a location, obtaining permits, inviting speakers,
recruiting volunteers to help out at events and overseeing them during the
event itself, and coordinating media outreach with the media outreach intern.
– Develop creative ideas for new ways to generate
visibility.
Media Outreach Intern Job Description
Background: The media work we do is critically important to
our campaigns. By getting into the media, we accomplish three very important
goals. First, we educate the public about issues that affect their lives.
Second, decision makers are always concerned about any coverage they receive,
and we can hold them accountable to their decisions through this media
coverage. Third, we build recognition for our campaign which helps us gain
credibility and political power.
Responsibilities:
– Write news advisories and releases for campaign events.
– Make press calls to pitch stories and events to reporters
and convince them to cover our campaigns.
– Recruit and train volunteers to help with media tasks,
like writing Letters to the Editor.
– Get copies of all press clips that we generate, and add
them to our media file.
– Maintain contact with reporters and editors. Send them
updates and press packets thank them when they cover our campaigns, and
cultivate relationships with the media.
– Maintain media tracking forms and keep them updated.
Grassroots Organizing Intern Job Description
Background: Generating grassroots support for our campaigns
is the single best tool we have to influence decision makers. By generating
postcards, phone calls, letters, and other types of grassroots support, we show
our targets that the public is paying attention.
Responsibilities
– Plan and attend tabling events, call-in days, and other
grassroots events
– Recruit and train volunteers to work grassroots events.
– Track the number of petition signatures and other
grassroots pieces we collect
How to Apply:
Send resume and letter of interest to Becca Glenn at
[email protected].
