Indigenous Rights Internship

Wetlands has fought in solidarity with indigenous people worldwide in struggles for social and environmental justice. We have challenged logging, mining, natural gas, and oil extraction on traditional indigenous lands, fought against the forced relocation of the Dineh and other indigenous people, challenged hydroelectric projects that would create flood native peoples' homelands, publicized indigenous political prisoners like Leonard Peltier and Rod Coronado. Currently we are working to expose Occidental Petroleum's oil drilling on the traditional cloud forest lands of Colombia's U'wa people and fighting to force Texaco to clean up their massive oil spillage with the Ecuadorian rainforest.
Responsibilities:
*Organize weekly vigils against Fidelity Investments, one of the largest investors in Occidental Petroleum.
*Build ties with the Colombian American and Ecuadorian American communities, indigenous rights and indigenous community organizations
*Raise the profile of the U'wa struggle through media outreach
*Participate in organizing major direct actions against corporations involved in violating indigenous rights
*Stay abreast of other local actions for indigenous rights and act as a Wetlands representative in coalition efforts.
* Organize educational forums at Wetlands on indigenous rights issues
Prerequisites/ Helpful Skills:
*Fluency in Spanish, ability to translate written and spoken Spanish, and ability to write and speak publicly (optional)
*Familiarity with indigenous rights, international environmental, justice, and rainforest struggles.
*Interest and experience in organizing direct action, civil disobedience, street theater, and educational leaflets.
* Strong writing and speaking skills

Internship Outreach / Recruitment Assistant

Responsibilities:
*Read and answer internship inquiries and applications o Maintain internship database
* Post information on Wetlands internships to Websites and activism listservs
* Arrange, coordinate, and staff information booths as concerts, conferences, street fairs, and other events to publicize Wetlands internships
* Assist internship program coordinator in conducting internship interviews
* Develop database of high school and college internship programs
* Coordinate mailings to high school and college internship programs and student organizations
* Ensure that an ample supply of internship information packets is always available for information tables, Wetlands Earthstation, information requests etc.
* Work with internship program coordinator to complete forms and respond to inquiries from school internship programs
Preferred Skills:
* Strong interpersonal skills o Excellent organizational and research skills
* Some knowledge of the Internet and Microsoft Excel
* Excellent typing ability

Environmental Auditor

The Wetlands Preserve nightclub takes pride in being a socially responsible business and reflects this in our use of environmentally safe, non-animal tested cleaning products, our use of recycled paper products, our refusal to book bands who promote racism, homophobia, and misogyny through their music and our refusal to sell beverages produced by companies that are the targets of active boycotts. The environmental audit intern will ensure that Wetlands remains consistent with these principles in all areas of our operations.
Responsibilities:
* Work with activists staff in developing a list of principles and standards relating to all product purchases and in-house practices.
* Conduct a complete survey of the ecological and human rights records of the producers and distributors of all products used or sold at the Wetlands Preserve nightclub, including in-house the impact and safety of the specific products Wetlands uses.
* Develop a list of cost effective potential alternative practices and products for environmental unsound and inhumane products and products from companies that fail to meet Wetlands' high social responsibility standards.
Preferred Skills:
* Strong familiarity with a broad range of animal rights, environmental, and human rights concerns.
* Experience in conducting campus or other institutional environmental/ social responsibility audits.
* Excellent organizational skills.

Rainforest Relief Website Designer/Manager

Rainforest Relief seeks a volunteer website designer/manager. The webmeister must have experience in designing quality websites. Time to work with Rainforest Relief's director is a must, especially during the initial design phase.

North American Wilderness Protection Intern
Wetlands is New York City's leading grassroots organization working to protect America's wildlands through demonstrations, civil disobedience, legislative activism, and a range of other tactics. We are closely affiliated with Earth First! and work in conjunction with a range of local and national wildlands protection groups.
Responsibilities:
*Act as a group contact to Grassroots Environmental Effectiveness Network, American Lands Alliance, The Endangered Species Coalition , Allegheny Defense Project, and other regional and national networks working to end the destruction of our continent's wildlands.
*Develop a working knowledge of current wilderness protection issues, pending legislation in Congress, the political climate around environmental legislation, and other, related topics through publications, the Internet, books, and email.
* Organize monthly North American Wilderness forums with our staff domestic wilderness campaigner.
*Select, write, and edit action alerts for our monthly mailing, weekly forums, and email list.
*Consult with Wetlands staff and experts nationwide to develop organizational positions on issues, and then express these positions by letters and op-eds in newspapers and by signing onto letters to elected officials.
*Work with Domestic Wilderness campaigner to outreach to constituencies interested in wilderness campaigns and recruit volunteers.
*Maintain North American Wilderness files and distribution literature.
*Attend gatherings of wilderness activists as an organizational representative.
* Publicize our activities and perspectives in movement publications and over email.
*Create displays on current issues for Wetlands' Earthstation, our environmental education display space in the Wetlands Preserve nightclub. Prerequisites/
Required Skills:
* Strong background in wilderness issues
* Completion of CEC/LCV Summer Training Academy (not required)
* Design ability or experience in creating educational displays
* Experience in organizing and publicizing speaking events
* Limited Demonstration organizing experience
* Reading and editing skills
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Earthstation Design Internship
Within the Wetlands nightclub, the Earthstation is an educational display area featuring posters, petitions, pamphlets, and periodicals on activist issues and events. For ten years the Earthstation has remained largely unchanged. We are looking for interns to coordinate a major facelift for the Earthstation, making it more eye-catching, interactive, and educationally effective.
Interns will:
* Draft a new design for the Earthstation, including new lighting, interactive computer terminals, video displays, special light effects, permanent and temporary museum-style displays, original artwork, message flashers (similar to the news flasher at Times Square), a space for a person to staff the station and take questions, and other improvements.
* Develop an approximate budget and timeline for these improvements, and submit to Wetlands management for approval.
* Recruit and coordinate interns and volunteers in implementing Earthstation improvements.
Prerequisites/ Required Skills:
* Experience and training in at least several of the following areas: visual arts, graphic design, wiring, carpentry, hypertext, and lighting.
* Experience in leadership and volunteer management.
* Lots of creativity!
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Media Intern
For years, Wetlands has brought environmental, human rights and animal rights issues into the news in New York City, the world's most vast and competitive media market. we are now making available an opportunity for intensely committed people to learn the skills that have made this possible from experienced Wetlands media activists
Intern will:
* Merge and update the media lists of activists working on human rights, anti-militarism, labor, solidarity, animal rights, rainforest, community gardens, and a range of other issues into NYC's most complete, detailed, and efficient media list. * Research various publications' policy on upcoming events listings, and set up a system for faxing them information.
* Update media contacts on Wetlands mailing list.
* Research media strategy through publications like Primetime Activism and the Ruckus Guide to Direct Action Media.
* Draft media advisories and press releases.
* Serve as a media spokesperson at demonstrations, marches, rallies, and direct actions.
* Participate in off-site media for direct actions: faxing news releases, hyping stories to assignment editors, conducting telephone interviews, providing video, photos and press packets to media, and more!
Prerequisites/ Required Skills:
*¨Strong writing and communication skills.
* Organizational skills
* Knowledge of Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Excel, FaxSTF Pro, and Microsoft Fax, but not required.
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Direct Action/Civil Disobedience Intern
For the brave hearted rabble rouser, this internship is a chance of lifeline to learn direct action skills from veteran blockaders, banner droppers, tree sitters, hunt saboteurs, tripod climbers, and office occupiers, while participating in the organizing of direct actions with Wetlands, Rainforest Relief, the Animal Defense League, and other groups.
Interns will:
* Read books on Direct Action including The Handbook for Nonviolent Action and The Earth First! Direct Action Manual.
* Watch direct action films and videos like "A Call to Direct Action" and "Breaking Free"
* Attend nonviolence trainings and study consensus process.
* Work with an affinity group in organizing direct actions, taking on responsibilities including researching issues and targets; scouting locations; researching, building, and /or acquiring special equipment, creating banners, signs, literature, press releases, and press packets, recruiting participants for the action and support roles, alerting media to the upcoming event, and much more.
* Participate in direct action or support roles including interacting with police or media, leading lawful support demonstrations, photography/videography, and jail support.
Prerequisites/Required Skills:
* Completion of a Ruckus Society Action Camp STRONGLY preferred, but not absolutely required
* Commitment to abide by affinity group consensus, e.g. code of nonviolence, court strategy
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Data Manager
As both a grassroots activist group and an activist information resource center, Wetlands maintains a range of databases and spreadsheets on volunteers, NGOs, media, and other subjects. We are looking for someone to coordinate and expand them as well as to increase their efficiency.
Intern will:
*Streamline/expand and merge/interlink databases
* Train high school interns in data entry and supervise and assess their work.
* Complete several hours of data entry weekly
* Prepare written instructions for using all databases
Prerequisites/Required Skills:
* Strong knowledge of database and spreadsheet programs including (at least 2 required) Microsoft Excel and Access, Appleworks, and Filemaker Pro.
* Excellent typing ability.
* Dataentry and database design experience.
* Limited human resource management experience (not required).
* At least some familiarity with both Mac OS and Windows (strongly preferred, but not not required)
* Ability to write clear, concise instructions, accessible to people with varying levels of English Proficiency.
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Anti-Sweatshop Internship
Wetlands, both on our own and in coalition with other groups has addressed worker oppression in Burma, Honduras, Russia, Indonesia, Haiti, Saipan, China, and here in the US, through demonstrations, civil disobedience, marches, public forums, production and distribution of literature, and other tactics. Currently, we are engaged in an unrelenting campaign against Gap, Inc. for their sweatshop labor practices and their owners' involvement in redwood forest logging. We are seeking an intern to assist in organizing this campaign, strengthen our ties, with other anti-sweatshop groups, and educate our activist base on sweatshop issues
Intern will:
* Act as liaison to Global Sweatshop Coalition, UNITE, National Labor Committee, National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, Global Exchange, Sweatshop Watch, Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation, and United Students Against Sweatshops and its local chapters.
* Work with our North American Wilderness Campaigner to organize demonstrations, direct actions, street theater, leafletting, etc, on our campaign against Gap, Inc, for their use of sweatshop labor and their owners' destruction of redwood forests.
* Run information booths and speak at anti-sweatshop events activism against Gap, In.c.
*Organize speaking events on sweatshop issues at Wetlands.
*Serve as in-house resource person on sweatshop issues, addressing inquiries, disseminating resources, etc.
* Develop a section of the Wetlands website devoted to sweatshop issues.
* Aggregate resources on sweatshop issues: books, videos, and literature in bulk for distribution
* Develop files on sweatshop issues.
* Coordinate anti-sweatshop volunteers.
* Publicize Wetlands work on sweatshops and the Gap campaign itself by getting groups to link to our website, drafting articles for publications, being a presence at anti-sweatshop events, and disseminating our campaign literature.
* Speak at rallies, schools, to community and religious groups, etc.
* Develop a base of volunteers and interns to work on sweatshop issues.
* Update campaign literature and press materials to reflect new information.
* Create displays on sweatshop issues at Wetlands' Earthstation, our activist education space for nightclub patrons.
Prerequisites/Required Skills:
(Intern is not required to have every one these skills, but at least several are strongly preferred)
* Commitment to and experience in anti-sweatshop activism
* Experience in organizing and publicizing speaking events and demonstrations
* Public speaking experience
* Strong writing abilities
* Leadership ability and strong interpersonal skills
* Filing Experience and strong organizational skills
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Animal Rights Internships
Since 1995, Wetlands has aggressively pursued animal rights campaigns. Over the years we have addressed issues including seal hunting, vivisection, fur, veganism, the killing of dolphins and sea turtles in nets, and many others. Early this year we reached an agreement with the NYC Animal Defense League to campaign jointly and share resource on animal rights issues. We are now offering internships for people with a strong committment to animal rights. (Applicants should also be sympathetic to human rights and environmental issues.)

Animal Rights Resource and Outreach Internship
Wetlands is a leading information source and resource for local animal rights activists. We host monthly animal rights forums, maintain an extensive library of animal rights books, videos, and informational files, and house a huge and highly varied collection of animal rights literature in bulk quantities, which we distribute free of charge to activists and other who want to learn more on animal rights.
We are currently seeking an intern to coordinate and publicize these resources:
*Assist in organizing monthly animal rights forums with expert speakers, letterwritiing on current animal rights issues, new animal rights films, and upcoming events announcements.
* Publicize monthly forums, library resources, and other animal rights events to media, other organizations, community, and students.
* Attend meetings, demonstrations, and other events of other local animal rights organizations as a Wetlands representative.
* Maintain clearinghouse of animal rights literature from a range of local and national organizations.
*Maintain, organize, and catalog Wetlands' extensive library of animal rights books and videos.
* Work with the NYC and Brooklyn chapters of the Animal Defense League on their various campaigns against fur and to educate the public on vegan living.
* Provide resources and support to campus animal rights groups in the New York metropolitan area.
* Write updates on Wetlands' animal rights activities for our monthly Wetlands Works newsletter
* Manage high school animal rights interns and volunteers.
*Create educational displays on animal rights issues for Wetlands' Earthstation Information Center
* Reply to animal rights information requests
*Speak or find experts to speak at schools and other settings that request animal rights speakers
* Coordinate and staff information booths at conferences, concerts, and other events
* Develop animal rights content for the Wetlands and Animal Defense League websites
Prerequisites/Required Skills:
* Some public speaking ability
* Leadership skills (for intern management)
* Strong knowledge of animal rights issues or willingness to commit to hours of reading and research
* Limited graphic design/layout skills (for creating displays)
* Writing ability
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Animal Rights Legislative Internship
New York City at this time severely lacks strong, coordinated grassroots lobbying and electoral efforts centered around animal rights issues. Wetlands' Animal Rights Legislative Intern will build the foundation to turn the NYC animal rights movement into a powerhouse in these areas.
* Lobby legislators and consulates on local, state, federal, and international animal rights issues.
* Conduct research for a planned animal rights ballot initiative in New York City * Organize voters in critical legislative districts
* Act as group liaison to organizations working on federal, state, and municipal legislative initiatives on animal protection issues, including the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Committee for Humane Legislation, Humane Society of the United States, The New York State Coalition for Animals, The Fund for Animals and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
* Monitor animal rights legislation on the state, federal, and municipal levels.
* Draft comments on behalf of the organization on animal-related regulations, letters to legislators, and letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines, as well as op-ed columns on animal issues.
* Develop legislative "scorecard" to track voting records of city, state, and federal elected officials on animal issues.
* Compile research on animal rights legislative affairs into website (web design experience is not mandatory)
* Outreach to New York City animal rights activists to activate them on legislative an electoral affairs.
Prerequisites /Required Skills
* Graduates of CEC/LCV Summer Training Academy preferred, but not required * Strong writing and editing skills
* Excellent research skills and reading ability
* Interest in campaign strategy
* Excellent organizational skills
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Anti-Fur Internship
Wetlands affiliate group, the Animal Defense League, is a leader in the fight against the confinement, torture, and killing of animals for fur garments. We are currently seeking an intern to conduct research for and participate as a key organizer of this campaign.
Intern will:
* Take a major role in organizing anti-fur protests and other events
* Develop anti-fur educational materials for activists and the public, including a boycott/protest target list of stores that sell fur in NYC
* Conduct extensive research and develop detailed files on the NYC fur industry and Federated Department Stores, owner of Macy's, ADL's primary fur protest target
* Draft and circulate (via email) activist updates on the fur industry and its allies, including dates and locations of upcoming fur sales, legislative and public relations initiatives by Fur Commission USA, trappers organizations , anti-fur actions, etc. Prerequisites/ Required Skills:
* Experience in protest organizing strongly preferred.
* Strong research and organizational skills
* Willingness to make a long-term commitment to the internship is strongly preferred.
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Rainforest Internships

USE YOUR TALENTS TO SAVE THE EARTH !
INTERN WITH R A I N F O R E S T R E L I E F
January 2000: The following Rainforest Relief positions are available AS internships or To committed volunteers:

Boardwalks Campaign
IN NEW JERSEY: Assist South Jersey Coordinators in campaigns to end the use of uncertified rainforest woods for boardwalk reconstruction projects in Ocean City, Atlantic City and Wildwood, NJ. Organize direct actions, contact media, organize coalitions.
IN NEW YORK: Assist Director in campaign to end the use of uncertified rainforest woods for boardwalk reconstruction projects in New York City Organize direct actions, contact media, organize coalitions.
ELSEWHERE: Research and report on other coastal areas (such as Maryland, Florida and California) regarding the use of rainforest woods in boardwalks, piers, bulkheads and other marina construction and work to pass resolutions against the use of uncertified rainforest woods.
Other NYC Agencies:

NY / NJ PORT AUTHORITY
Assist director in a campaign to end the use of rainforest woods for pilings in New York Harbor by the Port Authority. Organize direct actions, contact media.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Assist director in a campaign to end the use of rainforest woods for decking of the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian/bicycle deck. Organize direct actions.

Mahogany Is Murder Campaign Restaurants/Bars
Continue to organize for the ongoing campaign to end the use of mahogany and other uncertified rainforest woods by New York City restaurants and bars.

Dying for Mahogany Campaign:
Research and organize a new campaign to end the use of mahogany and other uncertified rainforest woods for coffins within NYC and nationally.

RETAIL CHAINS:
Further research and organize the ongoing campaign to end the use of mahogany and other uncertified rainforest woods by national chain retail strores and restaurants. So far our research has identified Hard Rock Cafe, Georgiou, Barney's New York, TGI Friday's, Tristan & America, Coach, The Tie Rack, The Museum Company and others as using rainforest wood for store construction.

Futon Campaign
Research and organize a campaign to end the imports of futon made from endangered rainforest woods into New York City. The Rainforests of Broadway Research and organize a new campaign to end the use of lauan tropical hardwood plywood and other uncertified rainforest woods for set construction by NYC theaters.

W&K Scandinavian Furniture
Continue to organize the campaign to end the purchase of teak and other rainforest wood furniture by this store, the last remaining Scandinavian design store in the City.

Web Master
Reconstruct and update the Rainforest Relief web site. Would necessitate working closely with the director and learning about RR campaigns and projects.

Office Assistant
Follow-up on numerous projects and administrative needs. Work changes daily.

Presenters
Interns will be trained in public speaking, subject matter and use of materials, and will eventually go into area schools to present Rainforest Relief's unique presentation on protecting rainforests (see Presentation Proposal)

Special Event Development
Developing and coordinating special fundraising event(s). Current ideas include a benefit tape of regional musicians, benefit concerts, dine-out nights, etc. The tape project would include a release party and a concert. Future projects could include a raffle, celebrity dinner, author brunch, etc.

Rainforest Medicinals Research the current situation regarding Calanolide-A, the compound discovered in the bark of a rare gum tree native to the Malaysian rainforest and then lost when the forest was cut for plywood. The first step is to contact Nexus and find out which libraries carry this on-line service in New Jersey. It is possible to work with other organizations that may carry this service.

Nexus
Research various topics on the Nexus database such as Calanolide-A, teak, tropical wood exports, bananas.

PIERS
Compile information on imports of various rainforest hardwoods and agricultural products using information from the PIERS database.

Other Research Projects
Research tropical agriculture (banana, mango, papaya, sugar, cocoa, etc.) and its effects on rainforests, aluminum production in rainforest countries, beef trade in the U.S. and its impact on Central American rainforests, greenheart logging and its use in the U.S, the use of tropical timber in the shipping industry, or the connection between the global production of tobacco and the loss of tropical forests. If there is something in particular which interests you, let's design a project.

Rainforest Timber Resolution/Ordinance
Work to pass a rainforsest timber ordinance in your town or resolution in your school or institution.