Editor’s Note: I don’t often post internship opportunities directly to my blog, but this one seems like a fantastic opportunity. My friend, Ed Madison and one of our students, Maya Lazaro are looking for some help with a political journalism project that focuses on K-12.
Engage 2012 is journalism challenge that asks K-12 students from schools throughout the United States to create 2-minute non-fiction multimedia stories from their communities about one of six topics relating to 
the presidential election. These topics include:
- Voter Turnout
- Jobs & the Economy
- Education Reform
- Health Care
- Energy & Environment
- Immigration
We are currently in the process of securing a panel of well-known journalists and professors from journalism schools across the country to judge the entries. Winners will potentially be announced on ABCnews.com and CBS This Morning.
We are looking for public relations students from the University of Oregon to help us draft and implement a communication plan to publicize the challenge. The plan would incorporate traditional and non-traditional advertising and public relations strategies. Applicants must be self-directed and dependable, in addition to possessing strong writing skills.
This is a volunteer position and will last until January 31, 2012. It will require between 10 and 15 hours of work per week, although that will vary depending on the month. Most of the work will be done from home. Volunteers are also expected to attend project meetings from time to time.
You will not be getting paid to work on Engage 2012. However, you will gain experience in copywriting, public relations, marketing, and project management for a semi-high-profile journalism project.
You’ll also be empowering elementary, middle school, and high school students to share stories from their communities and become politically engaged on both a local and national level.
If you are interested, please send your resume or a brief description of your previous public relations experience to Maya Lazaro at mlazaro@uoregon.edu by Friday, August 24 with the subject header “Engage 2012 Volunteer.” Direct questions about the project to mlazaro@uoregon.edu.
Image credit: a4patil / 123RF Stock Photo
