One Day, One Job » public policy

The Constitution Project

Willy Franzen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:06:57 +0000

Who doesn’t love the Constitution? Not only is it an extremely cool historical document, but it also happens to ensure our most sacred rights. You would think that such a document would be written with extreme clarity, but you probably know that ambiguity and interpretation come hand in hand with the Constitution. We’ve seen plenty of fractious debates end up in front of the Supreme Court and get settled with 5-4 decisions. The Constitution Project is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that aims to build consensus on Constitutional issues.

Come to a Career Consensus

Now, don’t misunderstand The Constitution Project’s mission. They’re far from anti-debate; in fact, they’re very much in favor of debate on Constitutional law. They just think it’s important to build some level of consensus on our most controversial legal issues. They do this “through constructive dialogue across ideological and partisan lines, and through scholarship, activism, and public education efforts.” If this sounds like an exciting project to you, then you should check out Jobs at The Constitution Project. They only have one position available right now—Development Associate—and it requires some prior experience, but it’s worth checking out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about The Constitution Project?

Children’s Dental Health Project

Willy Franzen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:09:17 +0000

Happy Halloween! Yesterday we took a look at Mars and talked about Halloween candy, but today we’re going to take a different tack. Since we’re told from an early age that candy will rot our teeth, I figure that Halloween is the perfect time to discuss a dental non-profit. It’s also appropriate because many people would consider the dentist to be way scarier than even the most deranged Halloween costume. After a little searching, I came across Children’s Dental Health Project. They’re a relatively small Washington, DC based non-profit organization that “advances policies that improve children’s access to oral health.” Now, this definitely does not mean that I think that anyone should give out toothbrushes for Halloween, but make sure you brush after eating all that candy.

Dental Hygiene for the Win

Now, when I was growing up, I always thought it was ridiculous that I had two scheduled dental appointments every year to take care of my teeth, but only one annual checkup with the pediatrician for the rest of my body. Although I’m still tempted to that feel that way, I realize that most of us significantly undervalue dental health. The truth is that tooth decay at an early age will have significant negative impact over the course of one’s life. Considering the fact that of American children “one-quarter will have at least one cavity by the time they reach kindergarten and one-half by second grade,” we need to do better with our children’s dental health (and probably our own too). This is why Children’s Dental Health Project is actively working to:

Prevent childhood tooth decay, because cavities are the result of a disease that is overwhelmingly preventable.
Promote solutions that are grounded in the best available research and supporting exploration when evidence is lacking
Engage policymakers and other decision-makers in addressing ongoing inequities in oral health and to implement cost-effective solutions.

It sounds like a great organization, and although I don’t know if they’re hiring now, I think it would be worth reaching out to them to see if they have anything open—especially if you are a fanatic about dental health. Use their Contact page to learn more about how to reach them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you brush your teeth today?

American Rivers

Willy Franzen — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:45:26 +0000

I love rivers (mostly because they’re where I usually go fly fishing). They’re the lifeblood of our society, and even though we’ve figured out ways to move water on our own, they’re still a huge part of our infrastructure. There’s no question as to why most major cities sit on the banks of a large river. The problem with that is that it means that many of our greatest rivers have been subjected to significant abuse. Dams, pollution, irrigation, and overconsumption have left many of our rivers in pretty sad states. American Rivers is a Washington, DC based non-profit that hopes to fix this. They describe themselves as “the leading conservation organization standing up for healthy rivers so communities can thrive.”

Go with the Flow

American Rivers focuses on five program—Rivers and Global Warming, River Restoration, River Protection, Clean Water, and Water Supply. These are extremely important issues that are sometimes ignored by other environmentalists. For instance, many environmentalists advocate hydroelectric dams, yet they fail to realize the damage that these dams can do to our watersheds. I’ve also noticed that even the most environmentally conscious cities (cough, Ithaca) destroy their rivers by bounding them with concrete and allowing trash like shopping carts and mattresses to litter their riverbeds. Many of our rivers are healthier than they were 10 years ago, but there’s still plenty of work to be done to ensure that future generations have healthy rivers. Here’s a video from American Rivers that outlines the issues better than I can:

If American Rivers looks like somewhere that you might want to work, you can check out their Jobs page here. Right now they’re looking for a Conservation Associate, which looks like a perfect position for a new grad. Check out the job description for all of the details on how to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite river?

Corporate Accountability International

Willy Franzen — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:25:10 +0000

We all need someone to call us out when we step over the line. Maybe it’s a parent, sibling, significant other, teacher, friend, or random guy on the street. For corporations it’s Corporate Accountability International, although I’m not sure there’s a lot of love going between the two parties. I don’t know when corporations became such a bad thing, and to be honest I still think that corporations do a lot more good than bad, but a great part of living in such a free society is that there’s always someone out there looking to hold you accountable. Boston based Corporate Accountability International demands “direct corporate accountability to public interests.” That means that when a corporation puts the food that we eat, the water that we drink, or the air that we breathe at risk, Corporate Accountability International will be causing a stir about it.

Are You Accountable?

Corporate Accountability International’s biggest issue is with the political influence that corporations hold. It is hard to believe that some of the entities with the most power to sway our public policy don’t even have the right to vote (although I guess that you could say that about non-profits too). That’s not to say that corporations shouldn’t have rights, but the way that politicians from all parties sway to corporate influence is alarming. Corporate Accountability International brings these issues to light and pushes until positive changes happen. Their main targets these days are corporations are behaving badly in the food, water, and tobacco industries. If this sounds like something that you want to be a part of, then check out Jobs at Corporate Accountability International. There are even a few options that might be suitable for new grads like Communications Coordinator and Regional Campaign Organizer. You can apply by sending a cover letter, résumé, and three to five references to jobs@stopcorporateabuse.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Corporate Accountability International?

Free Press

Willy Franzen — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:18:03 +0000

I doubt many of you would disagree with the assertion that the “mainstream media” has some major issues that need to be worked out. Take the coverage of Michael Jackson’s death. Yes, he was a great entertainer. Yes, the way that he lived his life was totally perplexing. Yes, people are fascinated by him. But did we really need all that coverage? It’s just one example of how our media is failing us, but I’m sure that Free Press would be willing to give you many more examples. They are a non-profit, “national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media through education, organizing and advocacy.” Free Press advocates “independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications,” and they do this through a number of campaigns: Save the Internet, Stop Big Media, No Fake News, Local Radio Now, Stamp Out Postal Rate Hikes, Save Our Spectrum, Community Internet, Public Broadcasting, Pentagon Propaganda, White Spaces, and Rate the Debates. They’re based in both Washington, DC and Florence, MA, and they’ve been working since 2002 to fix what they call a failing media system.

Help Reform the Media

Maybe you enjoyed the Michael Jackson coverage. Maybe you don’t think that there’s anything wrong with the media. If that’s you, then Free Press probably won’t be the right place for you. They have a very specific idea of what they expect from the media, and until the media improves, they’re going to keep working to change the way that media is produced and consumed in our country. If that sounds like something that you want to be a part of, then you need to check out Free Press’ Jobs page. Right now they have 3 jobs posted, and two of them seem like they might be suitable for new grads. They’re looking for an Online Campaign Coordinator and an Office Coordinator—both in Florence, MA. The job postings get really in-depth, so give them a good look to determine whether the jobs will be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What are your thoughts on the state of media today?

POLITICO

Willy Franzen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:31:10 +0000

I think that I’ve said it before here – I don’t like politics. I’m not talking about interpersonal politics, I mean government politics. I quickly get frustrated by the ineptitude of our elected officials (and often the media that covers them) and start yelling at the tv. I used to be what people call a “politics junkie,” but I just got sick of it. That was before political blogging took off (I’m not old!), but if I hadn’t tired of politics at a young age, I’m sure that I’d be an avid reader of POLITICO. Wikipedia says that POLITICO is “a political journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio.” They apparently have a newspaper that is circulated on Capitol Hill and a number of partnerships with major media outlets, but their website seems to have the widest reach.

Be a POLITICO

I wish that I could tell you more about POLITICO, but their About page consists of a list of names with links to bios. Much like a newspaper (which I guess is what they are), there’s very little meta-information and a whole bunch of content. That makes finding detailed information about what it’s like to work for POLITICO kind of difficult. All you can go by is their Jobs page, which has quite a few positions posted. It’s hard to discern which are most appropriate for new college grads, but we think that you might want to give the following positions a look: Designer, Web Producer, White House Reporter, Life Reporter, Photographer, Video Producer, and Media and Special Projects Assistant. The job descriptions are really sparse, so you may end up applying for a position that you’re not qualified for, but what do you have to lose? Also, make note of the dates that many of these jobs were posted – they’re all over the place. Some postings are 7 months old, and others are much more recent. I can’t say for sure that POLITICO is still hiring for these positions, but you should definitely give applying a shot by sending a resume and cover letter to employment@politico.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read POLITICO?

Emotive

Willy Franzen — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:29:52 +0000

As we learned in the most recent round of elections, the Internet matters. Even 4 years ago there was a lot of talk about the importance of campaign website, but not a lot of real value. Now it’s absolutely essential to use the web to organize your base and to reach swing voters. Add to that the fact that politics are recession-proof (unfortunately), and you’ll understand why Arlington, VA based Emotive is so well positioned right now. They’re a direct marketing company that specializes in online solutions for political campaigns, trade associations, and issue-based coalitions. If you want to see some of the work that they’ve done, you can check out the websites for The Governator and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. They offer complete solutions, so as they put it, “We’re not only going to build you a Cadillac, we want to be your chauffeur.”

A Job at Emotive Doesn’t Make You an Emo

Whether you’re interested in direct marketing, web development, politics, organizing, or all of the above, Emotive could be a really interesting place for you to work. They’re conveniently located in the DC area, which is smart considering their clientele. Their website doesn’t say a ton about what they do, but I think that the Portfolio on their About page should tell you everything that you need to know. Just yesterday, Emotive posted 3 job openings on their LinkedIn Company Profile. The job titles are Interactive Designer, Interactive Developer, and Account Manager, and all of them look like they may be suitable for new college grads. You can apply for the jobs through LinkedIn, and you can also find out a lot more about the company from their profile.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How important do you think the web is to political campaigns?

Atlantic Media

Willy Franzen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:42:15 +0000

It’s amazing to think that a publication started by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., and James Russell Lowell in 1857 is still kicking. The Atlantic has morphed from a focus on literary and cultural affairs to more broadly attacking the topics of foreign affairs, politics, economics, and cultural trends. It has also joined forces with National Journal and Government Executive to form Atlantic Media. Their publications are a little more advanced than Highlights and Mad Magazine, which is why a recent rebranding effort was probably necessary. Appealing to people’s intellectual sides just isn’t the best way to sell magazines, unfortunately. With lots of changes going on at Atlantic Media, and National Journal Group’s political trade journals still bringing money, now might be an interesting time to consider working at Atlantic Media.

Weathering a Storm at the Atlantic

Atlantic Media is another old media company that is trying to hang on in an old media world. They have a great heritage, but how they approach the next few years will determine whether they are around in another century and a half. This might scare some of you away, but I hope some of you will see it as an amazing opportunity. A quick look at Atlantic Media’s current job opportunities shows that they are hiring for a number of jobs, some of which seem well suited to new college grads. These include Associate Writer – Hotline, Desktop Support Technician, Developer, Events Content Producer, Reporter – CongressDaily, Sales Assistant (San Francisco), Staff Writer – Global Security Newswire, Technical Producer, and White House Reporter – CongressDaily . Although The Atlantic has long been associated with Boston, they made the move to Washington, DC in 1999 to be more closely tied to the political scene in the beltway, so all of the jobs are located in Washington, DC unless otherwise noted. There’s a nice mix of journalism and technical jobs here, and you can apply by following the links to the individual job descriptions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read The Atlantic or any of Atlantic Media’s other publications?

Food & Water Watch

Willy Franzen — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:45:34 +0000

Do you look at the labels on all of the food that you buy? Not only the nutritional facts but also the ingredients? If you answered yes, then you’re probably a health conscious consumer, or maybe you have a specific food allergy. Well what about the stuff that’s in your food that isn’t on the ingredients label? No mater what kind of drugs they pump into the cow that your hamburger is coming from, it’s always just going to be labeled beef. How about that bottle of water that you’re drinking from right now? It’s just water, or is it? A salmon from Lake Ontario is still just salmon, even if it’s full of PCBs (at least you can’t buy those in the grocery store). There’s a lot of stuff in our food and water that we don’t know about, which is why Washington, DC based Food & Water Watch exists. They’re “a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food.”

Are You on the Watch?

The government is supposed to ensure the safety of our food and water. That’s a responsibility that we’ve entrusted to them. It gives us a little less freedom in what kind of food choices we can make, but it’s worth it to know that there are certain minimum standards for what we’re going to put in our body. Food & Water Watch asserts that the government isn’t doing the job that they should be. That’s why they take it upon themselves to “challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink.” If you’re passionate about food quality and safety, a job with Food & Water Watch might be something that you want to consider.

There are a number of job opportunities with Food & Water Watch currently available. The most appropriate for new college grads are Policy Analyst – Fish Campaign, Organizer – Food Campaign, and West Coast Organizer – Fish Campaign. The Policy Analyst position is based out of Washington, DC, while the West Coast Organizer position is based out of San Francisco, CA. They don’t say where the Food Campaign Organizer job is located. You can apply for these jobs by sending a cover letter, resume, three references, and a brief writing sample to jobs@fwwatch.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch what you eat?

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?

The Innocence Project

Willy Franzen — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:06:07 +0000

Almost every kid has experienced it: your parents yelling at you for something you didn’t do. They are absolutely sure that you did something wrong and there is no convincing them otherwise. It’s a horrible feeling. Now, imagine the legal system putting you in the same situation, but the consequence is a lengthy imprisonment for something you didn’t do. Tragically, this happens more often than we’d like to think. It’s likely impossible to have an effective judicial system that eliminates all false positives, but we can certainly do better. The Innocence Project is a non-profit organization that is putting DNA and forensic evidence to work to exonerate people who have been wrongly convicted.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

The Innocence Project was started in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld and works in conjunction with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University to serve people who may have been hopeless just a decade and a half ago.

To date, 218 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 16 who served time on death row. These people served an average of 12 years in prison before exoneration and release.

Most of these cases were overturned because “The Innocence Project’s full-time staff attorneys and Cardozo clinic students provided direct representation or critical assistance.” Although the idea of helping convicted criminals may seem unsavory at first, you must remember that “convicted” doesn’t necessarily mean guilty.

We don’t cover many entry-level jobs that are law related here on One Day, One Job, but The Innocence Project has a number of opportunities for new college graduates. They are located in New York City and are looking for a Paralegal, Policy Associate, and Communications Assistant. They’ve done a nice job with their website, and their Jobs page links to detailed descriptions for each opportunity. If you’re thinking about law school, but not quite ready to get started, a job at The Innocence Project might aid you considerably in the decision making process.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

InnoncenceProject.org
Jobs at The Innocence Project
About The Innocence Project
The Innocence Project’s FAQ
The Innocence Project’s Cases
The Causes of Wrongful Conviction

Are you interested in more entry-level law jobs? Let us know in the comments so that we can find similar opportunities for you.

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

Willy Franzen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:00:36 +0000

When we first decided to feature non-profit entry-level jobs on weekends, we saw it as a way to do some good while adding variety to the types of jobs we feature each day. We didn’t realize that an impending (possibly already happening) recession might change the outlook for college students who are in search of a first job. We can’t predict how the economy will affect entry-level hiring, but we do know that non-profit jobs can be more stable during downturns. We’re not saying that a job at a non-profit is recession proof, but the nature of a non-profit (at least a well funded one) makes them a little less sensitive to a short-term recession. One example of a well funded non-profit that is hiring aggressively at the entry-level despite the threat of recession is the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, “a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare.”

The main activities of the American Enterprise Institute are sponsoring research and conferences and publishing books, monographs, and periodicals. By doing so, they push for a “competition of ideas” that they see to be the essence of a free society. They claim to be non-partisan, much like the Brookings Institution; however, there tends to be some debate over that. Both organizations have a similar focus, but allegedly their political leanings are opposite of each other. It’s good to know that, despite their differences, Brookings and AEI have a history of cooperation, having launched the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies as well as the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. You’ll certainly want to take a look at the types of research that AEI conducts before you consider applying for any of their jobs.

The reason that we see AEI as recession resistant is that they get funding from a variety of sources – donation from corporations, foundations, and individuals in addition to investment gains from their endowment. The AEI employs about 200 people in their Washington, D.C. headquarters, and it looks like they must be trying to add to that. It should be competitive, considering that they are one of the 55 best places to work in the D.C. area. Their Current Openings page lists jobs such as Marketing Assistant, Media Relations Assistant, Research Assistant (Foreign Policy, Asian Studies, Latin America and Demographics, Political Corner, Economics, Economics – Regulatory Studies, Executive Office), Editorial Assistant, Conference Assistant, and Marketing Assistant (Corporate Relations). The descriptions for the specific jobs are short, but they get the point across adequately. There’s also a listing titled Spring Graduate 2008. We’re not sure if this is a separate listing, or a reference to the jobs we just mentioned.

Their application process looks simple, and it allows you apply for multiple positions, which means that you can apply for a specific position and as a Spring Graduate 2008. The application form has some fields that are optional, depending on position, so pay attention and make sure you include all of the required information. The AEI says that they’re looking for new grads with at least a 3.6 GPA from a top school. This probably isn’t a hard and fast rule, but you better have an impressive resume if you want to get hired.

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

On a completely different note, we’ve noticed that some of our posts aren’t publishing properly – especially on One Day, One Internship. We promise it’s not poor editing! There’s some weird gremlin that is out to get us, and we’re trying to pinpoint it. If you see something that doesn’t look right in a post, please contact us and let us know via our contact page.