Summer 2025 Community Collaborations Intern

ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color. ACD’s foundation of civil and criminal legal representation, social services, impact litigation, policy and media advocacy, and community collaboration achieves and inspires justice and equitable outcomes for people throughout the St. Louis region and beyond. 

ArchCity Defenders envisions a society liberated from systems of oppression where the promise of justice and racial equity is realized; communities where our approach to public safety prioritizes investment in well-being, health, and transformation without relying on criminalization and incarceration; and people living freely in their communities, thriving regardless of their race or income. 

ArchCity Defenders is working on broad-based change to the St. Louis region’s criminal legal system. One way we advance this agenda is through the use of impact litigation. In order to effectively file and argue civil rights impact cases, it is necessary to have extensive knowledge of legal precedents, state and federal statutes, and county and municipal ordinances. 

Although impact litigation has become one effective tool for change, ArchCity Defenders remains dedicated to representing our clients and changing the lives of our clients on an individual basis. To this end, we provide direct representation in housing, elder, consumer, family, criminal, and other areas of the law. 

ACD’s Community Collaborations team assists people directly impacted by systems of oppression to get civically engaged through political education and organizing and seeks an intern with an enthusiastic desire to assist and serve others. A successful intern needs to be assertive, independent, persistent, empathetic, proactive, and flexible. They will need to take initiative, use problem-solving skills, see projects through to completion, and become a strong advocate for themselves and others. Helpful skill sets would be prior organizing experience, graphic design, and/or administration skills. ***Please note that this internship may require hours that include nights or weekends.***

Responsibilities:

• Conduct one-on-one interviews with impacted people
• Assist in coordinating one-on-one meetings with elected officials
• Participate in or facilitate political education training
• Assist with planning and content and/or the facilitation of Movement meetings, Townhalls, or other group meetings
• Assisting with planning and content of Campaign/Movement Member Kickbacks
• Participate in, plan, and/or facilitate community canvassing
• Participate in, plan, and/or facilitate community outreach events
• Engage in phone and text banking
• Planning/Facilitation of prep meetings for those testifying at BOA committee meetings
• Attending Board of E&A and Board of Aldermen meetings, note-taking, and report backs
• Attend strategy and organizing meetings as assigned
• Support the mission of ACD and work with staff to support that mission through social work services
• Any other duties as assigned to help the Community Collaborations team do its best work

Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Basic administrative skills
• Detail-oriented approach to working in a team-driven organization
• High capacity for problem-solving and self-direction and the ability to work independently within time constraints
• Flexible and able to respond appropriately to ACD’s changing needs
• Commitment to racial and economic justice and systems change
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity toward diverse populations; awareness of structures of power, privilege, and oppression

We plan to host Summer 2025 interns in person. However, as we are experiencing a time of great uncertainty regarding public health requirements, work locations and expectations, and school-related policies and procedures, that plan is subject to change to remote work at any time. 

Summer 2025 interns must be able to work full-time for 8-12 weeks. Due to the potential for conflicts of interest, we cannot host interns who will participate in another legal internship at the same time. 

ACD will work with students to secure funding from their schools or other outside sources or to obtain class credit where available. We are able to offer stipends of up to $4,200 to interns not able to receive financial support from their schools or other programs.

We review application materials on a rolling basis with priority given to applicants who submit materials by January 6, 2025. We encourage you to continue to submit your materials beyond that date until we edit our internship page to say that all of the positions have been filled.