The SouthWest Organizing project has hosted summer programming for over a decade. We believe youth are the solution, and have a voice that should be valued! We will be paying youth a liveable wage to spend a summer immersed in community organizing.
THIS IS OUR ONE AND ONLY APPLICATION
The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 17th. Youth between ages 14-20 are welcomed to apply. We are offering $15-17/hr depending on your program area for up to 15 hours a week. Applicants will be able to indicate which work area they are interested in below. All programs will begin the first week of June and end on or before the last week of July.
Youth Organizing 101:
This summer internship will explore community organizing strategies, and movements within our community. Youth will create community engagement tools, and improve SWOP campus. Participants will learn skills necessary to be a well rounded community organizer. This includes leadership development such as; public speaking, facilitation/mediation, event planning, media creation, mental health first aid and beyond. Youth will also explore art, cultura and have space to envision what a youth-led future looks like!
Contact: Amanda@swop.net
Youth Justice:
The New Mexico Youth Justice Coalition is a coalition of young people, families, allies, and community members whose lives have been directly impacted by the Juvenile Justice System. We work to build safe communities that don’t rely on prisons to address our needs! NMYJC is looking for people 14-19 years old who have personal experience or have been directly impacted by the juvenile/adult justice systems, foster care/child-welfare system or any institutionalized facility. This summer, we will focus on leadership & professional development, campaign strategizing, and creating space in community for us young people to actively and truthfully participate in decisions that affect our everyday lives and future generations. We want to reinvest in effective community-based alternatives & implement relevant programming identified and led by youth!
Contact: Citlalli@swop.net & Darla@swop.net
Con Mujeres Feminist Youth Camp:
SWOP’s NM Con Mujeres Gender Justice is looking for youth 16-20 who are open minded, curious, and excited to get involved with their community. Framed from a Grassroots feminism's perspective, our program is rooted in the realities and interests of women, LGBTQ+, and gender non-conforming people. We will be developing advocacy programming for health care access through education and direct action. We will focus on abortion rights and the way New Mexico can support the importance of it being an essential part of women’s health care.
Contact: Yahaira@swop.net
Environmental Justice Internship:
The Environmental Justice program will explore SWOP’s EJ history in New Mexico, and the broader EJ history globally. The goal of the EJ Internship Program is to equip young people with knowledge and confidence to teach and lead others in Environmental Justice movement issues. During this internship youth will learn about the health and socio-economic impacts to frontline communities due to environmental injustices. Youth will participate in project learning by; making health impact arte, doing citizen science with Geiger counters, learn to do proper research, and spend time in the outdoor spaces NM has to offer doing clean up’s and walk and talks.
Youth will also participate in the larger youth program which has workshops in almost all SWOP work areas.
Contact: Alheli@swop.net
Thank you so much for expressing interest in our summer internships! Call backs and interviews will be conducted shortly after the application deadline. All programs will begin the first week of June. Call Amanda Gallegos 505-328-9741 for any questions or concerns.