The College Libertarians promote liberty during the school year and have a great time doing it, so why stop in May?
As the liberty movement grows and strengthens, enormous summer opportunities for students arise. Below is just a short list of resources to help you make the best of your summer.
If you want to recommend or discuss these or any other summer opportunities, let us know in the comments!
Seminars
IHS: “IHS provides programs tailored to a wide variety of backgrounds. Whether you’re a seasoned libertarian or just getting curious about individual liberty, attending an IHS Summer Seminar geared toward your interests will connect you to rich resources, engaging people, and enriching ideas.”
I have participated in a seminar with IHS each of the past two summers, and plan to attend a third this summer. Some of my biggest intellectual breakthroughs and most fruitful networking connections have been made at these seminars. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
FEE: “The mission of the Foundation for Economic Education is to “inspire, educate, and connect future leaders with the principles of a free society.” One of the primary ways FEE works to achieve this mission is through our annual summer seminar series. Since 1962, FEE has graduated over 10,000 students from our various summer seminars, educating students from all over the world.”
Atlas Society: “Each year The Atlas Society and the Free Minds Institute jointly present a week-long summer program featuring presentations by some of the top minds in the country. The topics range from Objectivist epistemology to artificial intelligence, cognitive science, psychology, physics, economics, and law.”
The Independent Institute: “Our five-day series of lectures, readings, films, multimedia presentations, and small group discussion teaches students what economics is, how it affects their lives, and how understanding it can help them achieve better lives for themselves, their communities, and the world at large. Informative, inspiring, and fun, The Challenge of Liberty is an ideal way to make the summer break intellectually rewarding.”
Mises University: “The Mises University is the world’s leading instructional program in the Austrian School of economics. Since 1986, it has been the essential training ground for economists who are looking beyond the mainstream. The program offers courses, seminars, and reading groups on the whole range of the discipline. A core curriculum presents economic foundations, and more than fifty elective classes explore the entire range of economics, in all levels of advancement. The program ends with a Mündliche Prüfung, an optional exam for an honors certificate.”
Internships
Koch Summer Fellows Program (KSFP): “The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internship with two career and policy seminars. Fellows gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and acquire the professional skills necessary to effect change. Participating internship hosts include more than 80 think tanks and policy organizations across the United States. “
Koch Associate Program (KAP): [KAP isn't actually a "summer opportunity"; it's a year-long employment. But it starts in the summer, so I've included it here]: “Associates spend one day a week immersed in Market-Based Management® curriculum while working full-time at a non-profit partner organization in Washington, DC, through a collaboration with the Charles Koch Foundation. It’s a unique chance to combine your profession with your passion while expanding your knowledge, skills, and network.”
Koch Internship Program (KIP): “Want to build your resume while advancing economic freedom? The Koch Internship Program is an opportunity to not only work for a think tank or public policy organization in Washington, DC, but also receive valuable professional education and hands-on experience. Designed for students and recent graduates who are passionate about economic freedom, the program offers a chance to develop your knowledge and skills, while building a valuable professional network and understanding of non-profit career paths. During the program, each intern works at a non-profit 501(c)(3) partner organization through a collaboration with the Charles Koch Foundation and spends every Tuesday at the Charles Koch Institute engaging in reading discussions, group projects, lectures, and Market-Based Management® workshops. Roles vary, and include policy research, communications, operations, donor relations, and more. “
Libertarian National Committee: The Libertarian National Committee is now accepting applications for our summer internship program. Primarily, the program is focused on expanding communication between the national office, party members, and potential members. This is accomplished by addressing questions about the party platform, participating in grassroots events, and online activism. In addition, interns assist with fundraising, social media, marketing, blog writing, research, video’s, and administrative tasks.
Local
John Locke Foundation:”Student interns are paid on an hourly basis, and perform a variety of tasks, including administrative and web site work, events, research, writing, and general office duties. They interact almost daily with the public and the media, both at guest speaker events and through phone and in-person contacts at our offices. These internships are particularly suitable for students interested in political science and government, economics and business, history, journalism, leadership, and non-profit organizations and management.”
Civitas Institute: “The Civitas Institute is proud to offer one of the most rewarding and competitive internship programs in North Carolina. Students concentrate on public policy in Raleigh while learning in a professional environment. In addition, interns learn the fundamentals of state government while working hand-in-hand with state leaders, think-tankers, and policy experts — discovering along the way how the lawmaking process works. In particular, interns will also have the unique opportunity to work with our policy department drafting and publishing their own public policy reports. Interested, well-qualified candidates may contact the Institute for further information. The Civitas Institute offers competitive compensation for work performed.”
Other Resources
Listed above are the opportunities that came immediately to my mind. Either because I have experience with them or have simply heard good things about them. But the list of Summer Opportunities goes on and on. Here are some resources for you to poke through, and see what looks interesting to you.
KSFP Host Organizations: The Koch Summer Fellows Program works with dozens of pro-liberty organizations. You can use their database to get an idea of what kinds of organizations offer internships. Even if you don’t apply to them through the KSFP, you can apply for an internship with many of those organizations independently.
Cato on Campus: Cato on Campus is a great place to check once in a while if you want to stay up to date on the latest opportunities for students.
