Internships » Political Science/Public Service
Recent Examples:
Access Living
Access Living is a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities. Access Living fosters the dignity, pride and self-esteem of people with disabilities and enhances the options available to them so they may choose and maintain individualized and satisfying lifestyles. To this end, Access Living offers peer-oriented independent living services; public education, awareness and development; individualized and systemic advocacy; and enforcement of civil rights on behalf of people with disabilities. Access Living recognizes the innate rights, abilities, needs and diversity of people with disabilities, works toward their full integration into community life and serves as an agent of social change.www.accessliving.org
Amnesty International, USA
We are people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights. Our purpose is to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. We investigate and expose abuses, educate and mobilize the public, and help transform societies to create a safer, more just world.www.amnestyusa.org
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) is the only national membership-driven, chapter-based grassroots organization dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment in the United States. We have active chapters in cities and campuses across the country — from Berkeley, California, to Austin, Texas to Chicago, Illinois. We work hand in hand with those who have experienced the horrors of death row firsthand–death row prisoners themselves their family members–and work to ensure that their voices are at the forefront of our movement.nodeathpenalty.org
Center for Conflict Resolution
The Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) is one of the nation’s premiere not-for-profit providers of mediation services and conflict management training. Our services are flexible and cost-effective, based on a track record of over 31,000 mediated cases and backed by the expertise of knowledgeable, dedicated volunteers and employees. The Center for Conflict Resolution’s mission is to work with individuals, communities, courts and other institutions to manage and resolve conflict.www.ccrchicago.org
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Since 1980, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) has had a clear mission: We organize and advocate to prevent and end homelessness because we believe housing is a human right in a just society.www.chicagohomeless.org
Cook County Public Defenders Association
The mission of the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender (CCPD) is to protect the rights, liberties and dignity of each person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation. Our clients are accused of offenses ranging from traffic and misdemeanor charges to capital murder. The Office was established in 1930 and defends poor people in the largest unified court system in the world.cookcountypd.org
Designs for Change
Designs for Change (DFC) is a 32-year-old, multi-racial, educational research and reform organization. Our basic mission is to serve as a catalyst for major improvements in the public schools serving the 50 largest cities in the country, with a particular emphasis on Chicago. Designs for Change is unique in the nation in combining high-quality applied research and policy analysis with direct involvement in aiding reform.www.designsforchange.org
Independent Police Review Authority – Chicago
IPRA is directly responsible for conducting investigations into allegations of the use of excessive force, police shootings where an officer discharges his/her weapon and strikes someone, deaths in custody, domestic violence, verbal abuse including bias and coercion. IPRA also investigates allegations of off-duty misconduct relating to excessive force and weapon discharge incidents. IPRA is charged with the mission of maintaining the highest level of integrity while conducting objective, thorough investigations, striving to reach a sound and just conclusion. www.iprachicago.org
Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries
Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries creates opportunities for refugees fleeing war, terror and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance.www.irim.org
Lawyers Committee for Better Housing
LCBH believes that all persons have a right to safe, decent, and affordable housing on a non-discriminatory basis. LCBH promotes the availability of and access to such housing and support low and moderate-income households in Chicago through legal representation, individual and public advocacy, supportive social services and education.www.lcbh.org
People for Community Recovery
PCR educates, advocates policy and programs in an effort to coordinate local residents on issues of the environment, health, housing, neighborhood safety and economic equity.www.geology.wisc.edu/~wang/EJBaldwin/PCR
Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization
P.E.R.R.O is a grassroots community group of Pilsen residents that formed in 2004 to fight the disproportionate amount of pollution in the Pilsen neighborhood. PERRO believes all people have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment, regardless of their race and class. Its mission is to spread awareness about this concept of environmental justice and make Pilsen a healthier place to live, work, and raise children.www.pilsenperro.org