Request for Expression of Interest (EOI): Host Organization for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Intern (Remote)

Jun 8, 2020 | Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) Environment and Public Policy (EPP) Section

The Environment and Public Policy (EPP) Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), a professional organization dedicated to enhancing the practice and public understanding of conflict resolution, has a strong commitment to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field and among our members. As part of this work, we have hosted a diversity, equity, and inclusion intern at a member organization. The purpose of this internship program is to provide students with diverse backgrounds and an interest in alternative dispute resolution, collaboration, environment, and public policy an opportunity to gain experience in the field, develop critical skills to become competitive candidates, and advance key activities for EPP’s Diversity & Equity Committee. While we acknowledge the complications of hosting an intern remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we still consider this program a priority and of benefit to the field and member organizations.

The EPP Section is looking for potential host organization for the fall intern, that is active in environmental and public policy dispute resolution in the U.S. and Canada. While the intern will mainly work on efforts relevant to the EPP Diversity & Equity (D&E) Committee, we also seek to offer opportunities to the intern to immerse themselves in the field of alternative conflict resolution, environment, and/or public policy. Therefore, the intern can also provide additional support to the host organization on projects and/or programmatic work, in addition to offering D&E-related experience and knowledge to the host organization.

Please note the EPP Section will cover the costs of the intern stipend. However, we do expect the host organization to work with the intern’s university to fill out any required forms for credit and evaluating the intern at the end of the semester.

Overview of Internship Program

The intern will work approximately 10-15 hours per week on ACR EPP activities and 5 hours per week on host organization activities, for a total of 15-20 hours per week over a period of approximately 10 weeks. We acknowledge these hours will vary each week and will allow for a certain degree of flexibility. Some of the tasks required of the intern for the D&E Committee include: 

• Research organizations and opportunities for dissemination of the Resource Handbook of Opportunities for Students and Early Career Practitioners of Color in the Field of Environmental Conflict Resolution.
• Develop a series of creative communications materials (such as, social media posts, , blogs, interviews, infographics, etc.) on the experience of practitioners of color in the field.
• Create an alumni network of EPP Diversity & Equity interns and scholarship recipients.
• Develop a white paper on current status of diversity in the EPP field.
• Participate in regular ACR EPP conference calls (monthly).
• Other activities as needed to carry out the work of the D&E Committee.

We expect the host organization to identify clearly defined tasks for the fall intern, related to projects or programmatic work. Ultimately, the purpose of this internship is to provide people from underrepresented communities with tangible experience to be able to enter the field of alternative conflict resolution, environmental policy, and/or public policy. Therefore, we encourage host organizations to be creative and identify tasks that can provide opportunities for the intern to gain experience and develop critical skills.

Depending on the intern’s level of interest and available opportunities, the intern may observe a range of conflict resolution activities under the supervision of the host organizations’ staff and other partners. In fact, as appropriate, the intern may have the opportunity to attend virtual dialogues, convenings, and meetings of stakeholders and experts. The intern may also observe the host organizations’ staff during activities such as: collaborative process design, issue assessment, facilitation and mediation, and other day-to-day activities. We expect the intern to begin work in September until December (with some flexibility in the dates). While the hiring process will be largely led by the co-chairs of the Diversity & Equity Committee, the host organization will have a role in ultimately selecting the intern.

Criteria for Host Organization

We expect the host organization to possess the following qualities:

• Project work in environmental, natural resource, public policy, collaborative processes, and/or alternative conflict resolution.
• Experience managing and working with remote staff.
• Capacity and willingness to support the intern remotely. We expect the host organization to assign a supervisor to the intern that can provide support and guidance and accountability for the completion of tasks. In addition, we also expect the host organization to serve as a mentor to the intern, by taking the time to explore potential professional development opportunities and connecting them to others in the field (see below).
• Access to a network of practitioners in the field. This opportunity is meant to provide the intern a chance to work in the field. Therefore, access to a robust network of practitioners that can provide advice and mentorship is required.

Submission Guidelines and Requirements

If you are interested in serving as a host organization please submit an expression of interest (no longer than 2 pages) to Marielena Octavio (moctavio@merid.org) with the following:
• List of potential tasks for the intern within the host organization, and
• Qualification of the host organization (please refer to the criteria).

The deadline for submission is June 8, 2020. If you have any questions, please reach out to Marielena Octavio (moctavio@merid.org) or Sara Omar (somar@kearnswest.com).