PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center Internship - Arabic Speaker
PEN America seeks a motivated intern to work with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center. The Freedom to Write Center intern will support our work defending and promoting free expression and supporting writers at risk in the United States and around the world. This work includes research and advocacy for writers at risk and the freedom to write globally, including regional advocacy and programming focused on the Middle East and North Africa.
The intern will have the opportunity to conduct research on free expression issues around the region and worldwide, with a focus on writers imprisoned and jailed throughout the Middle East and North Africa, as well as disappeared or missing writers from around the region. The intern will learn about and help prepare engagement in regional and international advocacy initiatives, draft social media content, and will also have the opportunity to research and write case profiles for the database, press releases, memos, and briefing papers.
This internship is based in New York and can be on-site or remote. This is a paid internship at a rate of $17/hour and would require a commitment of 10-15 hours/week for 15-20 weeks, with an option for extension. All internships are also eligible for college credit.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The intern will be given responsibilities that involve the following:
- Identify new cases and research updates on existing cases in PEN’s Writers at Risk Database, working with the Writers at Risk team to identify arrests, prison sentences, legal charges, and other threats against writers
- Write case profiles, organize case research, and build out case chronologies for writers in database, using social media to monitor for new developments
- In coordination with the Writers At Risk team, identify priority cases and track updates, including court cases, prison sentences, and harassment
- Draft language for social media, press statements, and other materials for PEN.org, advocacy materials or social media as needed, and translate to Arabic as necessary
- Review and update case profiles and country pages on PEN.org
- Under the direction of the Writers at Risk team, research, identify, and analyze new and ongoing threats to free expression in the region
- Identify existing and emerging issues and threats concerning writers in exile or otherwise outside their country of origin
DESIRED ATTRIBUTES:
- Interns must be able to provide proof of authorization to intern and work in the United States
- Expertise or academic focus on the Middle East and North Africa required
- Arabic language skills are required. Turkish, Kurdish, and/or Hebrew language skills are a plus.
- Interest in human rights and free expression issues is a must. Demonstrated interested in enforced disappearances, as well as migration and asylum, a plus
- Good research and analytical skills
- Good writing skills
- Familiarity with social media
- Knowledge of or interest in human rights law
- Strong attention to detail and organizations skills, and the ability to prioritize appropriately among multiple tasks
- Sense of humor, empathy, and preparedness to work on emotionally taxing issues
- Commitment to the principles of free expression
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
September 29, 2024, 11:59pm EST
TO APPLY:
Please email a resume and cover letter to Rachel Powers, Program Coordinator, PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, at rpowers@pen.org. Please include the cycle you’re applying for, and your name as the subject of your email (for example, “Fall 2024 FTWC Internship – Jane Doe”). Only complete applications will be reviewed and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
PEN America does not discriminate in its selection practices, and in order to build the strongest possible team, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool.
No phone calls, please.
ABOUT PEN AMERICA:
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.