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4 Feb 2022

Internship 2022 Arlie Schardt Memorial Fellowship Program

Friends of the Earth – Posted by FOEjobs –  Anywhere

Friends of the Earth logo

Job Description

Friends of the Earth is a hard-hitting, progressive, environmental organization that pulls no punches and speaks sometimes uncomfortable truth to power. It’s an approach that has worked for five decades to produce important victories that help protect our planet and its people. We’re part of Friends of the Earth International, the world’s largest federation of grassroots environmental groups, working in more than 70 countries on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues.

FOE envisions a world where we live within the ability of the planet to sustain life, and in which all people live with dignity, health and equity. We believe that both environmental crises, as well as widespread social injustice, are intertwined symptoms of flawed ideological, economic and political systems that are violating peoples’ rights, perpetuating oppression, failing to meet the needs of people, and destroying the planet.

We believe that increasing racial diversity within environmental organizations is critical to the future success of our movement. Our Fellowship program is designed to increase the long-term effectiveness of FOE and the environmental movement by operating an inspiring and fulfilling fellowship program that builds skills and relevant job experience for people of color and members of underrepresented communities.

Arlie W. Schardt was a pioneering voice for the environment and witness to some of the most seminal events in American history as a Time magazine correspondent traveling with Martin Luther King while covering the civil rights movement. Throughout his peripatetic 50-year career, Schardt reported on and acted on behalf of social justice. Al Gore states, “Through his remarkably diverse career, Arlie Schardt lived a life of purpose and impact,” said the former Vice President. “He was a champion for civil rights and an early pioneer of the environmental movement. I valued greatly his commitment to public service and will always be grateful for the invaluable roles he played on my Presidential campaign.” Schardt joined Friends of the Earth (FOE), serving as Chairman of the Board from 2009 until June 2019 when he was named chair emeritus in honor of his service. According to Erich Pica, president of FOE, “Arlie was instrumental in tripling the size of the organization and broadening its mandate to combine his concerns for social and racial justice with environmentalism.”

Friends of the Earth is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups who will contribute to the diversity of our staff and our movement.

About the Fellowship

Each year, we welcome a cohort of five Fellows to work with us full-time for six months. This year the Fellowship program will be a remote position, with the possibility of working in the DC office if/when the offices re-open. Fellows are paid $20/hour and will receive a one-time stipend of $1,000.

Fellows are placed with our Communications, Food & Agriculture, Oceans & Vessels, or Political & Legislative teams. In addition to substantive work with the teams, the Fellowship program also includes networking and career development opportunities.

The fellowship begins in March 2022 and ends in September 2022.

About our Teams and Fellowship Positions

Communications Fellow:

The Communications team works with all programs at Friends of the Earth to manage external communications for the organization, overseeing press coverage, social media, websites, video, art and design. The Communications fellow will work with the team to maintain day-to-day media strategy, analyze traditional media trends, assist with journalist outreach, and support the digital media and art teams as needed. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to learn more about how a national advocacy organization uses traditional, social, and digital media to achieve organizational goals and fight for systemic change. We are looking for individuals who are interested in learning about nonprofit and/or environmental communications, can juggle multiple projects simultaneously, and have a working knowledge of politics and the progressive media landscape.

Food and Agriculture Climate Friendly Food Campaign Fellow

The Food and Agriculture program works to rapidly transition our food system to one that is regenerative, healthy and just. Our fellow will assist our Climate-Friendly Food campaign, which works to reduce consumption of industrial animal foods; grow the market and policy support for regenerative, grass-fed and organic meat and dairy; and support a rapid and large-scale shift towards plant-forward, climate-conscious procurement, sustainable diets and regenerative agriculture. The fellow will assist in conducting grassroots and stakeholder outreach to support our federal policy work, help with meeting and event logistics, coordinate and participate in Hill meetings, conduct research to support public policy campaigns, and draft public outreach materials.

The fellow will become an integral member of our dynamic Food and Agriculture Team and gain valuable skills and experience in research, strategic campaign development, online and traditional media communications, corporate and non-profit engagement, and public outreach, education and organizing on the cutting edge of environmental advocacy.

This position will introduce the fellow to a wide range of colleagues in environmental, social justice and legislative arenas. The fellow will work in government, corporate and non-profit circles and has the opportunity to become familiar with how these different entities work.

Food and Agriculture Pesticide and Pollinators Fellow:

The Food and Agriculture program works to rapidly transition our food system to one that is regenerative, healthy and just. Our fellow will assist our campaign to protect people from toxic pesticides (especially those on the frontlines of exposure including children, farmworkers, and BIPOC and rural communities), fighting to protect pollinators, and ensuring investments in climate and agriculture are equitable and effective. We also work to expand equitable access to healthy food grown without toxic pesticides. The fellow will assist with our campaign to pass policies that ban or restrict some of the most dangerous pesticides through online actions, coalition organizing, resource development, direct lobbying, generating calls and emails to legislators, and organizing lobby days, sign-on letters, briefings, press conferences and petition deliveries.

Legislative and Political Fellow:

The Political Department works closely with all of Friends of the Earth’s Program Teams (Climate & Energy, Food & Agriculture, Oceans & Vessels, and Economic Policy) to advance progressive and transformational federal environmental policy. The Legislative and Political fellow will have opportunities to lobby Congress and the Administration, build and maintain relationships with Congressional and federal agency staff, and network with other environmental advocates. The fellow is expected to conduct research, draft advocacy materials, and provide additional support to the Programs, Communications and Development Departments, as needed.

In addition to working with Friends of the Earth under the Arlie Schardt Memorial Fellowship Program, the fellow will also have the opportunity to engage in advocacy campaigns, including electoral campaigns, while working for Friends of the Earth (Action), Inc (FOE Action). FOE Action is our sister organization that provides extra political muscle to Friends of the Earth’s mission.

FOE Action works on a dynamic set of intersectional issues knowing that we cannot build a healthy and just world without addressing the interconnectedness of society’s injustices. FOE Action not only fights for laws and lawmakers that will echo that mission, but it helps the public join in the political battle as well. FOE Action believes that unprecedented political action from across the nation will put the United States, and hopefully our planet, on a sustainable path.  The fellow will assist FOE Action’s Political Department vet candidates for endorsement, conduct outreach to political campaigns, and monitor election results.

Oceans and Vessels Fellow

The Oceans and Vessels program works to protect our oceans, the tens of millions of people who live near them and the marine life within from the threats of oil spills, air pollution, sewage releases, and unnatural ocean noise. Our fellow will work closely with the Oceans & Vessels Program Director, Deputy Director, and Senior Oceans Campaigners on four main categories of work. First, the fellow will assist our campaign in combatting vessel-related pollution. Second, the fellow will work on advocacy focused on stopping offshore oil and gas development. Third, the fellow will lead the collection, review, and assembly of key data and information to expand our annual Cruise Ship Report Card. Finally, the fellow will assist the team, as needed, on our ports-related initiative, working to establish air monitoring networks and mitigation measures with partner environmental justice organizations and communities.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities for each Fellowship varies, but typically Fellows:

  • Perform research, writing and editing
  • Assist with campaign, policy and public advocacy
  • Take part in outreach and communications efforts
  • Help organize people and events
  • Participate in strategy, planning, and campaign meetings

Qualifications

No specific academic or professional experience is required, but we are looking for people who are passionate about the environment and/or social justice. An environmental background, and previous (volunteer or paid) experience in non-profit organizations, advocacy, political campaigns are pluses.

Qualified applicants must be:

  • At least 18 years of age
  • Eligible to work in the U.S.
  • Committed to environmental and social justice
  • Able to work well in team setting
  • Motivated, and willing to learn and take initiative
  • Able to use Microsoft Office suite products such as Excel and Word, and Google applications

To Apply

Applications are due by 11:59pm, February 25, 2022.

How to Apply

Please apply using the links below:

Job Categories: Environmental. Job Types: Internship.

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