Community Engagement and Organizing Intern

Right now, the St. Paul community has the opportunity to weigh in on a proposed cleanup plan for Area C, a toxic riverfront waste dump owned by Ford Motor Company. This dumpsite has sat on the Mississippi River floodplain for over 80 years. This winter, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be considering cleanup options. We want to make sure that the community’s desire to hold a corporate polluter responsible for its mess is clearly heard. 

FMR is planning an extensive schedule of outreach activities this fall to raise awareness about this important issue and encourage community members to get involved. The intern will help plan and carry out community presentations, tours and other outreach. Audiences will include college student groups as well as the broader public.  
 
This position is right for an outgoing, organized candidate who wants to deepen their skills in environmental policy, community outreach and organizing, and project coordination. Each week will include a mix of "office" tasks such as meetings, event preparation, and communications projects as well as community-facing presentations and tours. 
 
Interns are valued members of the FMR staff team and are encouraged to participate in staff meetings, social gatherings and organizational events as their schedule allows. 
 
The intern will work closely with and be mentored by FMR staff, and will have opportunities for informational interviews with additional staff from across the organization. We prioritize keeping in touch with and supporting our interns even after their internship is over. 

Responsibilities 

• Educate community members about river issues and encourage their participation. This may include giving presentations, assisting with tours, tabling at community events, etc. 
• Assist with planning tasks such as creating educational materials, organizing event supplies, managing event registration, etc. 
• Participate in FMR staff meetings and gatherings.

Required abilities and qualifications 

• Outgoing: comfortable starting conversations with new people, enjoys educating and learning from others 
• Reliable: arrives at meetings and events on time, completes tasks as assigned 
• Organized: consistently and accurately prepares event materials and processes registration forms 
• Comfortable interacting with a diverse range of community members 
• Clear written and spoken communication skills 
• Ability to learn and use technology programs and platforms including Eventbrite, Microsoft, and Google products (training provided) 

We encourage interested applicants from all backgrounds to apply.  

Additional requirements 

• Tuesday or Wednesday daytime availability for three in-person office hours per week (see schedule details below) 
• Reliable transportation to the FMR office and other various locations within Minneapolis and St. Paul, primarily in St. Paul. Transit, bike, car, or car-sharing should all be sufficient modes to reach the locations the intern will be visiting. 
• Ability to work in a range of indoor and outdoor community settings, including parks, community festivals and events, etc.  

Compensation 

The intern will be paid a (pre-tax) stipend of $1500 for about 12 weeks of work totaling approximately 80-90 hours. 

Schedule 

Start and end date: September 17 – December 12, 2024 (dates are somewhat flexible) 
 
Hours: Average of 6-8 hours per week 
 
Schedule: The intern will have about three hours of in-person weekday daytime time per week at our office near downtown St. Paul. Tuesday or Wednesday daytime availability for these in-person office hours is required. 

The remainder of the time will be spent at community events and meetings, both indoors and outdoors. The schedule for these events will vary (and will include some evenings and weekends) but will be planned well in advance. 

We will work together with the intern to design a schedule that accommodates the intern’s other employment, classes and commitments.