OA is growing and is, as you may know, dedicated to involving as many young members of its own community as possible in its efforts.

With that said, we now have several internship opportunities available to enthusiastic, driven people.

Here are the details:

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Each position is a rolling (renewable) one-month, volunteer position.

Interns will work under the guidance of one (or more) current members of Opportunitas Aequa. Their position is temporary with the potential for becoming more permanent.

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Current Areas of Need:

1) Soccer Relations - one or more positions

With the guidance of the Head of Soccer Relations, the Soccer Relations Interns will aid OA’s development in one or more of the following areas:

a) increase exposure to and build OA’s soccer audience (locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally) through a variety of communication channels (e.g., blogs, websites, forums, periodicals, partnerships);

b) develop a communication network and pursue partnerships with local soccer clubs and organizations;

c) research and pursue relationships with larger soccer organizations (e.g., FIFA, professional clubs, national soccer federations);

d) facilitate the collection and storage of soccer balls for OA’s local and overseas initiatives; and,

e) other beneficial initiatives.

2) General Research - one or more positions

The General Research Interns will actively investigate a variety of topics related to OA initiatives and operations.

Using the internet, databases, and other direct and indirect sources of information, the General Research Intern will pursue requested lines of inquiry, such as corporate sponsorship, grants, Rwanda (e.g., customs, immigration) and Rwandan organizations, in-kind donations, other funding avenues, and any other OA-relevant information.

3) Visual Media - one position

The Visual Media Intern will work with OA Members to intensify OA’s presence and appeal to the online community. This will be achieved through the growth of our YouTube and similar audiences, contributions to and maintenance of oaprojects.org, and other visual media initiatives.

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Successful candidates should have — at least — relevant knowledge, experiences, and/or education, as well as a keen interest in the position.

To apply, please submit a) a detailed resume, with references, and b) a letter of interest that indicates the position applied for and outlines your reasons for applying, your desire to be a part of OA, and your qualities that will make you a valuable piece of the OA puzzle.

Send applications or contact us for more information via email.

Deadline: February 29th

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Next up: OA in the TC!

Gavin reports on OA’s latest community involvement:

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On January 19th, Duncan and I hosted a workshop, on behalf of Opportunitas Aequa, at the 2008 Change Conference at GlenLyon Norfolk School in Victoria.

To quote the Conference’s website: “The Change Conference is organized by youth, for youth (or anyone else who’s interested in change). The goal of the Conference is to promote the creation of positive change on a personal, community, and global level.”

Check out the website for more information on this primarily student-organized event.

The 45-minute workshop was attended by over 50 eager and passionate students (see picture, below). We gave everyone a brief history of OA, how it formed, and then we showed them what went down in Ecuador (OA Video Journals).

However, the most exciting part of the workshop was our interaction with the students. We discussed the difficulties of putting ideas into action and the variety of obstacles that present themselves when trying to make change. We also brainstormed about the issues that are personally-meaningful to them, and how they could actually start addressing them.

As we (the World) are totally inundated with the on-going problems that are now facing us, it can be overwhelming at times to actually believe that one (or a few) people can actually make a difference; however, we stressed the importance of focusing on a specific issue/problem, rather than THE issue/problem.

It was very refreshing to see and interact with some of those who are taking initiative and who have made making positive change their personal responsibility.

As we were only a part of the Conference, we also had the opportunity to connect with a whole bunch of like-minded individuals and organizations. Two of the more special connections were with Peggy Frank, of Positively Africa, and Jon Nsabimana, a UVic student and Rwandan Genocide survivor, who is now an ambassador for UNICEF — two amazing people.

All in all, it was a very inspiring experience for both Dunc and I, and I strongly encourage everyone who we met to reach out to us either via email or Facebook and to keep in touch.

Thank you for the continued support,

Gav

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For the latest happenings in Ecuador, stay tuned for Andrew Brownlee’s Project Ecuador update, early next week!

We are always looking for help at the grassroots level.

That means that we need you to get involved, as much or as little as you want — every hand helps.

Contact OA and help OA create opportunities, at home and abroad.