Rio Earth Summit Internship
Organization: SustainUS
Location: Washington, D.C.
Unpaid
Description
The Worldwatch Institute and SustainUS have an immediate opening for a joint intern to assist both organizations with their preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (also known as Rio+20 or the Rio Earth Summit).
Conduct hard-hitting policy research, get your work published on the Internet, and help U.S. and international youth to advance sustainable development, all while gaining experience with two great organizations!
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
SustainUS (approximately 50% of your time)
Assist SustainUS’s two Earth Summit Coordinators and other SustainUS leadership with the administration of the Rio 2012 U.S. Youth planning group, including assisting with campaign development, policy research, and tracking Rio negotiations
Provide coordination, research, and recruitment for the newly-forming international youth coalition for Rio+20
For interns able to stay through January 2011 – participate as part of the SustainUS U.S. youth delegation at the Rio Preparatory Committee meeting on January 10 & 11 in New York City, and help the delegation and other international youth to prepare for the meeting, as well as conduct follow-up work after the negotiations end
Attend relevant events held in Washington, D.C., in some cases as the SustainUS and/or Worldwatch representative
Worldwatch Institute (approximately 50% of your time)
Work for the Rio + 20 project will involve helping researchers to 1) develop content for the project blog, Decision Rio 2012: Sustainable Prosperity for the 21st Century, which includes conducting interviews with sustainability specialists for creation of podcasts, interfacing with organizations worldwide to generate blog pieces and other content for the site, and brainstorming about ways to help keep the site active and fresh, and 2) helping researchers with their research for a variety of projects from policymaker briefs to chapters for State of the World 2012.
Work for Vital Signs Online will involve helping researchers track down data and other information on several of the 24 sustainability topics that are the focus of this Worldwatch trend analysis product.
QUALIFICATIONS (please note specific examples of applicable skills in your cover letter)
- Education or work/volunteer experience in sustainability and sustainable development policy
- Strong research, writing, and telephone skills
- Campaign/organizing skills, especially work with youth activists and/or national campaigns
- Ability to juggle multiple assignments and receive instructions from multiple supervisors
- Traditional and social media skills a plus
- Familiarity with the current (ideally) or former United Nations sustainable development summits and conferences (Rio and Rio+10)
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
This position is a minimum 10 hours per week. Interns who can commit to greater hours are preferred. Please indicate availability in your cover letter. The position is currently unpaid. Interns are encouraged to seek course credit or outside support. Funding may become available depending on future fundraising efforts and intern performance. This position is based in the Worldwatch Institute office in Washington, DC. Some preference will be given to interns who can work through the Preparatory Committee meeting January 10-11, 2011. Costs to participate in the Preparatory Committee meeting will be paid for by the organizations.
Opportunities for publication (e.g. being the principal author of a research piece for Vital Signs Online or a policy brief for the Rio + 20 project) will be available for interns with the requisite skills. Interns will be eligible to apply for the SustainUS delegation to the Rio conference in 2012 and their application will receive some additional consideration due to their knowledge of the negotiations gained through this internship.
We anticipate hiring for this position again through 2011 and early 2012.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE, PROJECTS, AND ORGANIZATIONS
The 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (www.uncsd2012.org), to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 14-16, 2012, is the 3rd in a series of sustainable development meetings, summits, and negotiations organized by the United Nations and its member countries over the last 20 years. The first negotiation, also called the Earth Summit and held in Rio de Janeiro, spawned several international environmental agreements like the climate change, biodiversity, and desertification conventions.
Rio + 20 is a two-year Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) project designed to leverage the Rio conference to advance the prospects for clear commitments to sustainable economies on the part of governments, businesses, and civil society organizations worldwide. Working in close cooperation with select government agencies and non-governmental organizations, the project will promote innovative policy ideas that serve to break through ideological stalemates like the ones that have blocked progress on climate and other issues over the past two decades.
Vital Signs Online is an interactive, subscription-based tool that provides hard data and research-based insights on the sustainability trends that are shaping our future. Created for business leaders, policymakers, academics, and engaged citizens, Vital Signs Online can be used for strategic planning, understanding world events, or as a reference source for presentations and reports.
SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development (www.sustainus.org), is a 10 year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education, research, and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels, we are building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Our Agents of Change program sends delegations of youth to a wide variety of international negotiations on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainable development, including the last sustainable development summit in 2002 and the yearly meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Our Education and Engagement program links this international work to the issues facing our youth delegates’ communities all over the country, motivating and inspiring people locally.
How to Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Hiring is rolling until filled. Top applicants may be asked to participate in a phone interview. All applicants will be notified of their status once hiring has completed.
We are equal opportunity employers.
