Sunday, December 23, 2007

OCA: Summer Internship

OCA Seeks Applicants for Summer Internship Program
Deadline to apply for summer internships: March 15, 2008

Washington, DC – OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization dedicated to ensuring social justice for APAs, is seeking motivated and qualified students for its highly successful summer internship program. The internship will last approximately ten weeks and a stipend will be provided.

The purpose of the OCA Internship program is to cultivate future leadership by providing students with an opportunity to be involved in the political and public policy process. Summer interns will be placed at a federal agency, non-profit, or congressional office that matches their interest and work full-time. Past interns have been placed in the offices of Congresswoman Pelosi, Congresswoman Berkley, and Senator Durbin; at the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Education Association, and the NAACP.

Interns can also be placed at the OCA National Center and work first hand with one of the largest APA organizations in the country. In addition to their placement, summer interns will be highly engaged in many OCA activities and be involved with grassroots organizing.
The OCA Summer Internship Program engages interns with numerous activities to incorporating all that Washington, DC has to offer. Interns participate in a summer brown bag series focusing on important issues in the APA and civil rights community. Interns have the opportunity to meet with members of Congress, APA staffers, and members of the APA Congressional Caucus. Interns also help research and develop toolkits that inform and determine best practices on important APA issues, such as hate crimes and bias, coalition building, and Asian American Studies.

In addition to the experience that Washington, DC has to offer, interns play a major role in our annual national convention held in Washington, DC on July 31 – August 2, 2008. The convention will feature speakers, entertainment and engage the entire community on pertinent issues. Once selected, applicants are strongly encouraged to make sure they are able to attend this signature event.

Applications and information can be found on the OCA National website at http://www.ocanational.org. Complete applications must be postmarked by March 15th and an interview will be done for selected applicants. Selection will be complete by April and a firm commitment is required at the time. Interns will be responsible for travel to and from Washington, DC and housing as well.

Internships are also available during the winter, spring and fall sessions at the OCA National Center.