As a civil rights advocacy non-profit, Council on American-Islamic Relations - Sacramento Valley/Central California (CAIR-SV/CC) is tasked with striving to protect and uphold our Constitutional rights. Though the size of our task is large, our resources are not. Because of this, we train numerous volunteers and interns to help make our goals a reality. If you are interested in supporting CAIR-SVCC, we would more than welcome your participation and support.

INTERNSHIPS

The internship program's objective is to further CAIR-SVCC's mission to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, promote and protect civil liberties, and empower American Muslims to build coalitions that ensure justice.

The internship program provides a means to complement academic work with practical vocational experience through professional development and department support that identifies skills, develops leadership, and addresses critical community needs. The goal of the program is to empower the interns in hopes of furthering their career goals.

Qualifications

• Candidates must be college students pursuing a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree, or recent graduates (17 and older)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office platforms
• Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills
• Passion and familiarity with the work that CAIR does
• Candidates must reside in Sacramento Valley/Central California. This is not a remote role.

CAIR-SVCC does not compensate interns. We encourage candidates to apply for funding through scholarships and/or fellowships. For more information, contact your college career services office.

Duration

Internships typically last from 10-12 weeks, depending on the student's academic calendar. Hours for an academic term internship are 15 hours per week for a fall or spring internship and 20 hours for a summer internship. Hours for a Civil Rights or Immigrants' Rights law clerkship are 10-15 hours per week. CAIR-SV/CC's summer internship begins early June and ends late August. CAIR currently operates a hybrid schedule and requires interns to work in-office a minimum of two days per week.

Focus Areas

Interns will receive a brief overview of all aspects of CAIR's work, but will be assigned projects or tasks in one or more of the following areas:

Youth Empowerment: Interns assist with implementing CAIR's youth programming with a focus on the issues of identity, civil rights, civic engagement, and social justice.

Immigrants' Rights Center (IRC): Interns assist attorneys and staff in providing legal assistance to our clients to help them obtain immigration status or benefits, become a US citizen, or petition for relatives. Students enrolled in law school required.

Operations/Nonprofit Administration: Interns assist with daily operations such as coordination of staff
meetings, trainings, and activities; greeting guests and interacting with patrons; and assisting with office
organization projects.

Community Organizing: Interns focus on coalition-building and community organizing aimed at challenging Islamophobia and violence in the region.

Civil Rights: Interns spend time working with community members, documenting, and conducting research to assist with the resolution of cases. Students enrolled in law school preferred.

Development: Interns assist in researching methods for donor growth and stewardship.

Policy & Advocacy: Interns research current policy topics, develop fact sheets, action alerts and other advocacy materials; draft memos and letters to federal, state, and local policymakers; plan events and potentially attend meetings and legislative visits.

Outreach: Interns assist with organizing outreach events with Islamic centers, local universities and volunteers, and assist with inquiries from members and guests.

Programs: Interns help plan workshops, trainings, youth programs, civic and educational campaigns; deliver presentations; and develop and implement strategies to attract individuals to become involved with CAIR.

Special Projects/Grants: Interns support the building of infrastructure, data collection/storage and research to create sustainable systems and processes for the various grants supporting CAIR-SV/CC's services in the community.

Media Relations: Interns assist with media requests, keep track of positive and negative coverage of Islam and Muslims in local media, and publish op-eds and press releases.

Graphic and Web Design: Interns develop and maintain the CAIR-CA website, and create designs, concepts, and layouts for the publication of advertisements and other printed and graphic materials.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for CAIR-SV/CC's summer internship is May 15, 2026. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered for the summer internship.

How to Apply

Please submit:

1. An essay or cover letter discussing your career goals as they align with CAIR-CA and our mission. Explain your preferred area(s) of focus. (Required)
2. Your resume and/or summary of relevant courses (Required)
3. The names, titles, and contact information of two professional or academic references. (Required)

NOTE: Applicants selected for an interview should expect to be contacted within two weeks after the application deadline. Due to the number of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.