Consortium Intern, Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, Boston, MA

Consortium Intern

Posted on: January 30, 2015
Posted by: Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights

The Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights is an organization devoted to bringing knowledge about gender to bear on the quest to end armed conflicts and build sustainable peace. Founded in 2002, and now based at the University of Massachusetts Boston, its work is a result of collaboration between scholars and researchers from academic institutions in the Boston area, as well as NGOs and international institutions such as the United Nations. The Consortium works to build knowledge about gender, armed conflict and security through fostering greater interaction between scholars, policy-makers and practitioners; our activities include hosting lectures, discussions, workshops and conferences. Currently, we are developing a new website, with the aim of fostering international collaboration, and encouraging researchers to address unanswered questions in the field of gender, armed conflict, peace-building and security.

Because we are a small, non-profit organization, our interns are integral to the successful execution of all of our core activities, from research to the management of the Consortium itself. Additionally, we see our internship program is a key part of fulfilling our mission to educate emerging scholars and professionals, so we strive to provide interns with educational opportunities and mentorship.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The responsibilities vary, and are determined individually for each intern. Our staff meets with each incoming intern to come up with a mix of assignments that best matches the intern's learning goals and skills with the Consortium's current needs.
• Typical intern tasks include:

1. Assisting with our international speaker series program, which brings researchers and practitioners from across the world to speak about cutting edge issues related to gender, security, and human rights.
2. Supporting our participation in the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, which serves as a bridge between women's human rights defenders working in conflict-affected situations and policy-makers at UN Headquarters.
3. Researching a topic of interest to the intern and the Consortium, in order to create an annotated bibliography to be posted on the Consortium's new website.
4. Drafting tweets and facebook posts about news stories related to gender and security or recently published research.
5. Monitoring multiple listervs and searching for resources to create a monthly digest of job openings, conferences, research and funding opportunities in this field.
6. Assisting in the management of our organization.

• This internship provides interns with the opportunity to see how a small-NGO functions on a day-to-day basis as well as develop their own leadership skills as an essential part of this organization.

REQUIREMENTS

• Candidates should possess:

1. Strong research ability and organizational skills
2. The ability to multi-task
3. Basic computer skills (familiarity with Microsoft office and Google documents)
4. Intensely focused attention to detail and accuracy
5. A high level of initiative and responsibility
6. Flexibility and willingness to take on a variety of projects
7. Strong interpersonal skills
8. An interest in learning about gender and security in the UN and in conflict zones worldwide

• Website development skills are a plus.
• During Fall and Spring Semesters, both part-time (15-20 hours/week) and full-time internships (35-40 hours/week) are available, though strong preference is given to applicants able to make a full-time commitment and/or able to work for two semesters.
• In the summer, most internships are full-time; ideally, interns should be able to commit at least two and a half months to this position, and end their internships no earlier than August 15^th. Later end dates are preferred.
• Hours are flexible, and some work can be completed on a home computer.
• Spring, summer and fall internship positions will be filled on a rolling basis.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application to the Consortium's director, Dr. Carol Cohn, at volunteer@genderandsecurity.org. Applications should include a completed Information Form (found at http://genderandsecurity.org/intern.htm), resume, and cover letter. Please be specific about the time period for which you are seeking an internship, and the weekly time commitment you are prepared to make.