Internships

Action for a Change Internship Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

40 years ago, college students started CoPIRG to fight for the public interest when powerful special interests threatened our health, environment, economy and our democracy. Since then, CoPIRG student leaders have led campaigns to bring light-rail to Denver, stop hog farms from polluting our streams and rivers, ban smoking in bars and restaurants, recall tens of thousands of dangerous toys from our store shelves, require more transparency in our marketplace and government, break down barriers to voting for young people, expose corporate polluters, set high ethics standards for our state legislators, pass tough clear air and renewable energy standards, increase food safety standards, increase access to quality health care, and fight against big money in politics. 

Despite our success, Colorado still has more problems than we deserve and more solutions than we use. That’s why CoPIRG has big goals over the next 3 years from building high-speed rail along the Front Range and along I-70, increasing energy efficiency standards, improving health care, increasing youth voter turnout, getting big money out of politics, protecting consumers against scams and consumer rip-offs, ending subsides to junk food ingredients, closing corporate tax loopholes, developing an effective strategy to end hunger and homelessness and increasing energy conservation through service and education. 

CoPIRG is currently looking for the next team of CoPIRG interns to fight for the public interest on these issues and more. CoPIRG’s Action for a Change Internship offers an excellent opportunity to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world, gaining valuable skills, meeting new people, making a difference in your community and opening doors to future employment. Interns learn key skills from organizing and recruitment, to lobbying and working with the media, as well as coalition building and nonprofit fundraising. Though this internship is unpaid, in many cases students are able to get course credit for working 10-12 hours per week and it looks great on a resume. 

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Legislative Internship - Work with our professional staff to research, write and introduce a bill or policy; lobby our decision makers; and help organize and run a campaign to pass the policy. 

Grassroots Organizing Internship - Learn to develop a campaign, educate and mobilize the key constituencies, stakeholders, and the general public.

Communications Internship - Learn to work with traditional and new online media outlets, use social networking, hold press conferences, and develop materials for outreach on various campaigns.

Research Internship - Work with our professional staff to identify a specific public interest issue within CoPIRG’s scope and complete a research report on the issue.  

Hunger and Homelessness Internship - Focus your energy locally to alleviate hunger and homelessness within your community while learning valuable skills

Consumer Action Program - Work with our professional staff to produce information, tips and guidelines that help consumers save money and avoid being ripped off.

Energy Service Corps - Apply to be an AmeriCorps member on campus. Work to create a culture shift in the way we use energy through teaching kids about energy conservation and working with community members to reduce their energy use at their homes.