Will you become one of our new interns?

FMS is committed to democratisation in the EU's neighbouring countries, fairer Dutch and EU policies towards developing countries, and we encourage public debate on these issues in the Netherlands. On 13 April 2019, for example, we will again organise the annual Africa Day: with more than 1,000 visitors, 200 speakers and some 100 volunteers, the Africa Day is the event on Africa and international cooperation in the Netherlands.

In addition, the FMS provides the secretariat of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, a platform for cooperation between social democratic parties and foundations inside and outside the EU. The FMS also cooperates with Partos and Woord en Daad under the name 'Building Change' to a fair and ambitious implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Netherlands.

Trainee profile
The intern will work in an international, political environment. We therefore expect you to have a good political sense and an open, communicative attitude. You are able to gather information efficiently and articulate it clearly, even under time pressure. A good command of English and organisational skills are absolutely essential. Furthermore, you are skilled in writing (news) articles and able to work independently in a busy working environment.

We are looking for 4 interns for the following 3 activities:

1)      Africa Day (2 internships available!)
You will be responsible for:

• Assisting in the organisation of Africa Day 2019:
• You will help prepare and organise the content of various workshops and debates;
• you liaise with cooperating organisations and speakers;
• You will help in the design, contribute to the website and promotion of the Africa Day and collaborate in the design of the cultural programme.

For this internship, it is important that you have demonstrable knowledge and/or affinity with international cooperation, with knowledge of Africa being a plus. We are looking for two creative and independent interns, who will help us make Africa Day 2019 a great success!

2)      Democratisation (1 internship available)
You will be responsible for:

• writing and/or updating one or more country updates on the European Forum website;
• co-editing the European Forum's fortnightly Newsflash as well as maintaining the European Forum website;
• In addition, you may be asked to help organise an FMS activity abroad or one of the FMS activities in the Netherlands;
• finally, you will be required to perform additional administrative tasks, such as taking minutes of (international) meetings.

It goes without saying that you are interested in democratisation and international cooperation, social democracy and the regions where we are active (Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa).

3)      Building Change: sustainable development and policy (1 internship available)

You will be responsible for:

• Assisting, independently, in the Building Change lobby around the SDGs and policy coherence for development towards the House of Representatives and policy staff;
• keeping track of current developments around the SDGs and policy coherence for development within Dutch policy and identifying political moments for policy influence;
• establishing handles for political action (see, for example, 'Adopt an SDG') and mobilising civil society around the various issues that comprise the SDGs and policy coherence for development;
• You will also help generate visibility for our actions by regularly updating social media pages and writing both Dutch- and English-language news updates and articles on the SDGs and policy coherence for development.

This internship requires knowledge and interest in Dutch politics and international cooperation, and it is important that the SDGs and policy coherence for development are close to your heart. 

What do we offer?
A fun collegial working atmosphere, good supervision and the freedom to implement your own ideas for workshops, debates and the culture programme. You will gain experience within a political NGO and get to know development organisations. The internship period for the Africa Day runs (preferably) from early January to 28 June 2019. For the two remaining internships, we will use the period of 4 February to 28 June 2019. You will work four days a week (28 hours per week) at our office in The Hague. The traineeship fee is €375 per month, provided you are enrolled at a Dutch higher education institution. Otherwise, a (lower) volunteer allowance applies.

Apply?
For the internships "Africa Day" (1) and "Building Change (3): sustainable development and policy", email your cover letter and CV no later than Sunday 2 December To: rvdriel@foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl. For the internship "Democratisation" (2), please submit your cover letter and CV no later than Sunday, 2 December 2018 mail to: dtadic@foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl. For more information, call 020- 5512 280. See also the websites: www.foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl, www.afrikadag.nl, www.europeanforum.net and www.partos.nl/building-change.

Job interviews will take place (subject to change) the week of 10 December 2018 at our office in The Hague.