fellowships & scholarships

Scholarships for Summer Human Rights Internships

2013 Application Timeline

Final applications are due February 1, 2013.

Step One:
November – December: All students interested in applying for HRP’s Summer Internship Program MUST meet with one of HRP’s Student Fellowship Advisors. Contact info is below.

Nicolette Boehland has regional experience in the Middle East and Afghanistan and topical experience in civilian protection in conflict, international humanitarian law, and prison monitoring. Her office hours are on Wednesday from 3- 5 p.m. She can be reached at nboehland@jd13.law.harvard.edu.

Tess Borden has regional experience in sub-Saharan Africa and The Hague, Netherlands and topical experience in international justice, regional human rights systems, and UN mechanisms. Her office hours are Monday from 2- 4 p.m. She can be reached at teborden@jd14.law.harvard.edu.

James Tager spent his 1L summer working with a civil-society body on the Thai-Burmese border, and spent his 2L summer working with Open Society Justice Initiative in New York. He is particularly interested in rights-based social movements, preventing or addressing core violations of international law, and corporate accountability. His office hours are Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. He can be reached at jtager@jd13.law.harvard.edu

Frances Dales has regional experience in Central and South America and topical experience in minority group rights, land rights, and transitional justice. Her office hours are on Thursday from 12- 2 pm. She can be reached at fdales@jd13.law.harvard.edu.

Lillian Langford has regional experience in East Africa, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, and topical experience in international criminal justice, refugee issues, and foreign legal aid projects. Her office hours are Friday from 11- 1 pm. She can be reached at lillian.langford@gmail.com.

Note: Office Hours are held in HRP's student lounge.

After meeting with an HRP student advisor, students should look for host human rights organizations, and contact organizations they are interested in, in order to explore whether there is a fit between their interests and skills and the organization’s needs.

Step Two:
December – January: Apply to host human rights organizations. Copy Mindy Jane Roseman, HRP Academic Director, on all cover letters and emails so that we know how many students are applying to each organization.

Meet with HRP Academic Director Mindy Roseman to discuss your proposal. (prerequisite to submitting a fellowship application)

Step Three:
December 21, 2012: DEADLINE to apply for HLS Summer Public Interest Funding with the HLS Student Financial Services Office (1Ls and 2Ls only). See the JD Student Financial Services Office website for details.

Step Four:
February 1, 2013: DEADLINE to submit written applications to HRP.

Step Five:
March, 2013: Notification of grants will be sent to applicants. Final award of grant is contingent upon the student securing an approved placement.

Additional Information for Students

Summer fellowships for human rights internships are a central part of the Harvard human rights experience and provide rich professional, personal, and intellectual opportunities. Many students and alumni/ae who are committed to human rights were introduced to the field through an internship. Interns work for at least ten weeks with nongovernmental or intergovernmental organizations concerned with human rights, almost exclusively outside the United States (except for LL.Ms). The Program encourages interns to work in organizations in the developing world that are actively involved in monitoring and responding to human rights violations, grass roots mobilization, or similar activities. Students are free to seek out organizations and design new internships. Twenty-three years of experience has left HRP with a rich source of information on NGOs and the experiences of past interns.

HRP advises students who are seeking internships and, upon their return, helps students to build on the experience through the law school curriculum, clinical work and third year writing. Many students have drawn on their experience to write articles published in the Harvard Human Rights Journal and elsewhere. The fellowships are only open to current J.D. and LL.M. students. The Program will also assist students who are not seeking financial support to obtain information.

Information for NGOs and IGOs
We are constantly seeking new organizations interested in hosting interns. If your organization is interested in hosting HRP interns, please contact the Program at hrp@law.harvard.edu to request that we send via fax or email a copy of our NGO Datasheet for you to complete.