Application Deadline: February 5 @ 11:59 PM
Info Session: January 31 @ 4:30 PM
Institute of Politics Director's Internships
Program Overview
The IOP Director’s Internship is a signature program of the IOP. Since 1995, the IOP has partnered with high-profile organizations and elected officials around the world to provide substantive, career-oriented summer internships for undergraduate students interested in politics, government, and public service. These are fully-funded internships that allow students to gain experience in the public sector that may otherwise be difficult to obtain or finance. Students have reported these internships as leading to careers, larger networks, and significant development of professional skills.
Program Dates
- June 1 - July 27, 2024 (includes travel dates)
IOP internships coincide with the Summer Internship Programs (SIP) in the respective countries. Students in the co-sponsored IOP program will attend the same programmatic activities and orientations as SIP students and join the official SIP cohort.
Eligibility
All currently enrolled Harvard undergraduates who intend to be enrolled at Harvard College the fall semester following their internship are eligible. Students who participated in the IOP Summer of Service virtual program during Summer 2021 and 2022 are eligible to apply. See more details here.
Application Requirements
Summer 2024 applications open Dec. 7, 2023. Please note, interviews are required.
Students interested in the IOP co-sponsored internships should apply through the regular DRCLAS SIP application via CARAT.
For complete instructions on applying, please visit our Summer Opportunities Application Information page.
Program Costs & Availability of Funding
IOP co-sponsored internships are fully-funded at country-level stipend amounts, which aim to allow students to gain experience in the public sector that may otherwise be difficult to obtain or finance.
IOP Host Organizations
The IOP has a strict two-application limit for the Director's Internship program, which includes internships that are co-sponsored with DRCLAS.
Brazil: Inova_MPRJ
The selected College student will be fully funded by the IOP for the Brazil internship placement. A portion of thE stipend covers the DRCLAS Summer Internship Program (SIP) fee, which includes orientation, lodging, some meals, and cultural activities).
Learn more about the IOP here.
Learn more about DRCLAS SIP here.
HOST ORGANIZTION DESCRIPTION:
Inova_MPRJ's differential lies in the interdisciplinarity of its team and in its collaborative work method. The Lab combines data science, service design, communication campaigns, law, and impact evaluation. Inova_MPRJ designs and conducts experiments aimed at solving the challenges of MPRJ's internal and external activities. The Laboratory values the collaborative construction of experiments, working in partnership with different departments of the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro and with external actors, whenever possible. Our projects aim to propose solutions for challenges faced by prosecutors and civil servants, with partners who bring their challenges to the Laboratory. Inova_MPRJ has four strategic objectives:
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Develop innovative experiments, aimed at increasing the cost-effectiveness of MPRJ's activities.
2. Prospect practices, tools, projects, and innovation opportunities in Brazil and abroad.
3. Spread a culture of learning and innovation, innovative practices and new skills.
4. Promote integration, create and foster innovation networks. Inova_MPRJ partners with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) to host a student intern every summer, to work in their offices, while living abroad through the linguistic and culturally immersive 8-week internship program
PROJECTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
All final projects will be determined based on the chosen intern's skillsets and the organization's current needs. Previously, the 2022 Interns worked on Project Mosaico (mosaic) - launched in 2021 and focused on organizational aspects of the institution. Its goal is to help prosecutors in the prevention, repression, and remediation of acts of corruption and violations of fundamental rights. Through the use of data (surveys, interviews, databases), Mosaico aims to analyze prosecutor's responses and then create a more effective work design.
Interns carried out research and benchmark best practices; Supported in creating social media content based on projects; Coordinated closely with project managers on daily activities; Worked jointly with the project team to develop and design policies; Worked with the project and the communication teams to create engagement of other public servants and prosecutors.
All final projects will be determined based on the chosen intern's skillsets and the organization's current needs. Previously, the 2022 Interns worked on Project Mosaico (mosaic) - launched in 2021 and focused on organizational aspects of the institution. Its goal is to help prosecutors in the prevention, repression, and remediation of acts of corruption and violations of fundamental rights. Through the use of data (surveys, interviews, databases), Mosaico aims to analyze prosecutor's responses and then create a more effective work design.
Interns carried out research and benchmark best practices; Supported in creating social media content based on projects; Coordinated closely with project managers on daily activities; Worked jointly with the project team to develop and design policies; Worked with the project and the communication teams to create engagement of other public servants and prosecutors.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS:
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Foreign Language Skills
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Basic or Intermediary Portuguese
Chile: Ministerio de Hacienda (Department of Treasury)
The selected College student will be fully funded by the IOP for the Chile internship placement. A portion of thE stipend covers the DRCLAS Summer Internship Program (SIP) fee, which includes orientation, lodging, some meals, and cultural activities).
Learn more about the IOP here.
Learn more about DRCLAS SIP here.
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:
The Ministry of Finance in Chile has, as its mission, to maximize the potential of long-term growth for the economy. They aim to encourage better use of productive resources in the country in order to achieve sustainable economic growth that translates into a better quality of life for all Chileans, especially the most neglected and vulnerable. The Ministry partners with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) to host a student intern every summer, to work in their offices, while living abroad through the linguistic and culturally immersive 8-week internship program.
PROJECTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
All final projects will be determined based on the chosen intern's skillsets and the organization's current needs. Previously, the 2023 intern created the literary framework for a new pay system for Chile. This meant performing extensive research and writing a paper on how a new system would be created.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS:
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Foreign Language Skills
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Background in economics
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Intermediate to Advanced Spanish (written and verbal).
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Preference for upper-class students studying economics or finance
Mexico: Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM)
The selected College student will be fully funded by the IOP for the Mexico internship placement. A portion of the stipend covers the DRCLAS Summer Internship Program (SIP) fee, which includes orientation, lodging, some meals, and cultural activities).
Learn more about the IOP here.
Learn more about DRCLAS SIP here.
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante supports Mexico-based migrant workers to defend and protect their rights as they move between their home communities in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States. With their binational, multilingual staff and geographic reach they have grown in response to increasing needs for advocacy and services and seek to overcome the U.S.-Mexico border as a barrier to justice. CDM partners with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) to host a student intern every summer, to work in their offices, while living abroad through the linguistic and culturally immersive 8-week internship program.
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante supports Mexico-based migrant workers to defend and protect their rights as they move between their home communities in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States. With their binational, multilingual staff and geographic reach they have grown in response to increasing needs for advocacy and services and seek to overcome the U.S.-Mexico border as a barrier to justice. CDM partners with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) to host a student intern every summer, to work in their offices, while living abroad through the linguistic and culturally immersive 8-week internship program.
PROJECTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
All final projects will be determined based on the chosen intern's skillsets and the organization's current needs. Previously, the 2023 interns worked with advocacy, legal needs, research, and most commonly, direct migrant aid. Interns may need to research and write proposals and blogs for migrant awareness in Spanish and English. Interns may need to speak directly with migrant workers in Spanish, via telephone, who are seeking advice or assistance. Interns may conduct feedback and propose modifications to CDM resources, websites and/or social media pages, with the goal of increasing accessibility to those seeking aid.
All final projects will be determined based on the chosen intern's skillsets and the organization's current needs. Previously, the 2023 interns worked with advocacy, legal needs, research, and most commonly, direct migrant aid. Interns may need to research and write proposals and blogs for migrant awareness in Spanish and English. Interns may need to speak directly with migrant workers in Spanish, via telephone, who are seeking advice or assistance. Interns may conduct feedback and propose modifications to CDM resources, websites and/or social media pages, with the goal of increasing accessibility to those seeking aid.
SPECIALIZED SKILLS:
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Foreign Language Skills
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Highly proficient to advanced written and verbal Spanish.
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Preference for upper-class students studying migration, international studies, psychology, economics, and/or with a passion for human rights.
Questions?
Contact Rachel Murray-Crawford, Assistant Director of Student Programs