Internship Description: The Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) seeks a current student to help plan online strategies and database management for our advocacy campaigns, specifically the effort to end the use of life in prison without parole for youth. S/he will work with the California Advocate in our Los Angeles office. The intern will help conceptualize, develop, and coordinate a campaign using social media to communicate with and broaden our support base. 
 
The internship is unpaid. Students are often able to arrange academic credit, as HRW internships offer direct exposure to the workings of an international human rights organization, close supervision by HRW staff, interaction with other US and international organizations and foreign and domestic government officials, and opportunities to attend lectures, trainings, and special events relating to human rights. Students should check with their individual academic institutions for requirements.  This position will be a member of a team working to change California policy.  
 
Qualifications: The successful applicant will be one who has the skills to advise and help us quickly move our advocacy to the next level in using social media and organizing our electronic methods of communicating with supporters. As such, applicants should have a strong working knowledge of social media and how they can be used for advocacy. Applicants should be well-organized, reliable, and self-motivated. An interest in human rights, juvenile justice, and/or child welfare is a plus. Computer skills (Microsoft Office, particularly Microsoft Excel, and Internet applications) are required. The intern must be an enrolled student during the internship term. This position is a short-term, project-focused opportunity. Hours and schedule are negotiable.  Our office is in West Los Angeles on Olympic Blvd.  
 
Applicants who are offered an internship, but who are not US permanent residents, US citizens, or in possession of a valid student visa, must apply for a J-1 visa through a sponsoring organization.  This process can take several weeks and applicants will have to incur their own costs.
 
How to Apply: Please apply immediately by sending a letter of interest including your availability, resume, three names or letters of reference, and a brief, unedited writing sample (no calls or email inquiries, please) to LAjobs@hrw.org. Please use “CRD Internship Application” as the subject of your email.   
 
Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool. 
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Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.