One Day, One Job » international affairs

Bank Information Center

Willy Franzen — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:09:40 +0000

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You’ve probably heard of the World Bank, but do you know what it is? Now’s a good time to head over to Wikipedia to find out. The short version is that they’re “an international financial institution that provides leveraged loans to developing countries for capital programs” with the goal of reducing poverty. Bank Information Center is a Washington, DC based non-profit that helps “developing and transitioning countries to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions to promote social and economic justice and ecological sustainability.” Basically that means that they work at the local level in countries across the world to make sure that the interests of the people are represented in the decisions of international financial institutions. Their aim is to democratize development.

Be Informed About the BIC

The Bank Information Center approaches its mission with three major strategies: “(i) information services and capacity building; (ii) project and policy monitoring; and (iii) policy reform.” They do this by having staff who are dedicated to specific regions and who know the ins and outs of how to work in these areas to influence development decisions. It’s all really complex, so your best bet for getting a full understanding of how the BIC works is to read their About page. Once you get a feel for them, you can check out their Jobs page, where you’ll see how their strategy and mission are reflected in their positions. Right now they’re looking for a Latin America Program Assistant and an Africa Program Assistant. These positions do require some prior experience, but I think some internships in International Development or an environmental field would be sufficient. You can apply by sending “a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, a 1-2 page resume, and two writing samples to jobs@bicusa.org” with the name of the position in the subject line.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the Bank Information Center?

Right To Play

Willy Franzen — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:42:08 +0000

You know all those rights that you learned about in school? All that stuff in the Constitution. I’m sure it’s important to you now, but how important was it to you as a kid? Unless you were a unique kid, you just wanted to play. That’s why Right To Play is such an interesting non-profit. They’re “an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.” Play may seem trivial to many, but Right To Play has found that it’s often the key to opening up those other rights that many of us take for granted. They’re a Toronto based organization with a New York City presence, and they’re currently working in 23 countries: Azerbaijan, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Peru, occupied Palestinian territory, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Zambia.

A Job That Is Fun and Games

Although working among “the most marginalized including girls, people living with disability, children affected by HIV and AIDS, street children, former child combatants and refugees” doesn’t sound like very much fun, Right To Play does its best to change that. Part of being human is having fun as a child, and Right To Play aims to ensure that’s a reality for all children. The organization has great stories about the work that they do. They’ve done a handball clinic in Jordan and put on a Peace Dream Cup in Liberia. If you’re looking for the intersection of sport and philanthropy, this is it. Right now, Right to Play’s Jobs page has a number of openings posted. None are explicitly entry level, but I think that you should take a look at the Grand Writer and Research Coordinator and the Development Coordinator positions. To apply, you can send a cover letter and resume to usa@righttoplayusa.org with the job title in the subject line before June 1st.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about Right To Play?

Council on Foreign Relations

Willy Franzen — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:06:12 +0000

What happens when you put Angelina Jolie together with a suspected conspiracy to create a “one-world government?” No, it’s not an upcoming movie release. It’s actually a non-profit organization called the Council on Foreign Relations. They are “an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.” They can claim Angelina Jolie as a member, and because of their secrecy clauses and interesting membership requirements (and the fact that so many high-ranking government officials are members), people get all kinds of ideas about Council on Foreign Relations. In fact, Wikipedia says that “some believe it to be the most powerful private organization to influence United States foreign policy.” Ok, let’s cut through all the crazy stories and see what CFR is really about.

Join the Council

If it’s not already obvious, Council on Foreign Relations is the place to be if you’re interested in foreign affairs. They’ve been promoting “understanding of foreign policy and America’s role in the world since its founding in 1921.” The need for understanding foreign policy isn’t going anywhere, so I think the Council on Foreign Relations is going to continue to be an exciting place to be (at least until they accomplish that goal of a one-world government). That’s why you should consider a job with them. Right now their job listings include two positions that are perfect for new grads. These entry level jobs are Washington, DC based and include Research Associate – International Institutions and Global Governance and Research Associate – Asia Studies. They sound like fascinating jobs, and you can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to humanresources@cfr.org with the position name in the subject of the e-mail. And if you’re not interested in the jobs, you should still check them out. Maybe you’ll unravel a global conspiracy.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you believe in conspiracy theories?

Independent Diplomat

Willy Franzen — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:02:32 +0000

Since diplomacy is “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states” according to Wikipedia, one would assume that a diplomat is a representative of a group or state. Independent Diplomat is a non-profit organization that is trying to live outside that definition. Their mission is to provide the knowledge and experience of long time diplomats to countries that are disadvantaged or marginalized to the point that they don’t have the resources to effectively practice diplomacy. Started by a former British diplomat, Independent Diplomat has worked with nations that include Somaliland, Western Sahara, Kosovo, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to prevent and resolve conflict. They’re kind of like management consultants for diplomacy.

Working for Diplomacy

If you majored in International Relations, you’re probably already really excited about the possibility of a job with Independent Diplomat. They’re a unique organization that takes a very different approach to foreign affairs. They are currently looking for a Program and Development Assistant in their New York City office. This position is closely intertwined with the Executive Director and the Director of Development, and requires someone who is truly committed to changing the practice of diplomacy. There are certainly some administrative tasks involved with this job, but there’s also a lot of room to grow and learn. You can find an extremely thorough job description here.

This is the only job that Independent Diplomat currently has that looks well suited to new college grads, but it seems like a perfect fit. To apply you should send an e-mail to newyork@independentdiplomat.org with “Program and Development Assistant” in the subject line. Your e-mail should include: a cover letter of no more that one page stating why you are interested in the job and why you believe you are qualified for it; a resume of no more than 2 pages; a sample of your writing of no more than 2 pages; and contact details for 2 references for whom you have worked in a professional capacity and who are willing and available to be contacted.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Does the idea of an “independent” diplomat seem strange to you?