Legal Access
Exodus Transitional Community
Non-profit, 1-5 team members
Address: 97-99 Cannon Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Action Areas: Education Policy and Equity, Environmental Justice and Food Security, Expression, Arts, and Culture, Housing Insecurity/Justice, LGBTQAI+ Rights, Mental Health Access and Support, Public Health, Racial Justice, Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights, Legal Access
About:We deliver innovative programing tailored to adults and youth affected by the justice system, and advocates for a society in which all can achieve social, economic, and spiritual well- being.
Position description: Students will play a pivotal role in supporting and enhancing our mission to reintegrate individuals affected by the justice system into society. The intern will contribute by assisting our case managers with client intakes assessments and follow-ups to ensure that each individual receives personalized support tailored to their needs. helping connect participants with essential resources such as housing, employment opportunities, educational programs and mental health services.
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Research skills, Social media management, Writing
Hours: 4 hrs/week
Positions Available: 5
Are you interested in getting involved with Exodus? Visit here for your next steps.
Hudson Valley Justice Center (HVJC)
Non-profit, 50+ Team Members
Address: 29 N. Hamilton Street, Suite 205, Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Action Areas: Housing Insecurity/Justice, Racial Justice, Legal Access
About: Non-profit that provides free legal services to anyone regardless of immigration status in the mid-Hudson valley.
Position description: Help attorneys, help with social media, help lobbying
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Graphic design, Previous experience in this field, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Social media management, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Hours: 4hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with the HVJC? Visit here for your next steps.
Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Public-Defender/Public-Defender.htm
Government Office, 30+ Team members
Address: 45 Market St Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Action Areas: Legal Access
About:The Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office is the primary legal services provider for indigent people in need of legal representation in criminal and family court in Dutchess County.
Our office is comprised of attorneys, social workers, investigators and dedicated support staff who work together as a team to provide client-centered, holistic legal representation and services. Our attorneys are professional, assertive, compassionate and zealous advocates, who possess a steadfast commitment to protecting our clients’ rights and achieving a more just legal system.
We work with our clients to ensure that they are well-informed and empowered to make knowledgeable decisions. Through this collaborative effort, we strive to achieve results that meet our clients’ legal and personal objectives.
Position description: The student will help build capacity for our organization by completing intake interviews on their own and helping to alleviate the workload of the Intake Specialists in ensuring that files are opened in an efficient and timely manner.
The deadline to meet with the OCEL & connect with The Public Defender for the Fall 2026 semester is June 1st.
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Previous experience in this field, Research skills, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Hours: 4hrs/week, 8hrs/week, 4-12hrs
Are you interested in getting involved with The Public Defender? Visit here for your next steps.
Dutchess County District Attorney
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/District-Attorney/District-Attorney.htm
Government office with 30+ team members
Address:236 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Action Areas: Legal Access
About: The Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office is responsible for handling criminal matters occurring within the county. Our mission is to be steadfast guardians of the rights and liberties of all participants in the criminal justice system and to evaluate every case on its merits to ensure safety and justice for the community.
Position Description: There will be various projects and learning opportunities to engage and learn about the criminal justice system.
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Research skills, Writing
Hours: 8hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with The District Attorney? Visit here for your next steps.
Childrens Center at Family Court – Family Services of the Hudson Valley
About: Family Services brings people together to find the support they need, improving their lives and communities, and building a stronger, safer Hudson Valley.
Address: 29 N. Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie, NY
Position Description: The Children’s Center Intern assists the Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher at the Children’s Center at the Dutchess County Family Court in compliance with all NYS Office of Court Administration Children’s Center Program agreements. The Intern provides a safe and creative curriculum for children while their families attend to court business and offers consultation to families for resources within the community. The position enthusiastically supports, practices, and communicates the agency’s Mission and Statement of Values. Under the supervision of program staff, interns may facilitate activities with children and offer supportive counseling to parents. In addition to direct-services, interns will assist with administrative and clerical duties. Intern responsibilities will be inclusive of areas identified in their respective college/university learning plan. Children Center Interns enthusiastically support, practice, and communicate the agency’s mission and statement of values.
Role/Responsibilities:
- Responsible for assisting with the direct care and safety of the children left in the center
under the supervision of program staff.- Implements and maintains the health and safety protocol/procedures and maintains visible instructive printouts of these procedures.
- Will assure center is in compliance with all program safety and confidentiality guidelines.
- Under the supervision of program staff, assisting with required intakes and reports.
- Prepares and submits information for monthly reports to appropriate entities.
- Secures the intake paperwork in proper location.
- Maintains statistical records necessary for reports and research.
- Planning, development and evaluation of program activities.
- Designs and carries out curriculum and activities based on the needs and
development of children in center at any given time. - Develops and implements monthly/seasonal themes and constructive activities in
a long-range plan - Will implement the established curriculum guidelines
- Designs and carries out curriculum and activities based on the needs and
- Assisting with the distribution of referral and resource information to caregivers based on their and their children’s needs.
- Remains informed on current local resources and services.
- Assesses the needs of the caregiver and will respond to them through referrals to
appropriate agency/program.
- Assisting the Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher in the planning and coordinating the Children’s Center/Supervised Visitation Advisory Committee in conjunction with the Associate Director and Director of Family Support Services
- Completion of all required training for staff.
- Providing appropriate, creative, supportive interactions with the children in the center in group and individual activities.
- Develop creative “in-class” programs based on age and present teachable
Hours: 4 hrs week or 8 hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with the Children’s Center? Visit here for your next steps.
Citizen Action of New York (hybrid position)
https://citizenactionny.org
Non-profit, 20+ staff members + members/volunteers
Address: Poughkeepsie
Action Areas: Education Policy and Equity, Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Prison Abolition, Public Health, Racial Justice, Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights
About: Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots membership organization taking on big issues that are at the center of transforming society by:
– Ensuring our children have a quality public education no matter their zip code
– Ending our current system of mass incarceration and establishing a new system of justice
– Holding government accountable to all citizens
– Fighting for guaranteed quality, affordable health care
– Taking big money out of politics by creating a fair elections system
– Aiming to dismantle the historic racist system by promoting racial justice
– Striving for a more progressive tax system to begin to end the runaway inequality in our state
– Addressing the climate crisis and transitioning to a renewable energy economy
– We look for opportunities to accomplish big changes – not small, incremental reforms. We work to elect progressive candidates to office who are committed to these issues. Our power comes from the grassroots: people coming together to push the edge of the possible. – Every new member helps bring New York and America closer to a society that works for all of us!
We envision a world where every person’s basic needs are met. It’s a world filled with love and respect for its people and the planet. It’s a world where democracy reigns and each person is able to reach their fullest potential.
Position Description: Student will contribute to our organization by assisting with:
1) Community outreach through phonebanking, community canvassing, tabling, and social media engagement.
2) Recording, tracking, and submitting weekly data reports to help illustrate & analyze our work in the community.
3) Assisting development of community profiles, policy fact sheets, and other resources to help inform our local advocacy efforts
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Social media management, Data collection/analysis
Are you interested in getting involved with Citizen Action? Visit here for your next steps.
Town of Poughkeepsie Government
https://townofpoughkeepsie.com/
Municipality with 30+ team members
Address: 1 Overocker Poughkeepsie NY 12603
Action Areas: Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, local government services
About: Town of Poughkeepsie is our municipality, responsible for infrastructure (roads, water, sewer), public safety, parks and recreation programs, Senior Center, and a Town Hall Farm Stand with Dutchess Outreach.
Position Descriptions:
- Buy Green/Buy Local Intern: We are seeking a student intern to assist with new initiatives, primarily a “buy local/buy green” campaign that will culminate into a buy local/buy green fair.
- Small Business Intern: Maintaining an online local business directory, and with public outreach, including outreach to Spanish-speaking residents. Students will communicate with local business owners and survey them to understand how the Town of Poughkeepsie can improve its services.
- GIS and OpenGov Mapping Intern: Our Town Engineer is also working with Vassar faculty member Neil Curri on an OCEL internship to work on GIS and OpenGov mapping upgrades.
- Policy Intern: Support with research policy for the Town Board.
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, GIS/Mapping, Social media management, Writing
Hours: 4hrs/week, If a student is interested in 8 hrs/week, we can arrange that.
Are you interested in getting involved with The Town of Poughkeepsie? Visit here for your next steps.
Camino al Éxito (Project for All)
Non-profit, 1-5 team members
Address: 5 Elm Street, Pawling NY 12564
Action Areas: Education Policy and Equity, Expression, Arts, and Culture, Legal Access
About: Camino al Éxito Project for All Inc empowers low-income youth and their families within the Hudson Valley by providing bilingual access to education, health and legal resources that improve personal skills to uplevel available life opportunities.
Position Description:
Students can support with the operation’s organization within the marketing and development department.
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Graphic design, Previous experience working with young people, Research skills, Social media management, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Hours: 8hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with Camino al Éxito? Visit here for your next steps.
PACT
Non-profit, 20-25 team members
27 W 60th Street, #20014 New York, NY 10023
Action Areas: Preventive Education, Policy
About: More than 30 years ago, PACT (formerly ECPAT-USA) became the first U.S.-based nonprofit to raise awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Initially, PACT addressed sex tourism by helping to pass legislation that made it possible to prosecute Americans who traveled abroad to purchase and engage in sex with minors, ensuring that those who sexually exploited children in other countries could be held accountable in the U.S. Today, PACT now stands as the leading organization in the United States dedicated to ending the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
PACT’s mission is to protect every child’s right to grow up free from child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Our mission is achieved through four pillars: education, private sector engagement and community outreach, and legislative advocacy.
PACT’s approach to the prevention of child trafficking and commercial exploitation is unique due to our is multi-prong approach, which includes educational programs, legislative advocacy, engagement of the private sector who have a critical role to play in anti-trafficking efforts, as they can help to effect change through their business practices and operations, ensuring proper training of their staff, and helping to publicly raise awareness about this terrible problem; and research initiatives. Our programs and services are evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and trauma-informed; Importantly, they are also informed by the Lived Experience Experts who serve on our Survivors Council, as well as the members of our Youth Advisory Council. Their contributions help to ensure that PACT’s programs and educational curricula content remain grounded in the realities of human trafficking, but the language employed to describe it is immediately accessible. Through these programs, PACT has trained educators, service providers, parents, and professionals across 35 states.
Position Description:
- Our interns will have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, including data entry, outreach, reviewing and editing our different curricula and presentations, and collaborating on program design. As an intern, you will not only collaborate with the programs department, but also network with other departments. In addition to the essential work you will be completing, you will also receive guidance and instruction.
Responsibilities/Duties:
- Review our curricula workshops; provide feedback and suggestions for workshops and programs
- Ensure the materials, activities, and topics covered in our workshops are age appropriate and culturally relevant to youth. Practice workshop facilitation.
- Brainstorm and propose additions to our current youth programming, community engagement, and private sector engagement.
- Conduct Outreach for our different programs
- Carryout presentations to youth groups or Community events.
- Conduct research for programs. Assist in content creation for our program.
- Complete data entry and outreach for our program, with a focus on schools, community centers, and youth serving organizations across New York State.
- Participate in cross-departmental projects, as requested.
- Participate in professional skills development activities.
Desired Skills:
- Bilingual Spanish-English, Bilingual with another language, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Previous experience working with young people, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Additional Requirements:
- Background check
Hours: 8-25 hours per week
Are you interested in getting involved with PACT? Visit here for your next steps.
Prisoners’ Brain Trust – remote work
https://www.prisonersbraintrust.org/
Non-profit,15-20 team members
Address: Statewide with main orgainzing mid-hudson valley
Action Areas: Prison Abolition
About: The Prisoners’ Brain Trust (“”PBT’) embodies people directly impacted by the prison industrial complex’s many harms. Our members are a combination of queer/trans,cis-hetero, Black, Brown Indigenous People of Color, and white anti-racist/anti-authoritarian partners.Each member brings their full carceral and personal experiences into our work to dissect how policies impact and intersect our lives and communities. Prisoners’ Brain Trust addresses toxicity associated with the patriarchal structure; provides gender & sexuality training, political education, and leadership development; hones public speaking/debate skills; and offers moral/emotional support through the community.
PBT has Three Internship positions open: Political Artvism Intern, Digital Design Intern, and Social Media Intern
Political Artvism Intern:
- The primary responsibility for this internship will be the comprehensive collection, review, and selection of all materials including essays, artwork, poetry, and other media to be displayed or performed throughout the Annual Community Remembrance Day in Poughkeepsie, NY September 12th.
Social Media Intern:
- We are seeking a highly motivated, creative, and organized individual to join our team as a Social Media Volunteer. This role is crucial in helping us expand our digital footprint, promote our mission, and engage with our growing online community
Digital Design Intern:
- The primary focus of this remote, part-time internship is to ensure our digital presence—specifically our Squarespace-hosted website—remains up-to-date, highly accessible, and visually compelling for all visitors and stakeholders. The intern will serve as a crucial liaison between our content and our visual identity, helping to translate PBT’s vital work into an engaging online experience.
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Copywriting, Graphic design, Social media management, Web design, Writing
Hours: 4hrs/week, 8hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with PBT? Visit here for your next steps.
For the Many
Address: 302a Mill St, Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Action Areas: Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Public Health, Racial Justice, Voting Rights
About: For the Many is a grassroots multiracial organization in the Hudson Valley organizing to win elections and pass laws that make New York work for all of us. We connect people to housing and immigration services, we lobby with/and on behalf of working and low-income Hudson Valley residents, and we engage in elections and legislative work that uplift community issues like housing and utility bills.
Our organization believes in support and accountability from our volunteers up to our directors. We are rooted in a coaching and learning mentality. We believe everyone can be leader in their community!
Position Description: Students help our organization in a number of ways! They engage community members in local and statewide legislative efforts, the organize their peers at school around issues like immigration and climate change, they offer administrative support, event planning, fundraising, and many other key tasks and responsibilities.
Typically students engage in our work either by attending our events and outreach efforts but we also facilitate a student internship program for students that are willing and able to work with us for at least 4 hours a week.
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Graphic design, Public speaking/presenting, Social media management, Writing, Data collection/analysis, Proficiency with google drive, sheets, and docs
Hours: 4hrs/week, We have a number of roles available up to 10 hours a week over the course of a semester but all roles start at 4 hours a week
Are you interested in getting involved with For the Many? Visit here for your next steps.