Welcome to GWS 660

You are a part of the next cohort of amazing GWS 660 interns! I look forward to working together and facilitating our conversations about gender, identity, activisms, and community-based work. A number of items need to be taken care of before we come together in late January. Find information about internship applications and interviewing below. Please review this information carefully and let me know if you have questions.

Don’t forget to Register for the Class

You have been authorized to enroll in GWS 660: Internship in Gender & Women’s Studies. Don’t forget to add the course to your spring schedule;)

Pro Tips

  1. During this internship program, work to step outside your comfort zone. Our best learning happens when we are uncomfortable – even if this means taking on an internship that is not your first choice, or developing a project in a topic area that is new and unfamiliar.
  2. What you get out of your internship experience is founded in what you contribute to it. Start considering your goals for this work now.
  3. Trust the process. It will require patience and moments of uncertainty, but you will likely be really glad you did it by the time the end of the semester rolls around.

Interviews

Ideally, each intern will interview with more than one organization, but only apply to internships that you are really excited to pursue in spring. You will contact organizations of interest for an interview via the list below. Once you have an interview(s) scheduled, please let me know (in an email) where/when you have scheduled interviews and how things go.

Organizations have varying application processes and due dates that are based in their needs and do not necessarily correspond with campus timelines. Please keep this in mind as you are considering your options and contacting organizations. Contact Susan at any point if you are not sure what to do next.

Interviewing Tips

Before

Research the organization before your interview. Prepare your responses to common interview questions, like:

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • What skills make you a good candidate for this position?
  • What are your strengths and experiences?
  • Why are you excited about this position?

Confirm your interview logistics: when, what software platform, have a copy of your resume and cover letter available.

After

  • Follow up with a note or email thanking the supervisor and/or agency for an interview.
  • If you are offered an internship, accept or decline as soon as you are able via an email or a phone call.
  • When you accept an internship, send a quick note withdrawing your application from the other internship positions you applied for next semester.

Internships

Below you will find the Internship Requests for Spring 2023. Please review the organizations and job descriptions that spark your interest and take note of the interviewing information and timeline. This list will grow over the next several weeks. Stay tuned!

Legislative Work – Policy Analysis and Research/Constituent Services

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Office of Governor Evers

Work with a team of interns in the Office of the Governor. Evers’ team is looking for energetic and reliable staff to join their Madison office. In this position, you will support operations, scheduling, policy, legislative affairs, appointments, communications, constituent services, or proclamations department.

Applicants must demonstrate strong communication skills, maturity and responsibility, and understand the importance of attention to detail. Find application information on the Governor’s website.

Office of State Senator Melissa Agard

The Office of State Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) is accepting applications for spring 2023. Working with Senator Agard’s office provides civic experience and insight into the inner workings of state government. Interns in Senator Agard’s office receive hands-on training and experience with the Wisconsin State Legislature, and leave the office with practical knowledge and skills in policy and legal research, communications and media, casework, and constituent services.

Our internship program is a synthesis of everything we do in our office. General interns do everything from conducting policy research and analysis, to providing constituent services, to event planning and attendance. Senator Agard is the Senate Democratic Leader and a proud, progressive Democrat representing the 16th Senate District. Policy issues that she has continued to lead on in the state legislature include:

  • Fully legalizing marijuana for medicinal & recreational use
  • $15 minimum wage & restoring workers’ rights
  • CLEAR Act & other environmental policy
  • Menstrual equality & removing the “Tampon Tax”
  • Many, many more progressive policies!

Apply for Senator Agard’s Spring 2023 internship using this form: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/16/agard/constituent-services/internship-application/

Please note a cover letter, resume, and 3-5 page writing sample is required to complete the application process. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until positions are filled in mid-January. Direct any questions or concerns about this form or the submission materials to Sen. Agard’s Operations Director, Emily Duernberger at Emily.duernberger@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Office of U.S. Representative Mark Pocan

Organization description: Congressman Mark Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. A small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Representative Pocan is committed to using his life experience to fight for policies that promote economic and social justice and support the families of south central Wisconsin.

Job description: Interns will have the opportunity to contribute to the office in various ways. The first involves direct constituent contact via casework intake and opinion tracking. The district office has three dedicated casework staff. Their job is to act as a bridge between constituents and federal agencies. Being responsible for intake, you would be the first contact between the constituents and our office. You will learn more about the role of different federal agencies and the federal policies that most affect WI communities.

Interns are also responsible for congratulatory letters to exceptional members of the community. Every month Congressman Pocan and his staff look for remarkable people who are promoting values like inclusivity, cooperation, and selflessness. This program helps our office stay connected to the communities we represent and allows you to get to know our district.

Another main task for interns is creating our office newsletters. We have several internal newsletters. The newsletter’s main purpose is to inform the staff of important news happening in the district and the State legislature. The newsletter helps you practice policy analysis and understand the implications of proposed laws. In addition to all of this, interns have the opportunity to develop independent projects, attend a weekly intern meeting, and receive regular feedback from supervisors.

Supervisor: Kimberly Hernández, Kimberly.Hernandez@mail.house.gov

Application instructions: Apply using this application form by December 1.

Note on modality/pay: This internship work happens in the office.

Wisconsin Women's Council

Organization description: The Wisconsin Women’s Council enhances the ability of all Wisconsin women to participate fully and equally in all aspects of life. The Council promotes initiatives that empower women, serves as a clearinghouse for information on the status of women in the state, conducts independent research, and promotes unique partnerships to further women’s economic and social equality and improve this state’s tax base and economy.

Job description: 2023 marks the 40th Anniversary of the WI Women’s Council (WWC) and the WWC hopes to hold events and conduct projects related to this milestone year. An intern would be able to work with the WWC executive director on these events and projects, which may include special communications about the history and future of the council, events such a roundtables and receptions, vision-setting for the WWC’s future work, and reports related to progress realized during the WWC’s 40 years. Together, an intern and the executive director will identify what elements of these projects and events the intern would like to work on to help advance the WWC’s focus on further the economic and social equality of women and girls. Through an internship with the WWC, an intern can expect to gain experience within state government and learn about the complexities of gender equity work within systems defined by state laws, processes, and expectations of diverse leaders and stakeholders. Depending on what elements of the WWC’s projects and events an intern works on, they can expect to learn about organizational communications, event planning, historical research, data-driven reporting, and working with an advisory board and state officials. In addition, an intern can expect to learn about working in a bipartisan, public agency.

Supervisor: Jenifer Cole, Executive Director, jenifer.cole1@wisconsin.gov, 608-279-4934

Application information: Interested students should submit a cover letter and resume, no more than one-page each. The cover letter should include preferences for what the student would like to work on, such as communications, event planning, or a research project related to the status of women and girls in Wisconsin. Submissions are due by Sunday, December 4, 2022. Jenifer Cole contact applicants on Monday, December 5 to arrange a time for a brief interview.

Note on modality/pay: remote with some opportunities to work in person/this is a paid position through the State of Wisconsin.

Communications, Education, Media, and the Arts

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Office of the Gender and Women's Studies Librarian

Organization description: The UW System Office of the Gender and Women’s Studies Librarian (GWSL) is one of the premier resources for support of gender, women’s studies, and LGBTQ+ scholarship and librarianship. The GWSL provides bibliographic and curriculum support, inter-institutional cooperation, information sharing, and advocacy related to the fields of women’s, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies and to gender-focused scholarship in the traditional disciplines.

We value and affirm the role that libraries and other information services play in the empowerment of people in our community and beyond. Through local, national, and international partnerships, we aim to provide relevant resources, skills, and support to those researching and working to improve the lives of women and girls throughout the world.

Job description: Library collection development, social media, and planning for the Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium Conference in April 2023. The conference planning will require the following: attending (virtual) conference planning meetings with staff and other interns, assist with uploading pre-recorded presentations to conference website, assist with previewing and approving content of pre-recorded conference presentations, assist with organization and design of digital conference program, assist with weekly social media posts and marketing related to the conference, be available to attend and provide technical support for the conference sessions.

The intern does not have to have previous knowledge and will be trained in all things Zoom Meeting and Zoom Webinar.

Supervisor: Karla Strand, karla.strand@wisc.edu

Application instructions: Send a resumé and cover letter (this can be framed in an email) to Karla Strand by December 12.

Note on modality/pay: A mix of in person and remote work is possible/paid position.

Arts + Literature Laboratory

Waiting to hear back from the Arts + Literature Laboratory. Stay tuned, and look elsewhere.

Legal Support

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Legal Action of Wisconsin

Organization description:

Legal Action of Wisconsin is the state’s largest non-profit law firm providing free civil legal services to Wisconsin clients at the most vulnerable times in their lives. For more than 50 years, we’ve changed and improved lives by making sure the civil legal system works for everyone.

Job description:

An intern will work on barriers to employment (criminal records corrections, expungements, pardons, driver’s license recovery, etc) through our Lawyers for Learners project serving technical college students and our Urban League of Greater Madison partnership. The work will involve preparing for and attending virtual or hybrid virtual-in person clinics, doing research for cases, referrals, and marketing for clinic events.

Supervisor:

Megan Sprecher, MLS@legalaction.org

Application instructions:

Send your resumé and a cover letter (this can be framed in an email) to Megan Sprecher at MLS@legalaction.org

Note on modality/pay: primarily remote with the option for some in person/unpaid (but they are looking into the possibility of paying folks). Legal Action of WI often hires 2 interns, so you have a work friend at this site:)

Community Support

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Girls Inc of Greater Madison (Goodman Community Center or East High School)

Organization description: Girls Inc. empower nonbinary youth and youth who identify as girls to be smart, strong, and bold. Our program strives to offer activities that support academic enrichment and leadership development as well as the right to career exploration and health and wellness. At Girls Inc., we believe that every student has the power within them to succeed and we want to do our part in helping them to recognize their own power and potential. Girls Inc of Greater Madison is the local chapter of Girls Inc. and our programs primarily welcome BIPOC youth of Madison.

Job description (2 positions):

Position 1: Interns would work to create and co-facilitate programming at either the middle or high school level focusing on leadership and community action as well as have a hand at helping plan a city wide Girls Inc STEM Conference in March.

Position 2: Provide STEM programming in an after-school context for 3rd-5th graders. Intern is expected to: lead STEM activities from a set lesson plan, lead group check ins and group games, be present and engage with youth, help with room set up (i.e: preparing materials, gathering supplies etc), help with facilitation and guiding of program.

Supervisors: Jade Koenigs, jadek@goodmancenter.org and Letesha Nelson, lnelson@goodmancenter.org

Application instructions: Please send a resume and cover letter to Jade Koenigs (for position 1) and/or Letesha Nelson (for position 2) at the contact information listed above.

Note on modality/pay: Position 1 is hybrid and Position 2 is onsite/work with Girls Inc. is unpaid, but emotionally rewarding.

Trans Advocacy Madison

Waiting to hear back from this organization. Stay tuned, and look elsewhere.

Health Care/Public Health

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Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC) - Maternal and Child Health Project

Organization description: Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) is dedicated to improving the health of our community by committing to equity, inclusion, and antiracism. Within our perinatal and child health work, our goals include: -Cultivate strong, authentic partnerships with community partners and stakeholders -Create pathways into public health, especially for communities of color -Educate and advocate around perinatal and child health public health priorities -Elevate perinatal and child health data accessibility, availability, and equity -Enhance coordination of perinatal and child health-related priorities across teams and divisions within Public Health -Communicate and promote perinatal and child health work internally and externally

Job Description:

  • Develop and implement a work plan based the available projects/tasks and student interest relating to those tasks. Job duties will mostly relate to perinatal (pregnancy and post-partum) health and connect to perinatal mental health and health equity.
  • Support projects related to but not limited to: policy and system level change, Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team, update Public Health’s existing public lactation map (bit.ly/lactationspace) and internal community resource guide for perinatal team.
  • Contribute to carrying out the activities of Maternal Child Health strategic plan (https://publichealthmdc.com/documents/MCH Strategic Plan 2019-10-16_f.pdf) including grant-specific perinatal mental health and health equity objectives.
  • Attend Public Health meetings and shadow staff (most opportunities will likely be virtual). The student will help guide their desired professional development relating to perinatal child health. Public Health Madison and Dane County focuses on health and racial equity work at the local level, and is actively learning and growing in organizational capacity to use national models (e.g. Public Health 3.0, Systems Thinking tools, PHAB Accreditation) to leverage data and cross-sector partnerships to tackle the root causes of health inequities.
  • PHMDC is a supportive workplace that has hosted interns before. Interns can expect to learn about: project coordination and management, oral and written communication skills, effective interpersonal skills, systems thinking, fetal & infant mortality, perinatal mental health, health disparities, policy and advocacy.

Supervisors: Kristine Omen-Kaul (komen-kaul@publichealthmdc.com) and Kimberly Robertson (krobertson@publichealthmdc.com)

Application Instructions: Please send a resume and a cover letter/letter of intent to Kristine Omen and Kimberly Robertson by January 2, 2023 (due date extended because they are hiring 2 interns!).

Note on modality/pay: Mostly virtual with some opportunities in-person work/unpaid position. PHMDC plans to hire 2 interns so you will have an internship partner:).

Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH)

Organization description: PATCH is a group of youth and adults that believe programs and policies for youth should INCLUDE youth. ​We encourage young people to raise their voices to create positive change, and have programs and resources to ​EDUCATE, ENGAGE, and EMPOWER others to do the sam​e.​

Job Description: This intern would support PATCH Staff and Teen Educators through the day-to-day implementation of the PATCH Madison Site AND aid in planning for a spring event for the whole team. They would act as a mentor to the high school students in our program and work directly with the Site Coordinator to plan programming that will enhance their work as Teen Educators. They’ll be a vital member of a small non-profit program allowing them to gain on-the-job-skills while doing vitally important work to help improve adolescent health. This is also a unique opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a small non-profit and to be an integral part of a hard-working team. We’d ask them to attend bi-weekly meetings with the Teens on Tuesday Evenings from 6:30-8:30 pm and aid in additional preparation and support at times determined by them and their supervisor.

Supervisors: James Woods – madison@wipatch.org | Erica Koepsel – erica@patchprogram.org (alternate contact/additional support)

Application Instructions: Apply using the PATCH Internship application https://tinyurl.com/wwrh38z4 OR via a short video answering the questions required in application questions. Applications need to be completed by December 11th. Interviews will take place in person or virtually sometime between January 3rd – 12th.

Note on modality/pay: A lot of the work of a PATCH Intern would be hybrid. The intern would have a weekly check in (in person or virtually) with the intern supervisor on either Tuesday or Thursday where they will collaboratively identify weekly tasks and are given guidance and feedback about performance. We have a casual friendly space and encourage questions, but much of the work will likely be independent at dates and times that work for the intern. That said, they are welcome to work out a schedule that allows them to work regularly alongside the PATCH Site Coordinator, if they desire, to further their relationship and receive encouragement and support on both a personal and professional level. The intern is welcome to do work both in and out of the office as schedules allow and depending on any particular needs each week. Together they will work with the Site Coordinator (Jay, their supervisor) to develop a regular weekly work schedule (with room for flexibility). The Site Coordinator is also supported by two additional supervisors who can help provide support and guidance as needed. This position is unpaid.

Planned Parenthood of WI - Data Project

Organization description: This internship works with the Education arm of Planned Parenthood of WI (it is not a clinical position).

Job Description: Data (including both numbers and narratives) from patients, staff, and other community stakeholders will be used to identify potential gaps in programs and services in eight Wisconsin communities surrounding PPWI health centers. By layering various types and levels of data — such as patient demographics, community demographics, and disaggregated community health outcomes — differences in who needs sexual and reproductive health services and who receives these services become more apparent. These disparities along with community input around preferences, desires, and needs provides an important direction for how best to focus community education and outreach efforts, including how to create more accessible opportunities for individuals and organizations to connect with our sexual and reproductive health care services and sex education programs.

More specifically, this project will entail gathering data from secondary data sources (such as WI DHS and the US Census), requesting internal agency data from across PPWI departments, disaggregating data across key demographic groups (such as race, gender, and age) and making comparisons. Once gaps have been identified between populations who may benefit from PPWI programs and services and those who are receiving them, follow-up will include creating strategies for visualizing and monitoring this data over time as well as planning for additional qualitative data collection, including key stakeholder interviews and community focus groups to inform how best to increase and improve programs and services, which will take place later next year.

Supervisors: Meghan Benson, Director of Education, Planned Parenthood of WI

Application Instructions: Please send a cover letter and resume to Meghan Benson, at Meghan.Benson@ppwi.org

Survivor Services and Support

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End Domestic Abuse WI

Organization description: End Domestic Abuse WI envisions communities fully engaged to provide safety and to give a voice to all affected by domestic abuse, while creating the social change necessary to address its root causes. We honor the wisdom and strength of domestic abuse survivors across the lifespan. Our mission is achievable through survivor-centered work that includes strategic partnerships and collaboration. As advocates for social justice, we embrace the voices of diverse communities.

Job Description:This internship is ideal for a self-driven, detail-oriented thinker with strong research and communication skills, and someone who is passionate about dismantling policies, statutes, and practices that maintain and perpetuate cis-hetero, white supremacist, settler colonialist, capitalist patriarchy in our communities. This internship will focus on identifying policies and frameworks in Wisconsin systems (e.g. child welfare/juvenile justice, education, reproductive and/or mental healthcare), and in identifying potential alternatives that would engender transformative approaches to safety, accountability, healing, and justice. A successful intern will leave with a stronger understanding of intersectional oppression and generational trauma, and how historically exploited and marginalized survivors of domestic/sexual violence might experience compounding traumas in systems.

The intern’s research will be independent and augmentative to the work End Abuse’s Prevention and Engagement team does on an ongoing basis. Staff on this team work with colleagues at the WI Dept. of Children and Families and the WI Dept. of Justice, and advocate for survivor-centered policy change on multi-disciplinary task forces and work groups, including in legal and housing systems.

Supervisor: Tegan Swanson, Systems Change Coordinator, tegans@endabusewi.org and Jenna Gormal, jennag@endabusewi.org

Application information: A resume and a cover letter identifying their understanding of and/or experience with the intersections of domestic/sexual violence, systems of oppression, and advocacy.

Note on modality/pay: This position is primarily remote, but there are opportunities for in person work given the intern’s level of comfort/interest.

Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS)

Waiting to hear back from this organization. Stay tuned, and look elsewhere.

YWCA Madison

Waiting to hear back from this organization. Stay tuned, and look elsewhere.

Next Steps

Timeline

The goal is to have interviews completed by early to mid January with internships secured before the start of the semester in January. Please get in touch with Susan if this goal feels out of reach.

Letters to Future Interns

Read the letters, words of wisdom, advice, and support that recent GWS 660 alums wrote for us to share with future internship cohorts. Hear how they were challenged and rewarded in the course, how they seized the opportunity, and what they learned in the program.

Letters to a Future Intern 2017

Letters to a Future Intern 2018

Letters to a Future Intern 2019

Letter to a Future Intern 2021 no. 1

Letter to a Future Intern 2021 no. 2