2026 Summer Intern: Localization and Refugee Leadership

Refugees International•Washington, DC

3d•$5,000•Remote

About The Position

We're happy you are here. If you are looking to be part of a vibrant, inspiring, mission-driven organization full of thinkers and doers, then read on. If you aspire to apply your research, writing, organizational, communication, and administrative skills to a transformational organization, apply for this internship. When you join us, you will be an integral contributor to RI’s growing Refugee Leadership and Power-Shifting agenda. This portfolio is dedicated to ensuring that displaced people are leaders of advocacy, not not just subjects of it. As an intern you will primarily support two flagship initiatives: the Refugee Fellows Program and the R-Space Refugee-Led Advocacy Platform. Refugees International (RI) seeks great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we specifically encourage members of refugee, immigrant, asylum-seeking, or other displaced to apply for the internship.

Requirements

Be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, or have graduated within the past year
Be seeking the internship as part of an educational experience related to the program in which you are enrolled
Have a strong interest in advocating for refugee led work, and the powershifting agenda
Have strong research, writing, organizational, communication, and administrative skills
Be based within the United States
Work at least 250 hours/roughly 20 hours per week, as guided by the initiatives manager
Begin in late May 2026 and end no later than late August 2026

Nice To Haves

members of refugee, immigrant, asylum-seeking, or other displaced to apply for the internship

Responsibilities

Refugee Fellows Program: Assist in the development of fellowship training curricula by identifying and vetting expert trainers tailored to the specific needs of the cohort.
Map potential partnerships with academic institutions, NGOs, and private sectors to expand the suite of services (scholarships, certifications, and funding) available to fellows.
Conduct initial outreach to prospective partner organizations to initiate relationship-building and resource-sharing.
R-Space: Refugee-Led Advocacy Platform: Provide end-to-end logistical support for R-Space events, including agenda setting, speaker coordination, and digital or in-person delivery.
Help manage the platform’s online engagement efforts.
Research and Writing: Monitor global trends in power-shifting and "localization" within the humanitarian sector.
The intern will have the opportunity to research, draft, and potentially publish original content on RI’s website regarding refugee leadership and the power-shifting agenda
Support other tasks as assigned