Toxic Free NC - Get Involved - Volunteer and Intern Opportunities

Ambassadors & Activists - Enjoy speaking truth to power? Feel strongly about fighting pesticide pollution in NC? Want to help bring your friends and neighbors into the pesticide-free fold? Become an ambassador or activist with Toxic Free NC by contacting and meeting with your elected representatives, writing letters to the editor, bringing a Toxic Free NC staff person to speak at your workplace/church/school/club/etc. ...there are lots of possibilities!

Translation Volunteers - Help translate our various articles, factsheets and other publications into Spanish. Can be done from anyplace with an Internet connection. Should be a fluent or near-fluent reader and writer of both English and Spanish. Native speakers of Spanish preferred.

Outreach Assistants - Help out at Toxic Free NC's information and activity booth, or at our special events and house parties during one of approximately 35 events we attend each year, mostly in the Spring and Fall. Outgoing personality, Spanish skills and/or experience working with kids would all be helpful, though not necessary.

YouTube Video Producers - Great project for a high school student, or a service or environmental club at a high school. Produce a short, funny and empowering video for high school students about NC's school pesticide law and what they can do to keep pesticides out of their school. Circulate the video via high school environmental clubs, YouTube, and social networking sites.

Office Work Party Volunteers - Work in a group to help Toxic Free NC look up legislators, do data entry, make cards, and do other odd jobs around the office that are more fun with friends. Two or three times per year.

Office Management Volunteers - Help out with the smooth running of Toxic Free NC's office. Functions may include data entry and maintenance, coordination and preparation for special events, website maintenance, or other supporting roles, depending on the volunteer's skills and interests.

Pesticide Bloggers - Write for Fair Ground, Toxic Free NC's news and events blog. Write once, or a bunch of times; write pesticide stories that you come up with, or that we assign, or both. Very flexible, ongoing. You could do this from our office, or from anyplace with internet.

Researchers and Writers - Help to research and write new Toxic Free NC factsheets, Action Alerts, or articles for the Toxic Free Newsletter. You can do this on your own time, from our office or anyplace with internet.

Photos from top to bottom:

Local artists Paul Friedrich (foreground) and Amy Sawyer (background) compete in the final round of the LOVE BUG fundraiser for Toxic Free NC, summer 2009.
Outreach volunteer Eric Andrew Smith helps two young ladies to make veggie paintings at the Kuumba Festival in Laurinburg, NC, Fall 2009.
Outreach volunteers Kate (left) and Robin (center) and Toxic Free Kids Intern Jean Strandberg (right) with melon-heads at Toxic Free NC's booth during the Eastern Carolina Cantaloupe Festival, Summer 2008.
Outreach volunteers Jasmine (center) and Ben (right) work at Toxic Free NC's info and activity booth, helping a young woman make a "veggie painting." Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, Spring 2007.
Envelope stuffers Maggie Davis-Bausch and Robyn Beckford at Toxic Free NC's fall envelope stuffing party. Nov, 2007.

Call (919-833-1123) or email our Volunteer Coordinator if you're interested in one of these opportunities, or to discuss other volunteer possibilities!

To apply for one of the internship positions described below, please send a one-page cover letter that clearly states your reasons for interest in the position, along with your resume (if you have one) and three references not related to you. Please send your references' names and contact information only - letters of reference are not necessary.

Send all materials (print on both sides, please!) to:
Internship Coordinator, Toxic Free NC
- or - 206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601

Special Event Coordinator (a.k.a LoveBug Intern)
Spring / Summer 2012 , unpaid, 10 - 20 hours per week
Location: Our office in Raleigh

Project Description: Work with a committee of staff and volunteers to put on Toxic Free NC's third annual LoveBug fundraiser in downtown Raleigh. More about last year's Love Bug. Your roles will depend to some extent on your interests, but generally you can expect to be working to put together the logistics of the event, including collecting donated prizes and supplies from local businesses, doing publicity and promotions, helping to hang the exhibit, setting up the space for the competition, and more!

Qualifications: Must be highly organized and detail-oriented, and enjoy working in a big (and awesome) team. Helpful prior experiences might include: organizing fundraisers, parties or other big events, and familiarity with the local art scene. Knowledge and comfort with Facebook and/or other social media a plus.

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Farm Worker Documentary Project Assistant
Unpaid, 5 - 20 hours per week
Spring, summer and/or fall 2011
Location: Raleigh with some in-state travel

Project Description: Toxic Free NC is collecting farmworker stories to bring their voices into our work and into public policy decisions that affect them. We are looking for interns to assist with farm worker interviews, photo and video, and with processing and compiling all the material gathered to create web videos. This intern will travel with staff and/or other interns to farm worker camps on some weeknights and/or Sundays to assist with interviews and recording. They will also work in our office to assist with transcription and cataloging of audio/video material. Basic audio/video training will be provided as needed. More information about our farm worker documentary program.

Qualifications: The intern should be a professional or student in communications, Spanish, documentary work, journalism, public health, social work, or a related field, and should have a strong interest in social justice, immigrants, occupational health/safety, food systems, film-making, audio recording and/or photography. Previous experience with documentary work is not necessary. The intern must be bilingual Spanish-English, at least at a conversational level; native speakers of Spanish preferred. The intern must be over 18, and have the flexibility to work some weeknights and Sunday afternoons.

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Marketing and Communications Intern
Unpaid, 10 hours per week
Fall/Winter 2011 through Spring 2012
Location: Raleigh

Project Description: Toxic Free NC is looking for a Marketing and Communications Intern to help us develop a marketing and communications plan. The Marketing & Communications Intern will work with communications and development staff to:

Qualifications: The intern should be a marketing professional or a student in a marketing or communications program. Knowledge of marketing and communications concepts required. Must have strong written communication skills and ability to analyze data for trends. Must be web-savvy and enjoy keeping up with new content sharing technologies online. The ideal candidate will be an avid user of social media programs with an interest in non-profits and non-profit marketing, and have a demonstrated interest in environmental and social justice issues.

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Action Parties Intern
Ongoing, unpaid, 5 - 10 hours per week
Location: Triangle & other major metro-areas in NC

Project Description: Toxic Free NC is doing a series of Action Parties around this state, with a focus on meeting new people, connecting them to our organization and to each other, and taking action together on pressing pesticide issues. All this in a party format that is short, sweet and a lot of fun! Some parties focus on children's health - for those we expect lots of children in attendance! - and others focus on justice for farm workers. The Action Parties Intern will play a vital support role for these parties, helping staff and volunteers to plan and carry out successful action parties.

Qualifications: A great Action Party intern would be someone who loves a good party and has some experience throwing them successfully. The little details of putting together a great party aren't overwhelming to you - they're fun! You might have a particular interest in working with children - especially doing art projects with children! - or you might have a particular interest in farm worker issues. We'll give preference to parents and/or people with experience in child care, and to people with some experience in community organizing. Having your own transportation would be a big plus.

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YouTube Outreach Coordinator
Ongoing, Unpaid, 5 - 15 hours per week
Location: Raleigh, NC

Project Description: Thanks to the NC School Children's Health Act, parents and teachers now have the right to be notified in advance if any pesticides will be sprayed at their school. Furthermore, public schools in our state are required to switch over from chemical-intensive pest control to least-toxic methods by 2011. These are both really important changes, since exposure to pesticides - even at very low levels - can trigger asthma attacks, cause headaches or make it difficult to concentrate, and may increase the risk for serious diseases later on, such as infertility or cancer. These health risks are the most serious for young children in lower grades, people who already have asthma, and any student or staff member who is pregnant or thinking about starting a family, but they affect everyone who spends their days in a school.

Are NC public schools following the new law and protecting their students and staff from pesticides? Middle and high school students are uniquely positioned to raise this important health and safety issue with their parents, and with their teachers and school administration.

This intern's job will be to work with student volunteers to create a short YouTube video that presents this issue and what students can do about it. It must be thought-provoking and engaging for teens, and can make use of art, music, poetry, dance, interviews, humor, photography, or any medium that the intern wants to use. He or she will then work with Toxic Free NC staff to get this video out to students statewide by sending it to environmental or volunteer clubs at different schools, school newspapers or other student publications, and out through social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook.

Qualifications: The intern should either be a teen themselves, or a student or professional with experience in fields such as middle or high school education, environmental education, television & film, or youth organizing. Regardless, this person must be self-motivated and passionate about health and sustainability, have access to video recording and editing equipment, and love working with teens. Being experienced and comfortable using YouTube, Facebook and other social networking sites is a big plus.

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Outreach Coordinator
Ongoing, Unpaid, 5 - 10 hours per week
Location: Raleigh, NC or telecommute

Background: Toxic Free NC is a private, non-profit organization that has been working for health, justice and sustainability in NC for over 20 years. Toxic Free NC staff and volunteers attend community meetings, festivals and other special events throughout the year to distribute information about safer alternatives to pesticides, and to meet new people who are interested in subscribing to our publications, volunteering, supporting our work, or otherwise getting involved.

Function: The Outreach Coordinator will work under the supervision of our Program Coordinator, and will also work with other volunteers and interns at Toxic Free NC. The primary goals of this internship are to represent Toxic Free NC’s work to the public at a variety of outreach events, and to ensure that our booths and events are fun, educational and engaging for everyone involved.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:
1) Prepare educational materials, activities and displays in advance of outreach events, and make arrangements for any needed equipment and travel.
2) Assist in training and oversight of outreach volunteers, and follow up with those volunteers after events to thank them and request their feedback.
3) Staff Toxic Free NC’s booth or table at a variety of events around the state. Greet passers-by, introduce people to Toxic Free NC’s mission and work, answer questions and direct people to our resources, and administer children’s activities such as coloring and quiz games.
4) Follow up with new people who sign up at our booths by entering them into our contacts database, sending them a note to say thank you, and following up on specific questions they asked you.

Qualifications:
1) The intern should be a university student with a background in education, communications, environmental science, public health, sociology, grassroots organizing, or a closely related field. S/he should have a strong interest in environmental health, sustainable agriculture, and/or nonprofit communications.
2) Excellent verbal communication skills are required. Ability to speak Spanish is a plus. The intern should be friendly and outgoing, be comfortable and confident talking with strangers, and be able to communicate easily and effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
3) The intern should be able to demonstrate that he or she can convey complex ideas in a way that is easy for the general public to understand. Experience as an educator, and/or a fondness for working with pre-school and elementary-aged children are strongly preferred.
4) The intern should be a highly organized person who enjoys coordinating details and having several things to work on at a time.
5) The intern must have a car and a driver’s license valid in NC.

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Office Management Volunteer/Intern
Ongoing, unpaid, 5 - 10 hours per week
downtown Raleigh

Project Description: Help keep Toxic Free NC's office running smoothly! Functions may include data entry and maintenance, coordination and materials preparation for special events, participation in community outreach events, website maintenance, or other office support roles, depending on the volunteer's skills, interests and availability. This is a great opportunity to works as part of a team and see up close how a small non-profit organization functions.

Qualifications: High school degree or equivalent. Typing and basic computer skills - familiar with Macintosh OSX operating systems a plus! Reliable and enthusiastic team player who wants to help make a difference in North Carolina.

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Children’s Environmental Health Writing/Journalism Internship
Summer and/or Fall 2011, Unpaid, 5-10 hours per week
Work remotely or from our Raleigh office

Project description: Toxic Free NC uses our newsletter, facebook page, Twitter, email updates and guest blogging to get our message out to thousands of people every day. In order to more directly reach parents of young children with information about keeping kids safe from toxic chemical exposure at home and in the community, we will be partnering with North Carolina child care centers who put out their own parent newsletters.

The intern will use resources available from Toxic Free NC to produce short, informative articles (about 500 words) for direct placement in parent newsletters from NC child care centers. The articles should be targeted to a parent audience and written at about an 8th-grade reading level for maximum usability. The intern will research and write 12 articles over the course of the Fall semester.

Qualifications: Must be a great writer! No previous experience in environmental health or child development is required, but must demonstrate solid writing skills and experience in writing for public consumption, whether in journalism, blogging, or another medium. This would be an especially great opportunity for a volunteer/intern who's also a parent themselves, or who has worked in a school, child care or other child and parent-focused environment in the past!

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Sustainable Pest Management Intern/Volunteer
Fall 2011 (dates flexible), with option to continue into Spring 2012
Unpaid, 5 - 10 hours per week
Location: Work from your home or from our downtown Raleigh office

Project Description: Toxic Free NC's collaborators and supporters have relied on us for decades to provide evidence-based advice on least-toxic pest management that is easy for people to understand and use in their homes, schools and child care centers. (Check out our online resources!) Now, with the growing popularity of organic community and school gardens, the same people are coming back to us and wondering, what can be done to manage pests in the garden sustainably? Gardeners need the same kind of well-researched, yet easy-to-use information we offer for structural pests, and they need it in both English and in Spanish. While much advice already exists for NC gardeners through Cooperative Extension or Master Gardeners' programs, it's not always organic, and none of it is in Spanish. Meanwhile, advice for organic gardening exists elsewhere in English and in Spanish, but it's not specific to the climate and pest pressures we have here in North Carolina.

The Sustainable Pest Management Intern/Volunteer(s) will assist our staff in researching, compiling, and producing a new set of tip sheets on organic vegetable gardening. These tip sheets will be useful for anyone in NC who wants to garden organically, but will be especially geared for the particular needs of community and school gardeners, and low-income people gardening to overcome food insecurity. To meet the needs of these particular groups, we'll focus on pest management advice that is not only least-toxic, but also least-complicated, least-expensive, involving the least amount of special or hard-to-find supplies, and least likely for a child to get into and mess with! We'll gather information from print and online sources, from local college programs focusing on sustainable agriculture, and from organic farmers in our community whose farm-scale knowledge we can scale down for gardeners. We'll use all this great information to create a set of tip sheets on different garden crops and pests, we'll translate the new tip sheets into Spanish, and finally we'll distribute both sets widely for use by gardeners all around the state!

Qualifications: Must be a vegetable gardener or farmer committed to organic and sustainable principles, and with excellent research and writing skills. Strong preference will be given to students or graduates of a sustainable agriculture program. Other skills or interest areas that would be helpful, but not necessary: Spanish language for translation; graphic design, photography, cartooning or technical drawing for adding visual appeal to the new tip sheets; Dreamweaver skills for posting the new tip sheets online; previous experience working with children or with low-income people.