Graduate School of Business

[Intern]

Fern

kelsey@fern.org

Background:

Fern is a European NGO with a global focus. We hold the EU to account for the impact it has on forests and the communities living in and around them, worldwide. We influence and improve EU policies, with campaigns that are always informed by those on the ground. We are a small organisation spread between two offices (UK and Brussels, Belgium) and we work horizontally, meaning we take decisions by consensus.

European Forests are in danger - from increased harvests, industrialised practices, bigger clear cuts and more aggressive thinning. As a result, they are sequestering less carbon dioxide, supporting less nature and delivering less rural jobs. In the coming years, there will be a multitude of regulatory proposals that will attempt to address this, stemming from the Forest Strategy 2030. Several consultations have been issued by the European Commission to understand what direction European stakeholders feel these should go. Understanding the positions laid out in these consultations will help inform our future campaigns.

The objective of this internship is to learn about EU policymaking through a comprehensive review of the policy positions of important European stakeholders. This exercise along with participation in various stakeholder events will offer the chosen candidate a valuable learning opportunity and help Fern to be strategic in our advocacy towards new potential allies. It will also help us understand the arguments of actors with positions that diverge from Fern’s views.

This internship would contribute to the development of strategic research and advocacy priorities for two key upcoming files and would give the intern in-depth knowledge of the ways that stakeholders participate in the formulation of EU laws.

This is an exciting moment to join Fern as we are in the early stages of new legislative files to restore European forests.

Specific tasks to be completed by the intern:

Tasks:

• Create reports comparing stakeholders’ views, including NGOs, government actors, think-tanks, and industry actors

  • Identify key arguments to debunk, potentially requiring new areas of research

  • Identify new allies to potentially form alliances with

• Produce a visual stakeholder mapping divided by stakeholder group

• Present this information in a concise way to the climate team

• Support the climate team with ad-hoc communications tasks

What will Fern give you?

This is an exciting paid opportunity to get strong work experience in a campaigning organisation, learning how to market material to different audiences.

Fern will ensure you have a computer and desk to work from in one of our offices.

Fern will ensure you get an overview of all our campaign areas. You will also get the opportunity to join communications team meetings – with the chance to influence Fern’s communications – and other internal meetings to ensure you are introduced to our non-hierarchical structure and receive support to get the most out of your time with us.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Relevant qualification or experience in research projects

• Interest in environmental or social justice issues

• Good written and oral presentation skills

• Attention to details

Desirable:

• Knowledge of any additional language

• Good writing and/or editing skills

• Minimum understanding of how the EU institutions work

Timeline and logistics:

We would like you to start on 22 August.

Fern has funding to pay €1000/month for this role and will also cover travel costs incurred during the internship.

This is a full-time position.

How to apply:

Send your application to kelsey@fern.org by Wednesday 20th July. To be considered, your application should contain:

1. Your CV;

2. A short email explaining your interest in working with Fern;

3. Confirmation that you are eligible for a Belgian contract (Convention d'Immersion Professionnelle (CIP)) and when you could start;

4. Your assignment: To help us visualise the difference between Fern’s position and an association representing the forest industry in Brussels, make a table comparing the views we submitted for a public consultation:

   • Industry position: Feedback from: The Swedish Forest Industries Federation (europa.eu)

   • Fern position: Feedback from: Fern (europa.eu)

Deadline: Wednesday 20 July (end of the day)

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview during the last week of July.