Internships

+++ We are still looking for interns to join us on-site in Cologne starting immediately+++

Democracy International welcomes interns, from Germany or elsewhere, year-round. We aim to make our internships an enriching and hands-on experience. If you’re a student with an interest in direct democracy and citizen participation, we would love to hear from you!

Our interns generally support Democracy International’s activities in a range of fields, from public relations, to events and specific campaigns. To give you a better overview of what to expect of an internship with us, we have listed some examples of what our interns can work on.

In assistance of Democracy International’s overall work, interns support our communications by researching important developments on direct democracy around the world and writing content for our newsletter, website or social media.  Interns also help research fundraising opportunities and draft grant applications. Interns can also be asked to assist with translations (mostly in English, German and French) or the updating and maintaining of contact lists.

Interns can support our ongoing campaigns by effecting research ahead of campaigns, assisting in drafting campaign texts and social media materials and with logistical assistance ahead of actions. In our European Programme and Youth Programme, we have several ongoing projects that are regularly supported by our interns, such as the Democracy Camp.

For the Democracy Camp, our interns help with the logistical preparation and the promotion of the Camp, but they can also join the Camp and meet other young changemakers. The tasks of interns who participate in the Camp can include helping managing social media and assisting with video and photo recording efforts. After each event, we publish a report, pictures and videos online. Interns can help process these materials, by for example selecting and publishing pictures, assisting with video editing or writing blog posts on events. The results of each tour are published in a final report, for which interns can be asked to help analyse and compile the results.

For our International Democracy Community, interns can help with research, promotion and management of the platform. They can also assist with editorial tasks, supporting activists who want to publish an article on the platform – actively researching and reaching out to possible candidates, communicating guidelines for pieces and following up.

We are currently looking for interns with a specific profile for the following projects:

Fundraising and Youth Programme intern

Starting immediately. For 3 to 6 months. This is an on-site internship.

• Identifying fundraising opportunties and open calls with EU institutions and foundations
• Authoring project proposals developed together with the other departments
• Drafting email fundraisers
• Assisting in the logistical, programme and PR preparations of the Democracy Camp, the search for participants and the reporting phase
• Various support tasks related to other youth and discussion projects, like Art of Fundamental Rights or the European Public Sphere

Contact: hardt@democracy-international.org

Social Media Intern:

From February 2025. For 2 or 6 months. This is an on-site internship.

• Managing Democracy International's social media accounts
• Creating content for social media, assisting the team in coming up with creative ideas to promote our issues and campaigns
• Reporting on events and activities
• Monitoring and compiling the most important developments related to direct democracy and citizen participation around the world.
• Writing articles and blog posts on direct democracy and citizen participation topics around the world

Contact: proskurina@democracy-international.org

Global Programme Intern

As the international programme intern you'll get to work on projects that connect democracy activists across borders, put the spotlight on their work and enable global cooperations. Ideally, you have an interest in direct and participatory democracy mechanisms across the globe, a knack for stakeholder communications in an intercultural setting and a good sense when it comes to logistics. You'll get acquainted with inspiring projects all over the planet and get a chance to support them in promoting their work.

For this period we're especially looking for a creative person to work on developping workshop materials. If you have a talent for video editing or grapic design, that is great. German and Spanish language skills are also a plus.

Working mode: This is an on-site internship.

Timeframe: 2-6 months, From January 2025

Tasks:

• Support for our international events (EU 4 Global, Life as an Activist, Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy): Logistical support, preparing partner briefings, preparing reporting materials, assistance in developping and preparing educational toolkits (infographics, videos, animations, interactive games...)
• Support during our events in Germany on activism for democracy and sustainability
• Assistance on our global advocacy campaigns (We the Peoples): Research, compiling briefings, drafting campaign materials
• Developing PR & Campaigning materials
• Assistance on International Democracy Community: Managing platform, researching civil society organisations, writing articles.

Contact: schnee@democracy-international.org

European Programme Intern:

Looking for long-term interns (4 months or more) from September 2024. This is an on-site internship.

• Monitoring EU democracy developments with a focus on the European Citizens’ Initiative
• Support with Parliament for the Future of Europe project including preparation and reporting of events and activities
• Drafting positions, statements, and newsletter articles
• Various support tasks related to the support of the European programme including outreach and management of partner and stakeholder relationship

Contact: vancic@democracy-international.org

Volunteering programmes

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