jasperconner July 21st, 2010
The Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards are currently accepting applications for short term and long term interns to join the fight against mountain top removal mining in our area. Interns spend their time working on various projects, from talking with neighbors about how we can keep coal dust from blanketing the community, to attending community meetings on building a sustainable and just economy, to fighting the Ison Rock Ridge permit that currently threatens Appalachia, Andover, Arno, Derby, and Inman. Interns also find ways to bring their unique skills into local projects like web design, grant writing, and knowledge of labor history, geography, biology, etc. You can check out the current and planned campaign work here at the website of the RReNEW Collective, a group of young people that supports the work of SAMS.
Community organizing is all about building strong relationships, so SAMS is most excited about taking on interns who can make long term commitments (6 months and longer) but we can put people to work on specific short term projects as well. Many SAMS interns come from across the state, but we also have interns that were born and raised here. We aren’t experts, and we aren’t holding out for any either. We’re glad to teach you what you need to know to be an effective part of this campaign to end surface mining.
In looking for interns, we want to prioritize people from coal counties, Appalachia, and Appalachian states. People who grew up in the region have a more intimate understanding of the culture and history which is always important when doing community organizing.
Intern positions are, for now, unpaid. We can provide free housing and food for interns that aren’t already living around here. We can also reimburse interns for many expenses such as travel and supplies. We are always in the process of finding intern stipends because we know most interns will still have to pay bills and debts while they spend their time in the movement.
We, like so many other small groups, are funded almost entirely through grassroots fundraising so if you can’t intern you should consider throwing us a fundraiser in your community so that we can better support our interns.
Some specific internships that are open are:
Student Organizing Intern – working with local highschool students and regional college students to bring Appalachian youth into the movement against MTR. Interns in this program should be able to stay for a minimum of an entire semester, but interns who can spend an entire school year are strongly encouraged to apply.
Dust Campaign Intern – working closely with SAMS members in their fight to control the coal dust blanketing their communities. This work involves supporting communities to develop community based water and dust monitoring systems, pressuring regulatory agencies, and much more.
Sustainable Economic Development Intern – working with local working people and small business owners to promote a sustainable economy that is good for workers and communities in Appalachia.
Ison Rock Ridge Intern – working on the, thus far successful, campaign to protect Ison Rock Ridge from being destroyed. This campaign is in a crucial stage right now.
Fundraising Intern – Grassroots organizing takes money, help fund the work of SAMS and RReNEW and learn important skills for sustaining environmental justice organizing.
We’re always open to finding ways to put your skills to use in our campaigns, so apply even if you don’t see how you could immediately fit in.
If you are interested in an internship, or have any questions, please contact the RReNEW Collective at rrenew.collective@gmail.com. The RReNEW Collective is a group of folks who support the work of SAMS in a variety of way, particularly by coordinating the internship process. The RReNEW Collective also runs the intern house.
You can also fill out an application.
