Role: Legal Support Intern
Location: Remote with opportunities for travel to conferences/events
Reports to: Executive Director
Job Type: Unpaid Internship
Duration: 1 year
Hours: 2 hrs per day (Mon-Fri, between 6am and 4pm PDT)
Contract Renewal: If onboarded for this internship position, there is possibility for contract renewal after the dates of the internship have ended
WHO WE ARE:
The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-founded by Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Bia Labate and American psychologist Dr. Clancy Cavnar, based in Northern California and with strong ties to Brazil and Mexico. We promote reciprocity in the psychedelic community, and support the protection of sacred plants and cultural traditions. We advance psychedelic justice through curating critical conversations and uplifting the voices of women, queer people, Indigenous peoples, people of color, and the Global South in the field of psychedelic science.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
We are currently seeking a legal intern to provide support in in the many fronts that the Chacruna Institute focuses on in regards to psychedelic plant medicines. This includes but is not limited to legal support around our ayahuasca programs, court case consultations, ayahuasca council and committees, and a new ayahuasca initiative that we are putting together.
COMPETENCIES:
- Excitement for the mission, vision and values of the organization
- General understanding of the contemporary psychedelic landscape
- Proven experience of management of offerings and programs
- Relevant work experience is a plus
- Excellent organizational and self-management skills
- Strong and consistent communication skills
- Competency in Slack, Google Drive, Google Forms, Excel, YouTube etc.
- Positive attitude, attention to detail with good multitasking and organizational ability
DUTIES:
- Help monitor legal outcomes in the current ayahuasca cases
- Help monitor decriminalization and ballot initiatives across the US
- Sit in different meetings around drug policy representing Chacruna and reporting to the Council
- Help monitor legal controversies around psychedelics
- Support Chacruna’s ayahuasca media observatory
- Support Chacruna’s info line on sacred plants
- Support the Ayahuasca Freedom Initiative, including: support for people that have encounters with law enforcement; create a media observatory; create a legal library with cases around the world; create a hotline for questions around ayahuasca; create a map about ayahuasca’s status around the globe; promotion education around Indigenous people, decolonization reciprocity and conservation
EDUCATION/YEARS EXPERIENCE
Minimum:
- Preferred pursuing a BA/BS in pre-law, political science, international diplomacy or similar discipline.
- Preferred 3 years of demonstrated experience working in communications and project management roles on a cross-functional team.
- Experience working in cause-related issue areas, nonprofit organizations and/or charitable causes, either on staff or in a volunteer role.
Expectations:
- Applicant must be currently enrolled in school or participate in a similar educational program.
- This internship is educational in nature and there is no guarantee or expectation that the internship will result in employment.
- The education received by the Intern from the internship is for the express benefit of the Intern.
- A certificate of completion will be awarded at the end given that all parameters are met.
Opportunities for professional and personal growth:
- Inspirational Talks from Psychedelic Experts – this is a program offered internally for the Chacruna staff which would be accessible to Chacruna interns
- One on one mentoring with a Chacruna board member or another expert in Chacruna’s network – this mentor would be someone whose work is relevant to the career path/goals of the intern and would provide guidance and advice for professional growth
- Hosting of a Chacruna Community Forum – this would be an opportunity for the intern to open and introduce forums, which would provide visibility and an opportunity for a speaking engagement which can be added to the intern’s CV
- Support curation and production processes of Chacruna’s annual conference
- Creation of a special newsletter
TO APPLY:
Please send your Resume/CV and cover letter to [email protected]
We encourage BIPOC, LQBTQIA+, and folks of other minority communities to apply for our internship positions.
You can read testimonials from our previous interns here.