Guest blogger Mickey Jackson is a senior at Catholic University and the Student Director of STAND. STAND is a partner in Enough’s Conflict-free Campus Initiative.
Are you a high school or college student with strong leadership skills and a passion for growing the anti-genocide movement? If so, I’d like to encourage you to apply for one of the many positions that are now open on STAND’s national leadership team. In case you aren’t familiar with STAND, we are a student-led organization consisting of high school and college chapters around the country, all of whom are dedicated to mobilizing their communities to prevent and stop mass atrocities. We were originally formed in response to the Darfur genocide, and the scope of our advocacy now includes ongoing atrocities in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, and Syria.
Although our locally-based chapters comprise the core of STAND’s constituency, their efforts are coordinated at the national level by a leadership team consisting entirely of student volunteers from around the country. Working together via email, conference calls, and periodic in-person meetings in DC, this dedicated team creates resources for our chapters, develops advocacy campaigns targeting key decision-makers, and works to grow our grassroots network. All leadership team members serve one-year terms that coincide with the academic year. As we near the end of the spring semester, the time has come to hire our next round of student leaders!
That’s where you come in. Regardless of your interests and skill set, there’s probably a position that’s perfect for you. If you like reading conflict analyses and policy briefs, you might be our next Education Coordinator or Policy Coordinator. If you have a knack for writing shareable Facebook posts and re-tweetable Tweets, you should check out the Social Media Specialist position. If you’re good with people and have some experience running a student group on your campus, you’ll be a terrific Regional Organizer. These are just a few of the many positions, of varying time commitments and skill levels, for which we’re hiring. Applications are due May 1 for some positions and on a rolling basis for others.
For my part, I’m currently finishing up my third (and, since I’m about to graduate, my last) year on STAND’s national leadership team. The experience has, without a doubt, proven to be one of the most valuable of my high school and college career. It gave me the opportunity to develop valuable professional skills, interact with some of the smartest and most dedicated people I’ve ever met, and, most importantly, play a role in shaping the anti-genocide movement. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, we look forward to receiving your application!