Summer 2008 Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice Internship Awards
"There is in most...some spark of idealism, which can be fanned into a flame. It takes sometimes a divining rod to find what it is; but when found, and that means often, when disclosed to the owners, the results are often most extraordinary."
-Louis D. Brandeis
**Ten Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice Internship Awards have been awarded for summer 2008! Read the official announcement and bios of the recipients!**
Purpose: Awards will go to support students participating in unpaid summer internships in an organization that focuses on issues of social justice. awards are being supported by the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice, which supports a wide range of activities at Brandeis that reflect the University's, and our namesake's, commitment to social justice.
The internship agency's mission should address issues of Social Justice. Possible sites include those that focus on issues stemming from social and economic inequality such as, for example: labor law, child and family policy, housing rights, health care advocacy, the elderly, environmental justice, educational access, discrimination, and others that address the issues of democracy, health or social welfare.
**Examples of potential internships sites and general search links.**
Awards: Awards of $3,500 will be awarded to selected students on a competitive basis. Awards go to defray costs associated with participating in an unpaid summer internships. $3,000 will be disbursed in April and $500 in September. All awards are considered taxable income.
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors from any academic program who will be continuing with the University in the fall. Students may not be receiving other internship funds. Preference given to those receiving need-based financial aid.
Program Requirements :
Before
- Students must obtain an unpaid internship experience with an organization whose mission is oriented towards the issues of social justice.
- Recipients will be required to attend a pre-departure meeting to go over supervision, reflection and learning objectives, and other details.
- Recipients will be required to complete and submit a Learning Agreement detailing internship responsibilities and learning goals (signed by the supervisor) by June 13, 2008.
During:
- Recipients must have one mid-point phone conversation with the Academic Internship Coordinator to discuss progress towards personal, academic and career goals.
- Complete on-going Reflection Assignments as assigned (Examples: mid-summer check-in, journal, final reflection)
After:
- Recipients must submit all final reflective assignments and final evaluations (by the student and the site supervisor) by September 5th.
- Recipients agree to orally present on their experience in a forum-type setting to the Brandeis community in the fall or spring.
- Recipients are encouraged, but not required, to enroll in an internship seminar/course such as SJSP 89a: Internship Seminar in Social Justice or ENVS 89a Environmental Internship for the fall 2008, so that they may further develop their experiences and interests with other students in a faculty-led seminar/course.
Selection Process: Application deadline is 5pm, Monday, February 11th. A committee which consists of faculty and staff will review applications. The committee reserves the right to interview applicants.
Selected students will be given an assigned time to interview with the committee during the week of February 25th and finalists will be selected and notified VIA EMAIL by Friday, February 29th, 2008.
Recipients must notify the selection committee of their decision to accept the award no later than Friday, March 7th, so that alternates may be notified.
Once selected, recipients will be required to submit a letter of commitment from the host agency by March 21st, otherwise, they forfeit the award and the funds will go to the next Alternate on the list.
Internship Opportunities: Students will secure domestic/international placements on their own, according to their specific area of interest in social justice.
- Students must secure interest from an organization willing to host the Brandeis student prior to knowing whether or not they will be funded.
- A Letter of Interest from the host agency is strongly advisable!! Students who include a letter of interest from the sponsoring agency will be considered as having a stronger application. See a sample of a letter of interest.
Students can also obtain site development assistance from Jessica Paquin, Academic Internship Administrator with the Office of the Arts and Sciences, and Rusmir Music at the Hiatt Career Center.
**Students pursuing international internship opportunities are strongly encouraged to heed the official Travel Warnings issued by the State Department. Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid a certain country. The list can be found at http://travel.state.gov/.
Application Requirements: Students will submit 3 copies of the required application materials by February 11th:
- Application & Short Answer Questions
- Résumé
- Recommendation from a Brandeis University faculty member
- Unofficial Transcript
- **Letter of Interest/Commitment from hosting agency strongly recommended
ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS DUE NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 11, 2008
Application Materials:
Application Packet (pdf) (word)
Individual pieces:For more information: internships@brandeis.edu
Social Justice Internships Awards are being supported by the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice. The Fund was created by a generous alumnus on the occasion of Justice Brandeis's 150th birthday in 2006. It supports a wide range of activities at Brandeis that reflect the University's, and our namesake's, commitment to social justice.