Join our Volunteer Corps! Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA)’s Volunteer Corps is a group of members who want to be more actively involved in our work. Many of our members might want to participate more actively, but may not know what is needed when, nor how to indicate their interest.

That is where the Volunteer Corps comes in.

When you join the Volunteer Corps, you are indicating an interest in being more actively involved and hands-on in working for peace. Joining the corps does not commit you to anything specifically. It merely tells us that you are interested in being involved in a more active way.

The kinds of activities you could help us with through the Volunteer Corps:

    1. Participating in “tabling” for a few hours at one or more of about a dozen summer festivals – talking to people, handing out brochures, asking people to sign petitions, and so on.
    2. Helping set up and clean after events, as well as bringing food and drinks to these events.
    3. Joining a “letter-to-the-editor” writing group.
    4. Helping with office work. This includes folding papers, stuffing envelopes, and entering data.
    5. Participating in organized phone banks.

To apply to the Volunteer Corps, click here!

Internships with Mass. Peace Action

Become an Intern! Massachusetts Peace Action works with many interns from local colleges and universities that bring a uniquely young perspective to the peace movement. If you are a student and would like to work for the cause of peace, being a Massachusetts Peace Action intern is for you!

The time commitment is at least 10 hours a week for at least 10 weeks.  The internship is unpaid, but a $750 stipend is awarded on completion.   Our office is located near Harvard Square, Cambridge.   The internship experience works best for those that have flexible schedules and, while setting a regular schedule of hours in the office, can also sometimes attend evening and weekend programs and meetings.

Usual schedules:  Fall term – September to December; Spring term – February to May; Summer term – May to August each year.   Start and end dates are flexible as long as the time commitment is met.

Campaign Intern

Each campaign intern specializes in one of our four priority campaigns:

Gaza Israel Peace Campaign – organizes for a Ceasefire Now in Gaza, against US military aid to Israel, to end the occupation, and equal political and human rights for both Israelis and Palestinians

Ukraine: A Time for Peace – organizes to end the bloodshed in Ukraine through a ceasefire and negotiated settlements, and opposing sending U.S. military weapons into the conflict

Twin Existential Threats of nuclear war and climate change – links the two existential threats to humanity and organizes against both of them together

Fund the People, Not the Pentagon seeks to involve movements and organizations for economic, racial and social justice in efforts to cut the Pentagon budget and redirect funds to needs of ordinary people.

The intern will join a campaign organizing group in their area and participate in planning, publicity, communications, organizing and advocacy within that area.

Legislative Intern:

* Attend lobby meetings with Congresspeople and state representatives or their staffs on our legislative agenda

* Update our Legislative Scorecards to reflect current legislation, sponsorship and vote results

* Write updates for our supporters on the legislative agenda; post updates on social media

* Contact legislative office staff to communicate about our issues

* Contact Peace Action supporters who are constituents and ask them to contact legislative offices or attend delegations

* If an election campaign is ongoing, contact candidates about the issues

* Join issue-specific working groups to brainstorm solutions to global and local problems with issue experts

* Work with other staff members to communicate legislative initiatives to our supporters

Media Intern:

* Post regularly to social media about Peace Action’s projects, events, issues, and ideas.

* Write e-alerts and keep web content updated. Photograph events and produce videos

* Write or edit news releases and articles about Peace Action projects

* Co-edit an issue of our newsletter

* Scan mainstream media coverage of our issues and write letters to the editor

* Contact media outlets to cover events and/or run our articles and releases

* Create compelling digital content that supports our website, email, and social campaign efforts.

* Help us strengthen our image and reposition our message across all digital channels

* Graphic design

* Create impactful campaign videos

* Optimize our WordPress site by creating and configuring new functionality

* Solve technical problems that may require HTML or CSS coding

* Evaluate our site usage patterns using analytics to draw conclusions about usage patterns

Organizing / Fundraising Intern:

* Keep track of the master list of donors and prospective donors

* Work with board members to track their outreach to donors and assist them

* Call donors and schedule appointments for board member visits

* Assist in organizing fundraising events

* Assist in keeping track of grant opportunities and in developing proposals

* Organize a Peace Action club at your college or high school

    – Identify students interested in your initiative

    – Register the club as an official campus organization

    – Schedule, organize and hold meetings to develop members’ engagement and make plans

    – Lead the club to organize events and campaigns on your campus – participate in Massachusetts Peace Action campaigns or create your own!

* Design and circulate promotional materials

* Build relationships with other community activists, like minded organizations, and Peace Action working groups

* Use social media to advance your campaign

 

All interns will:

* Work with Office staff and other interns

* Join at least one issue-specific working group to learn more about the issue and contribute to the conversation

* Assist with outreach tabling, mailings, data entry, vigils and rallies, and general office tasks as needed

* Attend, assist and learn at MAPA sponsored events

* Read a book on one of our issues, and report on it during the term

 

You must demonstrate:

* Commitment to grassroots organizing for progressive social change

* Understanding of the global and domestic effects of U.S. militarism

* Strong writing, analytical and interpersonal skills

* Desire to work as part of a small team in a grassroots setting

* Good interpersonal skills

* Schedule flexibility to attend events on nights, weekends, holidays

* Social media savvy (a plus, but not required)

 

Course Credit:

We can help you do an internship that is part of a course that receives college credit. Please make that clear and be sure to provide us with information on all the relevant requirements.

 

To apply, please submit a brief cover letter, resume, and short sample of your writing or (for communications) creative work to Cole Harrison, Executive Director (cole@masspeaceaction.org). Include in your cover letter an explanation of how you fit into the peace movement and identify which specialty you prefer. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.