Internships

The Common Cause Democracy fellowship aims to provide students with the skills to address the voter suppression that young people especially young people of color experience by working campuses and the surrounding community. This academic year we are hosting the following five democracy fellowship programs:

• George Washington University
• University of DC

All applicants must attend one of the campuses listed above in order to be a fellow.

This is about a five to ten-hour-per-week commitment for the semester with the opportunity to continue for up to two additional semesters. Selected Democracy Fellows will receive a $1000 untaxed stipend per semester divided into 3 monthly payments.

Over the course of the Fellowship, you will

• Receive ongoing coaching and support.
• Receive mentorship to help you build your network and develop your skills.
• Receive training to support you in creating a Get Out the Vote campaign based on your community’s needs.
• Engage in weekly discussions and design-thinking workshops in our community.
• Join monthly webinars with public sector leaders and organizers.
• Work with your co-fellows to complete your learning, discovery, and networking goals.
• Find, plan, and complete a social impact campaign that builds on your strengths while stretching you to grow.
• Get personalized feedback on designing and achieving your purpose-driven impact career.
• Receive guidance on telling your personal story and why politics is important to you.
• Develop your own campaign or capstone project that you can use to enhance your resume and portfolio.

The desired outcomes of the fellowship are:

• At least one published writing.
• At least one civic engagement and/or education event.
• A base of volunteers and/or student activists..-
• An increase in understanding of your state legislative process.
• A student network of campus activists.
• An understanding of the core values of organizing campus communities.

Opportunities

• Build relationships with student leaders on your campus, in your state, and across the country;
• Participate in leadership and organizing trainings to prepare you for future work in politics, law, advocacy, public relations, and more;
• Develop a mentoring relationship with Common Cause’s staff and connections to Common Cause’s community of partners.

An ideal candidate will

• Demonstrate leadership qualities
• Engage peers and the surrounding community in the electoral process
• Have strong written and verbal skills
• Be a self-motivator

Contact us by email at youthprograms@commoncause.org if you have any questions. Complete application here.

The Common Cause Democracy fellowship aims to address the voter suppression that young people of color experience by working with Minority Serving Institutions and the communities around those campuses. This academic year we are hosting HBCU Democracy fellows in North Carolina and Maryland and Democracy Fellows from campuses across Texas.

Democracy Fellows will work closely with Common Cause state staff and national youth programs staff to boost civic engagement and promote the value of becoming lifelong participants in democracy on their campus.

All applicants must attend  a Maryland or North Carolina HBCU.

Fall Semester:

In the fall semester, Democracy Fellows will focus on increasing student turnout by:

• creatively communicating with peers about the importance of students voting and having a voice in decisions affecting their everyday lives, their futures, and our HBCUs.
• disseminating information about the voting processes (voter registration, requesting absentee ballots, accessing polling locations, voting early, etc).
• connecting with students on issue areas of student interest and Common Cause policy platforms;
• attending community events to learn about early voting, election protocol, and what will be expected during the general election.
• recruiting volunteers for GOTV roles (phonebankers bankers, canvassers, poll monitors, etc.)
• Participate in all GOTV activities (phonebanks, canvasses, poll monitoring, voter registration drives, board of election engagement, etc.)

Spring Semester:

In the spring semester, Democracy Fellows will focus on building relationships and educating their peers on ways to influence change by:

• hosting events and discussion on topics that highlight the importance of civic engagement beyond voting.
• Participate in state advocacy days
• disseminate information on bills that will have a direct impact on students
• Write a blog or OpEd on a topic of interest.

This is a ten hour minimum per week commitment for the semester with the opportunity to continue for up to two additional semesters. Selected Democracy Fellows will receive $1000 per semester divided into monthly payments..

Opportunities

• Build relationships with student leaders on your campus, in your state, and across the country;
• Participate in leadership and organizing trainings to prepare you for future work in politics, law, advocacy, public relations, and more;
• Develop a mentoring relationship with Common Cause’s staff and connections to Common Cause’s community of partners.

Responsibilities 

• Recruit and cultivate volunteers
• Manage and participate in voter registration and community outreach
• Track contacts and enter information into data form
• Participate in statewide and national Democracy Fellow trainings and learning events (beginning of each semester, monthly conference calls, and etc.)
• Attend weekly or biweekly meetings with Common Cause staff and other campus Democracy Fellows to coordinate activities
• Establish and maintain relationships with community and campus partners
• Support and advance the Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s  mission
• Increase Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
• Disseminate information about the voting processes by making class announcements, organizing residence hall dialogues, tabling, and attending partner events
• Work closely with Common Cause staff to develop individual goals that are in alignment with student’s strengths and interests.

An ideal candidate will

• Demonstrate leadership qualities
• Engage peers and surrounding community in the electoral process
• Have strong written and verbal skills

Contact us by email at youthprograms@commoncause.org if you have any questions. Complete application here.