Fwd: Job Ad: we're hiring. bootcamp for the next gen. of prog. wonks

[Pachacutec]

Please see below.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elana Levin <brookl...@yahoo.com>
Date: Jun 27, 2006 12:42 PM
Subject: Job Ad: we're hiring. bootcamp for the next gen. of prog. wonks
To:

In "Crashing the Gates" Kos and Jerome talk about how Conservatives have created a pipeline that supports and trains young conservative activists to be professional wingers. They hook young people up with sweet internshps and find them jobs. Meanwhile progressives have left our young people sitting at home making cold calls for job listed on Idealist.org with little mentoring and little institutional support and little outreach from established organizations. Certainly this is what I've observed my peers going through and it sucked.

So a while back DMI applied for a grant so we could do our part and create a bootcamp for the next generation of progressive policy wonks.
We're hiring a Director to run the program.

Job ad below. Please circulate

Director of DMI Scholars Program

Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

The Drum Major Institute, a cutting-edge national think tank, seeks an exceptional leader who has both a) the vision for how to get more progressive young people to view public policy as a vehicle for their activism, and b) the skills to implement our new effort, the DMI Scholars program. DMI Scholars is both a training and networking experience that introduces college students to the world of public policy and then launches them on a public policy career and leadership path.

The rationale is simple: the success of the conservative right-wing in this country comes in great part from how well they have nurtured their young. Many of the policymakers and influencers that drive the conservative movement today were the young leaders of yesterday. They were mentored, supported, placed on the pathway to influence.

Too often, on the left, our young are agnostic about government and certainly unenthusiastic about the prospect of working for it. Our most politically conscious young people are directed towards grassroots activism and direct service. They are volunteering in record numbers, more than any generation before them. This is important work. But it is also critical that a diverse group of talented, progressive young people enter the policymaking sphere to advance a progressive agenda in this country.

The DMI Scholars Program is designed to produce the next generation of progressive thinkers and leaders. The program will do the following:

• Introduce creative, bright, progressive college students, DMI Scholars, from under-represented populations to the public policy-making process and specifically to the role and significance of public policy in advancing a progressive agenda.

• Equip these college students with an overall understanding of public policy and the basic skills to enter the public policy world after graduation.

• Facilitate networking with progressives currently in the public policy world, with an emphasis on introducing under-represented populations to public policy.

• Leverage DMI's network of progressive policymakers, institutes, journals, and like-minded organizations across the country to facilitate the hiring of DMI Scholars.

About the position: The Director of DMI Scholars will turn this idea into reality, working to first develop and solidify the program mission, then to cultivate partnerships with progressive organizations and institutions which are potential employers, raise funding, interact with an Advisory Board, develop the recruitment, application, and selection processes, develop the core curriculum, manage staff and logistics, and evaluate the impact of the program.

Successful candidates are strong communicators, in touch with the interests/needs of college students or recent graduates, supremely organized, creative, have experience creating something from nothing, and possess an understanding of the issues at stake and what will motivate the DMI Scholars' target populations. The Director of DMI Scholars is a leader who can operate in a high-pressure environment with maturity, self-direction, and savvy, and who has demonstrated success in uniting strong ideas with strategic thinking and action to create product. Director of DMI Scholars also needs to do the nitty-gritty work of managing a budget, staff, and grant proposals.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate how his/her past experience illustrates the above qualifications.

Salary, benefits and vacation package is competitive for an organization of our size. To apply, please send a cover letter expressing your interest in THIS SPECIFIC POSITION FOR THIS SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION, resume, and writing sample to LeeAnn Fletcher at lafle...@drummajorinstitute.org. No phone calls please.

The more specific your cover letter, the more closely it will be considered.

Applications that do not include the above materials will not be considered.

Please submit materials as soon as possible, we are looking to get someone on board for an early Sept start date.
 
The Drum Major Institute is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBT applicants.

The DMI Staff