Intern at CAIR Oklahoma

Internships at CAIR-OK’s office in Oklahoma City offer students and community members a great opportunity to learn, interact, and grow in a fast-paced, diverse environment. CAIR-OK operates with a small staff and interns play a vital role in the work of CAIR-OK, undertake a considerable amount of responsibility, and are encouraged to develop their own projects and initiatives.

CAIR-OK currently offers internship and externship opportunities in three areas: Policy and Advocacy, Civil Rights, and Communications.

How long is the internship?

CAIR-OK offers internships during Spring, Fall, and Summer semesters, asking that each intern commit to a minimum of 15 hours per week. Although in-office presence is highly preferred, we can also accommodate remote work. CAIR-OK staff are following CDC protocol with regards to office presence and may shift policies if indicated by the Health Department, CDC, or other relevant authority.

What does CAIR-OK look for in an applicant?

Applicants that excite us are detail oriented, have an inquisitive, yet confident attitude and a strong passion for social justice. Most importantly, we’re looking for interns who understand the culture and mission of CAIR-OK and are excited to work within the Okie Muslim community.

Do you offer course credit for your internships?

Yes! We have worked with most colleges in Oklahoma to offer course credit to students through their university.

 

How to Apply

Please email info@ok.cair.com and, in the subject line, please clearly indicate the title of the position in which you are interested. Please include, at minimum, a resume and a cover letter that clearly states for which internship you are applying. CAIR-OK reserves the right to perform background checks (with applicant’s consent), negative background check is not necessarily a bar to employment. Some internships may also require the submission of references or writing samples.

Students interested in receiving academic credit should indicate so in their cover letters. Credit must be arranged through your university.

POLICY AND ADVOCACY INTERN

DSC_0384The Policy and Advocacy Intern works closely with the Government Affairs Department to fulfill government relations, communications and administrative functions. CAIR-OK’s expanding Government Affairs department coordinates statewide advocacy work on issues of public policy.

This position is ideal for a student or professional looking to gain valuable experience in government and civic engagement, while learning more about CAIR-OK’s work in defending civil rights, fighting bigotry, empowering American Muslims, and promoting accurate, representative media portrayals of Islam and Muslims. Political Science, International Relations, and Sociology majors and those with previous government affairs experience will be given preference.

Responsibilities:

  • Assisting the department in following legislation.
  • Helping with voter registration drives and civic engagement of Oklahoma Muslims.
  • Legislative database management.
  • Attending committee meetings and hearings during legislative session.
  • Meeting with state and local legislators on community issues.
  • Assisting in coalition building with other Muslim, interfaith, or civil rights organizations.

Qualifications:

  • Excellent organizational skills.
  • Demonstrates follow-through and time management skills with assigned tasks.
  • Self-directed, able to work with minimal supervision.
  • Possesses excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Committed to serving the community.
  • High proficiency in MS Word and Excel.

Preferred:

  • Social media marketing and promotion.
  • LegisOK software.

COMMUNICATIONS INTERN

 

As an Communications Intern at CAIR-OK, you will work closely with the Community Outreach Director and play a valuable role in expanding our online presence, promoting our events to the community, and sharing valuable resources to our audiences.

This position is ideal for a college student or young professional looking to gain valuable experience in working in a professional nonprofit setting, while getting in-depth, hands-on experience in all facets of CAIR-OK’s work including social media management, graphic design, donor outreach, and communications.

Responsibilities:

  • Make our resources, including current items, available on our website and social media platforms, and update as needed.
  • Design graphics and schedule for posting on social media platforms.
  • Promote the organization through online marketing and outreach
  • Commit to attending CAIR-OK events, as well as assisting with planning and marketing.

Qualifications:

  • Dynamic and creative writing
  • Demonstrated experience managing social media for nonprofit or other public entity
  • Attention to detail
  • Experience with basic graphic design principles (or ability to learn).
  • Demonstrated ability to work quickly and on a deadline

Preferred:

  • Familiarity with Hootsuite, Canva, and other software (or ability to learn).
  • Previous experience with communications strategy.
  • Communications / Graphic Design degree track.

CIVIL RIGHTS/LEGAL INTERN

The Legal Intern will work primarily with the Civil Rights Director to assist with client management, legal research and writing, and developing other special projects as required by the Civil Rights Department. Interns will also assist in seminars and workshops and will be expected to attend and work at all volunteer events. This internship will also require a research project on a topic of the student’s own choosing, to be completed by the end of the term. This position is ideal for law students who wish to gain experience in the non-profit field and who are interested in working with civil rights and human rights issues.

Responsibilities:

  • Client management from intake to resolution. Interns will often be primary points of contact for clients as we assist in resolution of their complaint.
  • Legal Research and Writing. Interns will be expected to develop proficiency in both formal legal and non-legal writing styles and in putting together concise reports.
  • Special research and project management. While the primary focus of the legal internship will be on legal work, the interns will also be needed to help develop educational and promotional material and to assist in marketing the work of the civil rights department. We will ensure that the majority of the work assigned to the legal intern will be related to the practice of law.
  • Personal research project. Each intern will be asked to select a topic of interest relevant to the CAIR mission for more in-depth research and writing.

Qualifications:

  • You must be a current law student or law school graduate to apply for this position.
  • Strong research and writing skills, both formal legal and non-legal.
  • Excellent interpersonal work and phone skills.
  • Confident and professional demeanor, punctuality, and reliability.
  • Ability to work with minimal supervision on self-directed projects.
  • Discretion in handling sensitive client or CAIR documents  (all interns must sign CAIR Non-Disclosure Agreement before beginning work).

Preferred:

  • Students who have taken Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, First Amendment, Criminal Law/Procedure, Human Rights Law are preferred.
  • While it is not a requirement, students with high levels of cultural competency will be preferred.
  • Students who can devote 5-10 hours during a Fall or Spring term or at least 20 hours during a Summer term are preferred.