Sojourners Fellowship
The Beatitudes Society Fellow will be an integral part of the Policy and Outreach department at Sojourners, a Christian social justice organization, learning how our faith inspires us to work on current social justice issues in the political and cultural arena.
Fellowship Description:
The Sojourners’ 2010 Beatitudes Society Fellow will not only participate in all initiatives and activities of the department (including weekly all-staff lunch meetings, monthly chapel services, and bi-weekly department meetings), but will also have the opportunity to explore issues of personal interest and gifting. She or he will work in an ecumenical work environment, with writers and activists who have been part of a long history in the faith-based movement for social justice. Sojourners is a community committed to living our values in our work and interactions with one another both in the office and in social settings outside work hours.
Daily responsibilities will include policy research, writing, and strategy development on key issues (poverty, immigration, climate change, welfare, debt, Afghanistan, nuclear weapons and more). The Fellow will also work on our monthly e-newsletter for clergy and faith leaders, providing resources such as websites, news articles, and book reviews on important issues of social justice and the church. Types of activities include tracking legislation, assisting in campaign planning meetings, attending coalition meetings around Washington, DC, planning our daily social justice prayer emails, and writing about social justice issues. Through these efforts, the intern will develop his/her research, writing, and managerial skills and gain a greater understanding of the infrastructure necessary to conduct successful advocacy work that is fueled and sustained by faith.
She or he will have the opportunity to write for Sojourners God’s Politics blog, learn how a faith-based, nonprofit media and policy organization operates, and explore the network of faith-based advocacy organizations operating in DC. The fellow will also meet on a bi-weekly basis with a mentor for theological reflection on the intersection of faith and politics.
Skills Needed:
• desire to apply theological study to current social problems and solutions
• ability to envision and manage a project within a larger campaign or event.
• strong written and oral communication skills
• ability to work both independently and with a team
• experience or willingness to learn best practices for writing for online communications
• strong work-time management
• commitment to approaching issues from a Christian faith perspective, and not merely from a political perspective
• strength and wisdom to learn while working with issues that are often difficult, complex, and can invoke passionate debate and controversy
Opportunities for Skill/Experience Development:
• overview of art of organizing from faith-based and national level
• understanding complexities of ecumenical church organizing
• understanding complexities of effective political organizing
• opportunities to oversee projects
• opportunities to attend conferences, retreats, and briefings in or near D.C.
* Fellow applicants will have the opportunity to talk with Sojourners’ 2008 and 2009 Beatitude Fellows to discuss their experiences in this placement.
Click to learn more about Sojourners.