What better time to make my debut on Human Rights First intern blog than in my last week as a General Programs intern in Washington DC?

It’s hard to reflect on my tenure at Human Rights First without immediately thinking about those with whom I’ve worked.  To say staff members and fellow interns have made my experience a delight would be an understatement.  They have inspired me with their dedication, humored me with their wit, and amazed me with their intellect.

In the past months, I have attended events put on by universities, think tanks, and Congressional offices.   At times encouraged, at others surprised, I have seen first-hand the diversity of groups working to rid the world of human rights abuses, as well as the complexity of matters yet to be resolved.   And in spite of an acute awkwardness that continues to pervade my social life, I even managed to make a few connections.

My time spent inside the office has been equally rewarding.  As a general program intern, I sit at the intersection of many program areas– most notably, Law and Security, Business and Human Rights, and Refugee Protection.  From here, I explored various issues and discovered interests formerly unknown to me.

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As a General Programs intern at Human Rights First’s Washington, DC office, I am lucky enough to have many opportunities to attend hearings, seminars, and events on behalf of staff members who are pulled elsewhere by various obligations.

On June 20, 2011, I attended a day-long program hosted by Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition International (TASSC) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). The program, Survivor Journeys: Immigration, Detention, Asylum and Family Reunification, was part of the annual TASSC June Survivor Week, a forum in which survivors of torture from across the U.S. and around the world are able to come together to share their stories and participate in activities to end torture.  As a new summer intern, I hoped hearing torture survivors speak about their experiences would provide me with insight into the personal struggles of asylum clients Human Rights First represents.

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I worked with a couple of different advocacy non-profits before beginning my fellowship with Human Rights First, and there was a common thread among them: small organizations tend to be really good at program and policy work, but are often lacking in their ability to effectively communicate their mission and achievements to the outside world. Perhaps it’s something about the type of person that pursues a social justice career, but we aren’t always very good at marketing or “selling” our work.

Partly because of this, and because I am hoping to enter the non-profit field in New York when I graduate, I applied for a summer position with the Communications department at a larger nonprofit,  Human Rights First’s New York office. My task would be to focus on social media and some of the newer methods of communication, rather than traditional press work. I had some prior experience with website analysis and new media, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to gain additional skills and to see how best to put such tools to work on human rights issues.

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Last week at Human Rights First I was fortunate to experience two more important dimensions of intern life in Washington, D.C.: networking and education. From an intern perspective, one of the main attractions of HRF is the opportunity to work on tasks that were in line with my own academic and potential career interests. This week, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference on Emerging Challenges in International Humanitarian Law, organized by the Washington College of Law, and another conference on Non-Violent Resistance in Iran, facilitated by the Carnegie Endowment for Peace – two topics of direct relevance to my studies and interests.

Contrary to legal practices in more stagnant or rigid areas of law, a career in human rights law requires being up-to-date on events, changes and developments in the domestic and international community, which call into question on a daily basis the application and evolution of this relatively young body of legal principles. At a basic level, this means reading the news—but it is more important to consider how these daily happenings shape broader events and trends. Surveying news and events is essential for devising potential solutions and strategies based on analysis and synthesis of past and present events.

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While sitting in my university’s Study Abroad office in Brisbane, Australia, looking at a map of the world and considering my study abroad options, I didn’t know what to expect from a semester somewhere in the United States.

Washington, D.C. wasn’t my original choice but I am very content with this location for many reasons. One reason is that I was fortunate enough to land an internship with Human Rights First, a great NGO dedicated to human rights education and reform in the United States and abroad. Human Rights First’s D.C. has three main program areas: Refugee Protection Program, Law and Security, Crimes Against Humanity. As a General Programs intern, I am working on tasks for the Refugee Protection and Law and Security programs. The organization treats its interns with great appreciation and respect, and the staff is intent on making sure we get the most out of our experiences by assigning tasks that are specifically aligned to the interns’ backgrounds and interests. For example, I have an interest in immigration law and was given a legislative amendment bill comparison task, which required me to rely on my legal interpretation skills and enhanced my understanding of common issues in Refugee Protection, like conditions of immigration detention facilities.

There are other perks to the job too! The office is situated in Capitol Hill, an amazing location right next to the Supreme Court—which makes for great views and a vibrant atmosphere. The endless variety of food choices available at the Senate Cafeteria is a great nearby attraction as well!

Voila! A snapshot of my first couple of weeks finding my feet studying abroad and interning with Human Rights First.