Program Description:

Community Voices Heard (CVH) – one of the most successful grassroots economic justice organizations – is seeking an individual between the ages of 16 and 23 to work as a paid Summer Youth Organizing Intern.

The intern will learn the craft of organizing through taking on real responsibilities to help advance an actual campaign/ project. This internship will be integrated with CVH’s NYC Chapter Work and will focus outreach efforts in the East Harlem community – working on a combination of public and affordable housing issues and broader community rezoning issues. The intern will be supervised directly by a NYC Chapter Organizer and work collaboratively with the entire NYC staff team.

The internship will include on-the-job training and field practice in the following basics of community organizing (and more!):

Recruitment: bringing new people into an organization through door knocking, surveying, etc.
One-on-Ones: learning about people’s self-interest and why they might get involved
Mobilization: moving people to action – to come to a meeting, a workshop, a demonstration, etc.
Meeting Facilitation: keeping to an agenda and accomplishing goals set forth
Direct Action: confronting power in a non-violent way (e.g. marches, rallies, etc.)
Campaign Strategy: figuring out the best ways to move power figures to make changes
Campaign Development: planning out a series of actions and activities to accomplish your goals

The internship will be 8-10 weeks in length, starting on or after June 15th and ending on or before August 21st (depending on negotiated start and end date). Interns will learn by doing; they will be instructed in organizing basics at the office, sent to the field to practice daily, and return to reflect on their experiences. The intern will also be part of a cohort of interns supported by the New York Foundation and will be required to participate in a one-day orientation retreat with other interns in July, and a morning closing event in August.

The intern will be paid $13 per hour and will be expected to work 40 hours per week, as determined at the start. An average day starts between 11am and 12noon and ends between 8 and 9pm; work might start earlier or end later when necessary for particular events. Some weekend work is also required – occasional Saturdays and Sunday evenings.

Organizational Background:

CVH is a 20 year-old membership organization of low-income people based in NYC and now with other offices in other NY counties (Westchester, Orange and Dutchess Counties). We work on economic justice, job creation, welfare, public housing, economic development, and access to education and training services. CVH uses base-building, direct-action, grassroots-driven research, voter education & mobilization, and coalition building to lead campaigns to win benefits for our membership of low-income families.

CVH’s East Harlem Hub is working to address concerns of long-term community residents around the shifting nature of their community and the lack of voice they feel they have within the evolution. Over the summer work will focus on supporting the building of a Leadership Team to engage in re-visioning the community and figuring out how to ensure that City-promoted zoning changes address the needs of the local residents.

Qualifications:

16 – 23 years old.
Interest in building community power & fostering the leadership of others.
Comfort in talking to strangers and engaging them in dialogue about community issues.
Hard worker with interest in rolling up ones sleeves and diving in!
Eager to learn new things and apply them immediately.
Ready to go into the field and recruit new members.
Ability to work independently, yet take direction, according to goals of the organization.
Spanish language skills are strongly desired.
Familiarity with East Harlem a plus.

How to apply

Please send or drop off resume and cover letter (including a statement of why you are interested in the internship and why you believe you are a good candidate for it) to: Sondra Youdelman, Executive Director, Community Voices Heard, 115 East 106th Street, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10029. If emailing (cvh@CVHaction.org), make sure to put “Summer Youth Organizing Intern” in the subject line.

CVH is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, differently-abled individuals, and people with current or past experience receiving public assistance or residing in public housing are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about the organization please check out our web page at: www.CVHaction.org.