Internships

Fall 2008 Internship Opportunities at CAIR

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is currently offering new internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

At the Council on American-Islamic Relations, we are convinced that the best way to secure a better future for us all is to empower young Americans with the skills they need to make a difference. There is no better teacher than experience. From our headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., CAIR interns work with political and academic leaders on substantive projects that lay the foundation for a fair and more inclusive America. Interns develop professional skills, gain insight into the societal impact of public service, and have the opportunity to work with different departments so they might holistically understand the daily operations of a non-profit civil rights organization.

A sense of community and camaraderie is fostered among the interns in the program. Interns attend exciting weekly educational and social events featuring distinguished leaders and activists from organizations in the Washington metropolitan area. During the summer of 2008, interns observed interviews at CNN and FOX, attended a national progressive youth conference, met with their Congressional representatives to discuss racial profiling, attended Friday prayers at the U.S. Capitol building and much more.

CAIR has a wide array of projects and activities that suit your level of expertise and will empower you to make a difference. Apply now!

Internship Positions Available

Internships are available in our Communications, Community Development, Civil Right and Government Affairs departments. Students skilled in graphic design and information technology are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Eligibility

A candidate must be a graduate student, an undergraduate student, or have graduated from college within a year of beginning the internship.

General Information

Interns usually work a minimum of 10 hours per week during a 12 week internship period, although 25-35 hours is preferred. Internships are offered during the summer, fall and spring semesters. Interns may receive academic credit if an agreement has been made between CAIR and the intern’s college or university. All interns are subject to the applicable CAIR employee rules. All internships are unpaid.

Application Procedure

Candidates must complete this application form and submit it with a cover letter, resume and short writing sample to CAIR’s outreach coordinator. Applicants for a graphic design internship must submit five pieces of their work in PDF format instead of a writing sample. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Once applications have been received and reviewed, selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Application Deadlines

For the fall program, applications are due by September 15. For the winter/spring program, applications are due by November 15, and for the summer program, applications are due by March 15.

Please mail, fax or email applications to:

The Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003

Phone: 202.488.8787
Fax: 202.488.0833

Email: internships@cair.com

Please send all further inquiries to CAIR Outreach Coordinator Raabia Wazir by emailing internships@cair.com or calling 202.742.6426.

Fall 2008 Internships

Accounting Intern

Responsibilities:

Assist in ongoing organization and maintenance of all financial documents.
Assist in preparing reports and projections based on review of financial data.
Assist in compiling and analyzing the list of vendors from all 35 chapters and the national office. Based on this research be able to select specific vendors, highlight their strengths and weaknesses, and work with them in negotiating volume rates for the entire organization.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will strive to make sure that the organization will operate in the most efficient way possible.
The ideal candidate has excellent analytical skills, pays attention to detail, highly organized, and able to complete tasks with minimal supervision.
Preference will be given to those candidates that are experienced with accounting software.

Chapter Development Intern

The intern will work closely with the Community Development Director and Chapter Development Coordinator to fulfill chapter coordination and administrative functions. Candidates for this position must demonstrate a strong aptitude for community organizing and advocacy work.

Responsibilities:

Collecting and drafting procedure manuals, process and best practice documents, and other chapter support resource materials;
Maintain communication and coordination with chapters on current issues and activities;
Assist in organizing trainings for chapter personnel, and organizing chapter events/assisting chapters in their events;
Intake and preparation of chapter requests;
Populating of databases;
Assist in development, populating, and maintaining of Intranet resource;
Other administrative duties assigned by the Chapter Development Coordinator.

Qualifications:

Strong organizational and time management skills;
Previous project coordination experience preferred;
The ability to work quickly and well under pressure, along with building positive community relationships is desired;
Diplomatic and professional communication skills required;
Passion for the mission of the Council on American-Islamic Relations;
Excellent writing and editing skills required;
Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook with internet research skills; and
Knowledge of PowerPoint and the ability to type 40 w.p.m. preferred

Communications Intern

The intern will work closely with the national communications director and coordinators on the daily communications work and on long-term projects. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned):

Responsibilities:

Helping to produce the daily electronic newsletter (news search, formatting, etc.)
Uploading articles and photos to the national website
Assisting with drafting press releases, preparing press packets for news conferences
Organizing “Muslims Care” service projects in the local area (one project per month)
Assisting in planning and executing long-term projects (e.g. organizing and publicizing new educational campaigns)
Responding to negative media coverage by writing letters to the editor, op-eds, etc.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has strong writing/editing skills and familiarity with journalistic style.
The candidate should have knowledge of how the media industry works and be able to work quickly on a deadline.
The candidate should be passionate about improving media coverage of Islam and Muslims and providing a voice for US Muslims in the media.

Government Affairs Intern

The Government Affairs intern will work closely with the National Legislative Director and National Legislative Coordinator to fulfill government relations, communications and administrative functions. CAIR’s expanding Government Affairs Department coordinates nationwide advocacy work on issues of public policy. Former CAIR interns and staff have gone on to accept jobs with Members of Congress and in the White House.

Responsibilities:

Assisting the department in following legislation
Helping with activities on Capitol Hill pertaining to issues facing Muslims
Supporting programs and activities of the department
Assisting in database management
Assisting in coalition building with other Muslim and non-Muslim organizations

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks
He/She possesses excellent written communication skills and a commitment to serving the community

Graphic Design Intern

Responsibilities:

Webpage, publication, brochure, poster, multimedia, illustration, logo and exhibit design
Work with a wide client base of CAIR chapters across the United States
Manage multiple projects
Develop design skills

Qualifications:

Proficiency in Photoshop; InDesign; Illustrator; Quark
Knowledge in information architecture; color and typology principles; corporate identity, package and advertising design
An ideal candidate would have proficiency in HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver and Flash.

Information Technology Intern

Responsibilities:

Develop and maintain website to ensure timeliness, accuracy and consistency of site
Writing efficient web applications and maintaining and redesign existing web applications using ASP.NET
Design, develop and maintain databases.
Creating and linking databases to the user interface.
Create designs, concepts, layouts for website, publications, advertisements and other printed and graphic materials.
Prepare comprehensive layouts of the design using techniques such as photography, illustration and computer-generated imagery
Assisting in collaboration and design of marketing tools

Qualifications:

Comfortable developing/designing visual interface and coding in HTML and CSS
Knowledge of MS Office programs, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Flash, Access, Photoshop and Fireworks
Knowledge of content management systems; internet navigation, web usability, navigation, and accessibility concepts; user interface design; information
rchitecture; web design, color, and typology principles
Ability to organize administrative projects
Demonstrate clear and effective written and verbal communication skills
Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a flexible schedule
Awareness of and sensitivity to a variety of cultural perspectives

Law Clerk

The law clerk will work closely with the Civil Rights Manager and Legal Counsel on resolving cases of discrimination reported to CAIR. Our Civil Rights Department handles cases that range from prejudiced gestures to full blown discrimination. Our clients are Muslims as well as non-Muslims who have had Islam imputed upon them.

Responsibilities:

Assist in documenting incidents of religious discrimination by counseling and interviewing complainants regarding their incidents
Research laws and policies on employment, student conduct, immigration procedures, criminal offenses, and other areas as seen fit
Legal writing: drafting arguments, memos and complaints
Participate in representing complainants in dispute resolution, EEOC mediation, filing complaints and possible law suits
Updating databases containing information about abuses reported to CAIR

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks
He/She possesses excellent legal reasoning, written communication, and time-management skills and a commitment to serving the community

Membership Intern

The intern will work closely with the Membership Coordinator to facilitate successful operations of the membership operations.

Responsibilities:

Mailing list maintenance
Assistance with special project mailing returns to keep ordering system up to date
Preparing receipt letters and mailing them
Sending publications on ad hoc basis
Filing documents
Shredding

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks in a detailed and confidential manner.
The candidate should possess excellent written communication skills and a commitment to serving the community.

Operations Intern

Responsibilities:

Candidates for the Operations Internship must demonstrate strong ability to organize, communicate and manage time effectively. The Intern will work under the supervision of the Office Manager to fulfill administrative and daily operational functions.

Duties include but are not limited to assisting in maintaining the daily functioning of the office such as answering phones, greeting guests, coordinating with vendors, sorting mail and providing administrative support to directors.

Qualifications:

The ability to work quickly under pressure, along with building positive community relationships.
Diplomatic and professional communication skills required.
Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with internet research skills.
Ability to type 40 w.p.m. preferred.

Outreach Intern

The intern will work closely with the Outreach Coordinator to facilitate successful operations of the outreach operations.

Responsibilities:

Conduct local membership drives.
Establish and maintain solid relationships with the local community via Islamic Schools, Mosques, MSAs and Islamic Organizations
Establish and maintain appropriate relationship with local organizations that overlap with CAIR’s scope of mission
Work with other CAIR departments on establishing and maintaining appropriate relationships with local governmental institutions;
Maintain a comprehensive database of local outreach activities

Qualifications:

Friendly, outgoing and self-motivated
Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills
Excellent critical thinking and visual skills
Demonstrate the ability to follow through the various on-going and newly assigned tasks
Excellent oral and written communications skills
Ability to work well under pressure

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goal of diversity, CAIR is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on any legally recognized basis including, but not limited to race, age color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

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