Here at the Federation, we focus on building the leadership capacity of our movement by enhancing the skills of individuals, particularly those who are just entering the sector as college interns. Created in 2008, the Federation Internship Program was formed to connect smart, engaged, passionate young people with active statewide LGBT advocacy organizations. This ten-week program allows interns to complete real-world projects and begin to develop the skills they will need to become effective advocates for equality.

The Federation prides itself on the uniqueness of this internship program, which benefits both the intern and the organization in which they are placed. Interns are able to gain paid work experience with an active LGBT advocacy organization, network with national leaders at the Summer Meeting, and receive online trainings that cover a range of key skills. The organizations get an additional dedicated staff member who can work on a specific project they wouldn’t have originally had the staff to carry out.

The Federation Internship Program is unlike many other programs in that each intern completes a project that provides program, rather than administrative support for the organization, allowing them to develop leadership qualities. This summer, five interns are located in organizations nationwide working on their own unique projects.

At Equality Texas, Marina Santiago is working with local homeless shelters in Austin to discover what services are offered to LGBT individuals in order to create materials encouraging equitable treatment policies.

Vinita Chaudhry is working with Empire State Pride Agenda to create a statewide resource guide for transgender people living in New York State.

At South Carolina Equality, Randy Moore is creating a Know Your Rights campaign for the organization as well as assisting the executive director with implementation of other programs.

Shannon McCann is at Equality Utah, helping to plan and facilitate a Town Hall Series called “Equality in my Community” -- an effort to bring community members together through outreach.

Isaias Guzman has joined the team at Equality California for multiple projects, from mobilizing support and advocating for the Youth Equality Act and the School Success and Opportunities Act to coordinating Trans* Advocacy Day with Transgender Law Center.

The organizer of the Program, Renee Perry, said this about its importance:

“The Federation Institute believes that we can assist people who may become future movement leaders by giving them an introduction to the work and an overview of what leadership looks like. We also are committed to increasing the presence of genderqueer folks, trans people, and people of color in the movement, and we make a special effort to recruit people in these communities for our program.”

In addition to the five leaders working with state-based groups through our Institute Internship Program, we've also brought Jenn Curtin on board. From her home in Los Angeles, Jenn is working directly with the Federation this summer, helping to launch our new-and-improved communications program. 

We are so proud of all the great work our interns are doing!