Internship Program

Gain hands-on experience in community education and grassroots organizing as an intern for justice! Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County is a community-based organization working to abolish corporate rule and create a truly democratic society. We educate, organize, and advocate for the deep systemic change needed to bring power to the people through strong local communities rooted in social and environmental justice.

Democracy Unlimited seeks interns from diverse backgrounds to help build the movement for a truly democratic society. We are eager to nurture new leaders as we work together for change, using feminist, cooperative, and anti-oppressive organizing techniques to achieve democratic goals through democratic action. Join us in challenging oppression through education, activism, and modeling that empowers you to become a better organizer and collaborator in the global justice community.

SPRING/SUMMER 2012
Application Deadline: October 31
Phone Interview: November 7-18
Acceptance Notice By: November 29
Commitment by: December 5
Internship Begins: January 30, 2012
Internship Ends: July 6, 2012

FALL/WINTER 2012
Application Deadline: April 30, 2012
Phone Interview: May 7-18, 2012
Acceptance Notice By: May 25, 2012
Commitment by: June 1, 2012
Internship Begins: July 30, 2012
Internship Ends: December 10, 2012

Click here to download the application form. (Word document).

What Past Interns Have Said About Our Program

"Throughout my internship, I remember consistently being impressed with how well the DUHC team worked together, with how much the group accomplished with such a small staff. At the Duck House, there was always a real sense of camaraderie that made it enjoyable and fun to work long hours preparing for workshops and such.

First and foremost, my internship gave me the confidence to undertake activist efforts, and to use my work to embody the values I subscribe to. It taught me the importance of seeking out other organizers, and forming a small community of people who trust each other, and our willing to commit themselves to their activism. It was also at Democracy Unlimited where I learned practical organizing skills, for example how to efficiently run meetings, how to recruit volunteers, and host workshops.

I am now organizing an independent union with the food service workers at my college. It was the DUHC internship that helped renew my political convictions, and give me the confidence to commit myself to organizing alongside people who want to have control over their lives."
~ Claire, summer intern 2009

"The crew at DUHC pushed me in ways I could have never pushed myself. They gave me great responsibility and trust even though I was so scared of failing and really didn't have that much experience. Though they granted me the freedom to organize and make important decisions, they supported me every step of the way so that I felt safe taking risks.

My mentor at DUHC immediately recognized that I had a hard time using my time efficiently. Our weekly meetings, though they included a whole spectrum of things, focused on a system for time management. It was basically like I had time management training wheels on. I grew so much during my internship, and still continue to build upon what I learned from my mentor about time management so to be a more effective activist.

I am currently a co-director at HSU's Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), a live-in sustainable living demonstration home and educational center. After being hired, one of the people on the hiring committee told me that they liked that I was an activist and had trained with DUHC. I feel that DUHC prepared me to take on great responsibility and bring a holistic vision of justice—social, environmental, political, etc—into whatever organization I work with.

I couldn't have asked for a better internship. Everyone was so knowledgeable, passionate, supportive, encouraging, and brilliant. I greatly expanded my vision of justice and developed my critique of the current system and my place in transforming it. I truly feel that DUHC was my launch pad; and I'm thankful it was so solid."
~ Teri, summer intern, 2008

"DUHC gave me a great introduction into effective strategy planning, consensus building and added tools to my kit for effective organizing moving forward.

I am currently working with low-income youth in education, taking part in anarchist collectives in the Bay-Area and performing in a radical circus. DUHC definitely put me in touch with my inner activist and inspired me to pursue alternative paths of organization towards culture shift.

DUHC offers interns the space to explore intellectual ideas relating social movements and radical politics WHILE finding ways to put them in to practice."
~ Phil, HSU social work intern, 2009-2010

We Are Seeking Interns Who Are…

…eager to challenge themselves with new skills and ideas
…interested in community organizing and popular education
…committed to social justice and democracy as both guiding principles and daily practices
…responsible, respectful, creative, flexible, and enthusiastic
…able to manage time, communicate effectively, and listen to others
…available to spend a solid two or three months (or more) in northern California raising a ruckus!

We Offer To Our Interns…

…a structured, progressive program that builds skills and leadership
…a fun and engaging community of co-workers and allies
…a commitment to feminist, cooperative, anti-oppressive practices
…a culture of mutual accountability and gratitude
…a wealth of resources on social change, community leadership, and democratic education
…a beautiful bioregion with ocean, forests, and rivers to explore

Internship Overview

Organization: Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County

Mission: Democracy Unlimited educates citizens about the illegitimate seizure of our authority to govern ourselves. We design and implement grassroots strategies which exercise democratic power over corporations and governments. We seek to create a truly democratic society by provoking a non-violent popular uprising against corporate rule in Humboldt County that can serve as a model for other communities in the United States and beyond!

Location: Eureka, CA

Duration: 23 weeks (spring/summer) or 19 weeks (fall/winter), 20 hours/week

Compensation: $500 stipend, room, & board in a vegetarian household for two interns per term. Additional interns are welcome, but we cannot provide financial support.

Description of duties: Interns assist with grassroots education and organizing on behalf of Democracy Unlimited, including public outreach, workshop/classroom presentations, writing press releases and educational materials, and administration. Interns choose a program focus within the organization and are mentored in building skills and leadership through goal-oriented projects that strengthen their program of choice. Over the course of the internship, interns gain insight into the operations of a community-based non-profit organization as well as experience in creating, implementing, and evaluating mission-based projects.

Recognition: Democracy Unlimited actively cultivates both gratitude and accountability. Interns will participate in self-assessment and receive external feedback and recognition throughout the internship. Upon completion of the internship, Democracy Unlimited will gladly provide a letter of recommendation and/or references to help interns take the next steps in their careers. Democracy Unlimited also encourages and assists student interns in receiving credit academic for their internships.

Internship Description

Interns with Democracy Unlimited have the exciting opportunity to learn from on-the-ground organizers through a process of collaborative action. We work to foster leadership skills through direct engagement in our work for justice and democracy. We also offer the opportunity for self-directed initiatives that further personal and organizational goals. This two-pronged process enables interns to go deeper into the experience of organizing while benefiting from the support and guidance of our staff.

Each internship is co-crafted between the intern and his/her mentor to provide the greatest opportunity for both learning and doing. Interns will balance their time between general organizational responsibilities and self-directed projects, learning critical skills such as:

General Organizing
* Data management
* Phone canvassing
* Meeting facilitation
* Anti-oppression strategies
* Relationship-building
* Fundraising
* Public outreach/media

Throughout the internship, participation in the general organizing component will include administrative assistance, outreach at events, preparation for events and workshops, participation in Democracy Unlimited staff meetings and study groups, writing educational materials and press releases, phone banking, research, and other activities as needed.

Self-Directed Projects
* Volunteer supervision
* Event planning
* Public speaking
* Popular education
* Self-assessment
* Workshop planning
* Message strategies

Topics for the program focus may vary based upon the time of year and staff availability as mentors.

Potential topics for 2011/2012 include:
*Humboldt County Independent Business Alliance Project
*Creating web-based resources for community activists
*Preparing for and conducting outreach at events and in the community
*Research and outreach for our Move to Amend campaign
*Developing skills and experience teaching our workshops and presentations on democracy, community organizing and the history of corporate rule in the US

The following outline offers an overview of a typical internship lasting twelve weeks:

Phase I: First 2 Weeks
Intern arrives and settles into living space. Staff provide an orientation to Democracy Unlimited mission, a general program overview, initial training, and opportunities to get acquainted with staff members and key volunteers. Intern-mentor partnership initiated and program topics are presented in brief. Introduction to community and bioregional resources, including recreational opportunities on California’s beautiful redwood coast.

Phase II: Next 2-3 Weeks
Intern and mentor revisit program topics and select a program focus. Together with her/his mentor, intern crafts a work plan that incorporates both general duties as well as projects within the program focus. Intern sets goals and identifies training needs for the coming weeks. By the end of Phase II, the intern has established and shared a final work plan with staff for consensus and commitment.

Phase III: Next 5-11 Weeks
Intern works through plans made in Phase II with the support of her/his mentor and the other staff as needed. Project(s) are assessed and modified on an ongoing basis by both intern and mentor. The intern continues to participate in organizational activities, but shifts increasingly towards the program focus in order to challenge greater responsibility. The final week of Phase III focuses on preparing a deeper self-assessment and debriefing presentation for the full staff, with the assistance of the mentor.

Phase IV: Final Week
Intern presents self-assessment and progress report to entire staff for final feedback and followup planning within the program focus. Celebration of fabulous internship by all!

Application Process

Please complete the application form. Resumes are welcome as well, in addition to the form. Currently, we are able to accept only two sponsored interns (receiving stipend, room, and board) per term, so if you have outside resources to cover housing and basic needs, please let us know.

For the 2011/2012 program, internship and application dates are listed above. We are glad to consider earlier applications – please contact us with any questions at (707) 269-0984 or email info@duhc.org.