Title: Event Intern
Location: New York, NY 10001
Type: Internship
Supervisor: Event Manager
Last Day to Apply: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

The Drug Policy Alliance has an immediate opening for an Event Intern.

Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization of people who believe the war on drugs is doing more harm than good.  In its vision of the future, individuals will not be punished simply for what they put into their bodies, only for harm done to others.  DPA fights for drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights and seeks to promote dialogue on cutting-edge drug policy issues around the country. Its work spans issues from ending marijuana prohibition and promoting more honest and effective drug education to reducing the many harms of drug use and drug laws.  DPA works to ensure that our nation’s drug policies no longer arrest, incarcerate, disenfranchise and otherwise harm millions of nonviolent people, especially people of color.

DPA’s work encompasses a wide array of policy issues, including:

• Sentencing reform and alternatives to incarceration
• Harm reduction (HIV, hepatitis C and overdose prevention)
• Marijuana regulation, marijuana decriminalization and medical marijuana
• Drug education and youth policy
• Race and the drug war
• Effective drug treatment
• Civil liberties and rights
• International drug control
• Alternatives to prohibition and pragmatic steps for ending the drug war

In the last 14 years, DPA has expanded from its New York headquarters to include eight offices, 55 staff, an annual operating budget of approximately $10 million, 26,000 dues-paying members and more than 200,000 online subscribers.  It has a solid track record of success at the local, state, and federal levels and consistent visibility in prominent media and policy circles.  (For more information, see www.drugpolicy.org)

Primary Responsibilities

The Event Intern will work closely with the Event Manager and Communications Associate to help coordinate staff events and the Drug Policy Alliance-hosted biennial International Drug Policy Reform Conference, which gathers organizations from across the movement to debate and discuss the current state of drug policy reform.

The Spring / Summer 2013 Event Intern will have three main work areas: event promotion for the 2013 Reform Conference (set for October 23-26, 2013), its corresponding Awards Dinner, and the DPA Staff Retreat (set for July 15-18, 2013).  Throughout all three work areas the Event Intern will take a lead role in outreach and follow up to DPA members, Award nominees, event attendees, and partner drug policy reform groups.

• Take a lead role in email outreach to drug policy groups around the country to sign them on as Reform Conference partners
• Follow-up with all confirmed conference partners to ensure they are marketing the conference to others
• Respond to requests for support and information about the Reform Conference from DPA staff, members, and the public
• Coordinate the event logistics of the Awards Dinner including playing a key role in the awards nomination process
• Provide general and administrative support to the department
• Other projects as assigned

Based in DPA's New York City headquarters, the Event Intern will be part of DPA's Communications team and report to the Event Manager.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills in email and over the phone
• Strong computer skills, especially formulating letters and building Excel spreadsheets
• The ideal intern will be highly organized, detail-oriented, have a good sense of humor, and be able to work with minimal supervision.  
• Bachelor’s degree and/or 1-2 years events-related experience preferred
• Graduate students enrolled in programs for hospitality & tourism, social science, communications or related fields strongly encouraged to apply

This internship is an excellent opportunity to learn both general event planning skills and the broad landscape of the drug policy reform movement as well as become intimately involved in the development and execution of the 2013 Reform Conference.  The start date and ending dates are flexible given school schedules, but preferably the internship will run from mid-May through mid-August.  Extending the internship through November is a possibility.

Compensation

This is an unpaid internship, although we are happy to work with students to obtain credit toward their coursework. A local transit stipend can be provided if necessary.

Deadline

Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and resume to Melissa Franqui, Communications Associate, at mfranqui [at] drugpolicy [dot] org

A follow up phone call will be made if an interview is requested.  Start date will be in mid-May or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Drug Policy Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are particularly interested in hiring those who have been adversely affected by the war on drugs.

Note: Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.