This summer, the IGL has partially funded some of the costs accrued between my two part-time internships. One internship is working at The World Affairs Council, a national nonprofit that hosts events and recruits speakers with the goal of stimulating discussion on international affairs. The second internship is with the San Francisco Democratic Party, which organizes local party politics.
At World Affairs, my responsibilities are largely self-guided and within the realm of development. I have started a few ongoing projects designed to recruit new members to events, which has so far involved researching local young-professional organizations and setting up meetings with their leaders. I have also worked on a project aimed at garnering new corporate sponsors for World Affairs. Though ongoing, I have already amassed a sizable donation for World Affairs from the Whole Foods Corporate Giving division. My work at World Affairs has shown me the minutiae of life both at a non-profit and in development.
With the San Francisco Democratic Party, I am within a more structured internship program. There are five other interns, and our responsibilities are more definite and less independent. My boss, the Executive Director of the SF party, has been an excellent mentor and is committed to teaching us. A large part of my official time as an intern is spent learning: sitting in on city council meetings, going to assemblies of Democratic subsidiaries, and attending intimate gatherings of campaign officials. In fact, the primary goal of the internship (as stated by the Democratic party itself) is to teach the interns about local politics. The only regular duty I have is to register voters at local events, such as street festivals and new citizen swearing in ceremonies. Though I feel less useful to the Dems than I do to World Affairs, I have learned much more interning with the SF party.
Now, halfway through both summer internships, I can’t wait to see what else I learn with the Democrats and where my projects with World Affairs take me.
Photo: With the other SF Democratic Party interns at the latest meeting of the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC).