Apply for an internship with Florida PIRG Students!

 Apply for an internship with Florida PIRG Students!

 

Who are Florida PIRG Students?

 

Florida PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Students is a nonpartisan, student-run nonprofit. We work with professional staff at colleges and universities to make sure our peers have the skills, opportunities and training they need to create a better, more sustainable future for all of us. We’re a part of a national network of student advocates that for the past 50 years have helped students get organized and be at the cutting edge of social change. Our chapters and clubs at over 100 campuses nationwide provide the training, professional support and resources students need to tackle climate change, protect public health, revitalize our democracy, feed the hungry and more. In Florida, we currently have clubs working with professional staff at 5 campuses.

 

What are we looking for?

 

We’re looking for passionate students who want to take on leadership experience, join a community of UF students who care about similar things, and make positive change in their communities.

 

What campaigns are we working on right now?

 

At UF, our students are currently working on a campaign to address food insecurity among college students by passing the Hunger Free Campus Bill. College is already too expensive. And oftentimes, that forces students to choose between buying a textbook or groceries. Nationally, 1 in 3 students are food insecure. And here in Florida with almost 1 million college students, that means almost 300,000 students don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We know that most of our schools have food pantries and other resources to help students, but those resources need more support to properly address the problem. That’s why we’re working to pass the Hunger Free Campus Act through the Florida State Legislature. This bill would create a set of requirements for campuses to meet to be designated as Hunger Free, and then give them access to apply for competitive grants that would directly impact the lives of food insecure college students.

 

But to pass this bill, we need our legislators to make it a priority. The ones we’ve talked to have said that they’re supportive, but for it to pass the finish line, we need to find a few to make it their number one bill. We’re going to be gathering testimonials from our campus community, and working with hunger organizations across the state to make sure elected officials know that their constituents want this to be their number one priority. We want our legislators to have this all over their twitter, on emails out to their constituents, and the first thing you see when you google their name

 

And we have a history of working with food banks across the state. Throughout the years, we’ve raised over $4,000 for campus pantries and community food banks. And in Maryland, we worked with Swipe Out Hunger and other groups to get the bill passed there last year. This bill has already been passed in 4 states, and Florida should be next. 

 

The last two years have been particularly hard. Before the pandemic students were already food insecure at alarming rates, and the economic burden of COVID has only worsened that

 

What does our internship program look like?

 

Our approach requires each intern not only to develop expertise in campaign strategy, but also to become skilled in organizing and the political process. As an intern you will work side by side with professional organizing staff. We have on campus and virtual internships available.

 

Responsibilities will include:

 

• Organizing political support. Florida PIRG interns will help to strengthen the campaign by building a strong coalition of student orgs, campus faculty and staff, and community partners.
• Executing a campaign strategy. Interns will work to craft effective tactics for the campus to use and work to hit goals each week that elevate the status of our campaign work.
• Media outreach. Florida PIRG interns work to get our issues and opinions covered by the media, through news releases, “op-eds,” online webinars, and more.
• Attending a weekly skills workshop. Each week interns will be taught grassroots campaigning skills from our professional staff, some of whom have worked in student organizing for over 30 years.

 

We are looking for students who are self-starters, able to work independently and in a team setting. Our interns are the leaders on these campaigns. You'll be a part of a statewide network of students taking on these issues on different campuses but you'll be a part of the Florida PIRG club on your campus and the boots on the ground in your community.

 

Internships are available for undergraduate and graduate students in law, political science, public policy, sociology or environmental studies, but students in any area of study may apply. Previous campaign and/or advocacy experience is a plus.

 

Apply today at: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/campus-internships-with-florida-pirg-students-6