Office of Government Relations

Internship Program

The Office of Government Relations is looking to hire four passionate, driven, hardworking interns for the 2022-2023 school year. This opportunity will allow you to play an active role in the political representation and legislative agenda of the UW community. An extensive background in policy lobbying, and politics is not required as there still positions that can apply to your interests! 

OGR interns will participate in achieving this goal by bringing unique perspectives and a shared drive for legislative advocacy and student issues. Additionally, OGR interns are expected to expand the capabilities of the office, through establishing new initiatives and refining old ones. Lastly, OGR interns must be willing to work as a team on dynamic projects and be open to diverse perspectives to ensure equitable outcomes.

Hours may increase when we host large events and may decrease following said events. All interns will be asked to meet with OGR staff on a weekly basis. We will be working closely with our interns and volunteers to make sure that this is a productive and valuable experience. Through networking, guidance, skill-building trainings, and a desire for you to succeed and learn, the OGR staff will ensure that your internship is a worthwhile endeavor. 

Note: Applications for the 2023-2024 school year are closed. We will be posting new listings for our 2024-2025 interns in September or October of 2024. Please stay tuned on our social media channels to find updates for this year’s interns!

If you have any questions please reach out to Maya Matta (OGR Community Organizer) at asuwogrc@uw.edu

General Responsibilities

Title: Office of Government Relations Intern

Time Commitment: 3-5 hours weekly for 2-3 quarters

Desired Skills & Attributes

  • Flexible when it comes to meeting the objectives of the office as needs change
  • Drive to empowering students to participate in legislative affairs while actively considering diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Willingness to be creative in event planning, organizing, outreach, and other processes aimed at improving the office’s work with the student body
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a willingness to learn and teach others in shared responsibilities

Communications Intern

Purpose:

The OGR planning intern is responsible for supporting the operation of the office’s digital outreach. This includes maintaining the office’s current presence by creating content, posting on social media, and updating the website and being creative about how to expand OGR’s digital presence.

Duties: 

  • Assist with the development of an OGR newsletter or information page to inform students of upcoming opportunities to engage. 
  • Create marketing materials and content on our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Website, etc.) to increase the office’s outreach. 
  • Work with OGR staff to develop communication strategies that reach all UW community members in an effective, organized, and equitable manner
  • Coordinate with the Student Disability Commission and other relevant entities to ensure that OGR’s digital outreach remains accessible and equitable

Desired Skills & Attributes:

  • Comfortable writing professional yet accessible messaging that will be read by students and the public
  • Experience with or interest in graphic design
  • Creative and willing to share those creative ideas
  • Confidence and savvy with social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, etc)

Programming Intern

Purpose:

The OGR Programming intern is responsible for aiding the development of programming to connect students with the legislative process. The Programming intern will collaborate closely with the Assistant Director to brainstorm, plan, and execute events to reach different communities on campus. 

Duties: 

  • Assist the Assistant Director in planning Legislative Reception, Huskies on the Hill (Lobby Day), and other events as needed. Event planning would include help with logistics, set up, recruitment, budgeting, advertising, and volunteer coordination. 
  • Work with the Assistant Director, Community Organizer, and Organizing Intern to plan events that fill the needs of communities and improve the outreach of OGR
  • Collaborate with the Student Disability Commission and other student commissions to make  OGR programming accessible and equitable

Desired Skills & Attributes:

  • Well-organized and detail-oriented
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Experience with or interest in event planning;
  • Understanding of accessibility and inclusion in the context of event planning and programming;
  • Creative and willing to share those creative ideas; and
  • A demonstrated experience or shown passion for organizing and advocacy.

Policy Intern

Purpose:

The OGR Policy intern specializes in assisting with the lobbying efforts of the OGR; conducting research, crafting one-pagers on student issues, and coordinating with OGR staff to collect testimonies and student voices. 

Duties: 

  • Work with the Director of Legislative Affairs, Community Organizer, and Organizing intern to research topics in relation to the Legislative Agenda and campus issues.
  • Assist with the creation of one-pagers to be read by Local, State, and Federal Legislators and their staff.
  • Assist the DOLA and Community Organizer in outreach and testimony gathering and preparation. 

Desired Skills & Attributes:

  • Good critical reading and writing skills; 
  • Knowledge (or willingness to learn) of governmental issues that impact students and our community;
  • Understanding of diversity and inclusion in the context of community engagement around policy issues; and
  • A demonstrated experience or shown passion for organizing and advocacy.

Outreach Intern

Purpose: 

The Organizing Intern is responsible for supporting the office’s non-digital outreach. This work entails strategic outreach planning with the Community Organizer while being conscious of which students are being represented and which are not. This work also entails working on campaigns and interacting with student groups. 

Duties: 

  • Assist the Community Organizer in organizing students on- and off-campus regarding various issues pertaining to higher education and the student experience.
  • Assist in the planning, organization, and execution of volunteer recruitment and activities ranging from voter registration, Get Out The Vote, event planning, and legislative actions.
  • Engage in outreach to various students groups to ensure our activities represent the interests of as many students as possible.
  • Coordinate with the Student Disability Commission and other relevant entities to ensure that the office’s outreach remains accessible and equitable.

Desired Skills & Attributes:

  • Good critical reading and writing skills;
  • Knowledge (or willingness to learn) of state and local issues that impact students and our community;
  • Understanding of diversity and inclusion in the context of community engagement; and
  • A demonstrated experience or shown passion for organizing and advocacy.