Columbia University Undergraduate Human Rights Program

The Undergraduate Human Rights Concentration offers advice on internship opportunities. Students serve as unpaid interns in a variety of human rights organizations, or organizations dealing with human rights issues. Interns learn about the mission of such groups, while assisting on a variety of projects. Most often, they do a combination of research, writing and general office work.

Searching for an Internship

This list refers to a very broad-based collection of organizations. Most of the international organizations are going to be your best bet for internship programs with capital letters. However, many of them, while not necessarily offering defined programs, are likely to want your help if you ask (paid internships are rare in this field). As for smaller, city-wide or regional organizations, they're more than likely to let you help out, hang around, and call it an internship. The important thing is to ask.

Social Justice Organizations

Campus

Amnesty International (chapters at the Law School, SIPA, and undergrad)
SEEJ: Students for Environmental and Economic Justice
International Socialist Organization
Global Justice
STAND: Students Taking Action Now on Darfur
US Campaign for Burma
LINK: Liberation in North Korea
Student Peace Project
Columbia Anti-War Coalition
Sudan Coalition
ACLU
Action for Immigrant Rights
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
Columbia Greens
Columbia Men Against Violence
Columbia Student Solidarity Network
Columbia UNICEF
Everyone Allied Against Homophobia
Friends of the Spartacus Youth Club
Human Rights Society
Peace Collective
Productive Outreach for Women
Students for Choice
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Application process

Internships are intended for those who are open to a variety of possibilities, and interested in learning about human rights work in general.

An interested student should prepare background materials and should then schedule a meeting with the Program Administrator to pursue an internship. Background materials include: a current resume, a current Columbia transcript, and a short writing sample (300 to 1,000 words -- preferably a short expository paper or a newspaper or magazine article).

The Program Administrator and student will discuss organizations whose work most closely correlates with the student’s interests and skills. Effort will be made to place the student in an existing internship program. Students are expected to do research on organizations of interest before applying.

Deadlines

Internships are typically available at the start of each semester, and over the summer. Interested students should plan to initiate the search process by October 1 (for Fall placement); by December 1st (for Spring placement); and by April 29th (for Summer placement). Some internships have independent deadlines.

Resumes/Interviews

Please refer to our guide which contains tips for resumes and interviews.

Time and location

Semester-long internships in New York City require a commitment of about 8-10 hours per week. Summer internships vary in length. (A few summer internships pay a modest stipend, but these positions are highly competitive.) Students are generally expected to work in the organization’s offices under a supervisor, but some internships may require the student to do library research or work at home.

Qualifications

Some internships require special skills (i.e., computer skills, languages, regional knowledge). Others require merely the ability to do thorough research and write clearly and persuasively. Good interpersonal skills are an asset. All internships require thorough commitment to the projects undertaken, absolute reliability, and impeccable professionalism. Students who are uncertain of whether they wish to undertake the time commitment should not apply until they are ready to do so.

Searching for an Internship

Social Justice Organizations

International

National

Regional