Policy, Politics, Advocacy & Law

Our options are not limited to the internships listed below. Organizations listed reflect sites where WCSC has recently placed students or those that are currently looking for interns.  Please feel free to do your own research and do not hesitate to contact WCSC for further opportunities.

International/Global Advocacy

• ActionAid International – international development organization supports food rights, women’s rights, governance, education, emergencies and conflict, HIV and AIDS, and youth.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity
• Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) – conducts research and advocacy for human rights in the Americas.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity
• Bread for the World – faith-based organization focused on advocacy and policy around national and international hunger.
• Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns – Catholic organization working to inform advocacy and action for social, economic, and environmental justice.
• School of the Americas Watch – organization working to shut down the School Of the Americas—a US based school that trains military leaders in Central and South America in tactics that have raised alarms surrounding human rights and torture.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity

National and Local Advocacy

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – policy and advocacy around food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues.
• Chesapeake Climate Action Network – grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change and Chesapeake Bay environmental issues.
• DC Jobs with Justice  – partners with workers’ organizations to advocate for better employment conditions for low wage workers in DC.
• Human Rights Campaign – the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization. Advocates for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans.
• Shoulder-to-Shoulder – interfaith organization dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment in the US by strengthening the voice of freedom and peace.
• Washington Peace Center – multi-issue grassroots organization promoting advocacy around social justice and peace in the DC metro area.
• Teaching for Change – develops social-justice oriented programming to support parents and teachers in the DC area to more effectively address classroom inequities. 

US Foreign Policy Advocacy

• Latin American Working Group (LAWG) – builds alliances between non-profit organizations to address US foreign policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity
• Jubilee USA Network – network of faith-based organizations advocating that the US government and international financial institutions provide debt relief and economic justice for peoples worldwide.
• Nicaragua Network – organization committed to social and economic justice for Nicaragua, advocating for U.S. foreign policies that reflect solidarity and human rights issues in the country.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity
• Guatemala Human Rights Commission – solidarity organization fostering advocacy surrounding peace and justice issues in Guatemala.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity

Think Tanks, Research, and Policy

• Institute for Policy Studies – multi-issue foreign and domestic policy think tank for causes with a social justice emphasis.
• Center for Economic and Policy Research – economic think tank conducting research and public education to forward understanding and promote debate about economic and social problems.
• DC Action for Children – provides research and policy advocacy to help improve the lives of DC children living in poverty.
  • Education pillar: research and policy around increasing literacy, school attendance and other factors of student success and increase education outcomes in DC.
• Education Week – weekly education digest working to highlight research and inform policy.

Political Advocacy

• Congressional Offices – working on the Hill with specific members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office – conducts research and advocacy on domestic and international issues of interest to the Mennonite Church, especially human rights.
  
  • Interns do research and writing on policy issues and get an up-close view of the federal policy making process.
• National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund  – organization promoting a bill for conscientious objectors and those religiously opposed to war to have taxes destined toward military use to be used towards peaceful ends instead.
• Public Citizen  – nonprofit political advocacy group working to lobby all three branches of the government on behalf of citizens.  
• Faith & Politics Institute – facilitates programming to offer a non-partisan space for reflecting and bridging gaps among policy and government decision makers.
• American Friends Service Committee, DC – Quaker organization lobbying for policies that promote lasting peace and justice.

Legal Aid Work & Policy

• CAIR Coalition (Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition) – works with immigrant families facing detention and deportation.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity. Spanish and other languages are extremely helpful for this internship.
  • Interns working with the legal departments can expect to participate in “Know Your Rights” trainings for youth, writing formal letters, and accompanying detainees to court.
• AYUDA – supports immigrant communities in the DC region through social and legal services in a variety of arenas, including immigration law.
  
  • *Spanish Language Opportunity