Hi y’all–
It’s me, Kiera Solomon! I’m so excited
to post this blog because that means I am just finishing up my second week at the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
As aforementioned, the Brady Campaign is an organization that works towards creating a safer tomorrow by cutting down the amount of deaths due to gun violence. We use a several different strategies to try and accomplish our mission but we focus on mainly attempting to change the culture around guns as well as change gun policy. The organization is located in the Northeast part of Washington D.C. near Union Station. The site is quite small, which makes the atmosphere very inclusive and friendly.
Most of my internship responsibilities have been assisting the Brady Campaign’s organizing team with their activities. But more specifically, I have been the organizing point person for the Brady Campaign’s parade float for the Capital Gay Pride Parade! I am incredibly excited to be given this opportunity since it allows me to truly understand the importance of organizing outreach and time management (plus it gives me an excuse to constantly be searching the PartyCity website!!).
Finding and obtaining internships can be VERY intimidating as an undergraduate student. I found my internship by simply doing a Google search regarding organizations that supported causes that I felt passionate about. I think the biggest tip for other students who are looking for an internship is that they need to not limit their searches to only one specific area of focus. I knew that I wanted to intern this summer with a group that supports a social cause I believe in that I know will make a difference in other people’s lives. In order to reach this goal, I had to look into several different movements that I felt were important. I also had to be very open with location and paid/unpaid jobs. I think being open and making sure that your search is wide enables intern candidates to see as many opportunities as possible.
As I’ve said previously, my first two weeks have been great!! The office is fairly small so it is nice to refer to people by their first names and recognize everyone’s faces. Our first day was a shortened day; we had a tour, shown some of the basic intern tasks and then introduced to the team. But since then staffers have been assigning us projects and utilizing our abilities to the fullest. I’ve really enjoyed being at this office because of the appreciation and respect that the staffers have shown us. No project, no matter how small, ever seems to go unnoticed and is never unappreciated.
It’s hard to even expect all that I will learn about this summer! This internship seems to change every day so I look forward to learning a variety of new skills. The most definite thing that I am going to learn is the inner-workings of advocacy groups and non-profit organizations. Although I thought I had a good understanding of them before, I suspect that this internship will also allow me to see the intricacies that arise in the non-profit world!
Well that’s all for now.
Stay tuned!
Kiera Solomon