Freedom Oklahoma Internship Opportunities
Internship Roles (Communications and Programs)
Location: Virtual (based in or with proximity to Oklahoma for regular access to in-person events preferred but not required)
Reports to: Director of Programming + Engagement and/or Director of Systems + Access
Status: Part-time, 3-12 months (length of tenure is based on your interest and timeline)
Compensation: $20/hour for up to 40 hours a month
About Freedom Oklahoma: Freedom Oklahoma advocates and organizes across Oklahoma and within the 39 sovereign tribal nations that call this land home to build a future where all Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and fuller spectrum of people whose sexuality or gender or romantic identity exists beyond a heteronormative, binary framework (2SLGBTQ+), have the safety to thrive.
Freedom Oklahoma’s vision: At Freedom Oklahoma, we know that 2SLGBTQ+ people have been under attack on this land since it was first colonized. We believe that a critical step in creating collective, community-based safety is building power and engaging in advocacy for protections at every level of governance. We fight harmful policy attempts while also looking for the opportunities to build and move forward. It is tough and intentional work, and we do it imperfectly, always striving to do better, to grow our table, to make sure everyone in the community has space in the movement, though centering those people who have faced the most historic and ongoing marginalization and exclusion. As an organization, we will forsake popularity and funding to avoid compromising on behalf of members of our community. Two-Spirit, Queer, and Transgender liberation is the long-game. The 2SLGBTQ+ community is not a monolith, and therefore we as a single organization cannot claim to do this work on behalf of anyone, but rather we seek to do work with and among our community members, alongside a growing coalition of allies, towards our collective liberation, and until the community safety we seek is realized.
For us, the future isn’t just safe, it is joyful. No member of our community lacks the resources they need to thrive. We’re all clothed, housed, fed, and nurtured, together, by one another, as a community and a collective, not forced to subsist on individualism and resource competition. Because there’s more than enough if we all share. For our disabled relatives, there are no barriers to access. We all work on the -isms, both external and internalized, to grow beyond a culture of harm that maintains a status quo of cishet white power.
About our team: The Freedom Oklahoma team is made up of 5 full-time staff and a rotating number of interns. We have been a virtual office since the end of 2021, and staff is based throughout Oklahoma. We engage in a robust schedule of community programming and support including, the Name Change and Gender Marker Correction Clinic, The Freedom Sessions and Annual Conference, HIV Modernization, legislative education and advocacy support, The People’s Hearing, Trans Week of Advocacy and Action, Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience, Youth Action Month, Inclusive Sexual Health education, research support, Virtual Community Groups, and direct response and support to community in the changing policy landscape. 2025 marks 10 official years of Freedom Oklahoma as an organization.
About the Role: Freedom Oklahoma is looking for interns to support their communications and programming efforts. With cohorts of up to 2 interns, Freedom Oklahoma will expand its youth-focused digital and programs work throughout the year. For these roles (Communications Intern and Programs Intern), Freedom Oklahoma seeks candidates with a people-centered approach to digital storytelling and program development. The people in these roles will engage in communications tasks and/or programs tasks, while building relationships in and among communities that helps tell the fuller story of what it is to be a 2SLGBTQ+ young person, rooted in the lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans.
The people in these roles will need to be able to balance working remotely and engaging with staff through virtual meetings and digital communication. A disabled-led staff, we’re looking for someone who can navigate accessibility, and who is willing to navigate a pandemic-conscious work environment. We root our work in shared values, and our ideal candidates would bring a values-based lens to this work. We feel like the people in these roles are likely those who get excited about connecting with community members while also having a curiosity for learning.
What you will do in this role: In this role, you will help build capacity for connecting with Oklahoma’s 2SLGBTQ+ youth and expanding the work of Freedom Oklahoma either directly or through capacity expansion. This will involve a combination of community engagement at and beyond events, working to build systems and tools to support youth engagement, graphic design and content development/support, partner outreach, and engaging with tools in a variety of mediums to balance program development with 2SLGBTQ+ safety across a shifting digital and policy landscape. While this is what we envision, you will have the ability to tailor your focus and goals to your own professional and personal interests. We hope that through this collaboration, it can be a mutually beneficial experience for learning and development.
Internship Responsibilities:
Communications Focus
Generating social media graphics, captions, and image descriptions for Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky
General email inbox and voicemail upkeep
Creating social media kits for upcoming events and awareness days
Website maintenance
Drafting, editing, and posting newsletter and mass email content
Active participation in weekly meetings with other interns and FOK staff
Other duties as discussed between the intern and the FOK team
Programs Focus
Developing, facilitating, and managing youth & young adult programs and events
Utilizing Gmail or Google Voice to conduct outreach to participants, partner organizations, and other outside organizations
Supporting virtual and in-person events through helping with set-up, tech support, greeting attendees, facilitating event stations, and tear-down
Providing logistical support for virtual and in-person events by developing agendas, researching event venues, and coordinating with partner organizations
Conducting research to develop presentations, resource lists, and one-pagers, and website maintenance
Active participation in weekly meetings with other interns and FOK staff
Other duties as discussed between the intern and the FOK team
Preferred Qualifications and Skills: Passionate about 2SLGBTQ+ liberation, rooted in the leadership and expertise of 2SLGBTQ+ young people. Committed to centering and building the leadership of 2SLGBTQ+ young people within the movement.
Communications Focus
Familiarity with (or willingness to learn) Canva, Zoho Social, EveryAction, Google Workspace, Squarespace, and Slack/Signal
Comfortable drafting materials, receiving feedback, and crafting written and visual materials individually and as part of a team.
Experience in digital and media accessibility to include image description drafting and captioning
Programs Focus
Fluency in talking about 2SLGBTQ+ issues and engaging in public education.
Community engagement experience.
Comfortable with public speaking (talking to event attendees, facilitating virtual community groups, meeting virtually with partner organizations)
General
Familiarity with Google Suite, Trello, and virtual communication via Slack/Email
General technical knowledge
Knowledge of 2SLGBTQ+ issues, particularly in Oklahoma, especially through a policy/advocacy/legislative lens
Familiarity with and a passion for working for 2SLGBTQ+ liberation and among 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Comfortable working with people of diverse lived experiences, including initial outreach and relationship building.
Ability to work alongside a small remote team; strong understanding of one’s working style and needs (or willingness to invest in figuring this out)
Comfortable with adapting to changing tasks, priorities, and environments
Able to lift up to 10 lbs for support with in-person events
Able to be in public spaces for several hours at a time
Self-motivated: able to create work schedules, set priorities, and complete tasks in a timely manner, all with minimal supervision
Effective multitasker: able to meet deadlines, handle multiple ongoing projects, and communicate effectively within the team/with participants/with external organizations, all with minimal supervision
Compensation and Benefits: All interns will receive $20/hour for up to 40 hours a month and will be paid as contracted employees. There are no additional benefits, but there is generous flexibility for work schedule, travel compensation, and office closures that allow for a winter and summer break. You will also have the ability to work directly with staff members to support your transition out of this role through mentorship, resume support, and access to the Freedom Oklahoma network of partners.
You’re interested but not sure you tick every box: If you’re excited about this role but do not feel you meet every single criteria outlined above, we encourage you to apply anyway! Research tells us that individuals from historically excluded and marginalized groups tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates. We are interested in finding the best fit for this work, someone who is aligned with our mission, goals, and values, and while we have a good idea of how we want to do this work, it’s possible that in drafting this description, we didn’t realize YOU were actually the ideal candidate. Let us have the chance to see if this is the right fit for both of us. If you see a qualification or skill you don’t think you have, if you have a willingness to learn it, then we want to hear from you!
Equal Opportunity Statement: Freedom Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer to all regardless of gender identity, gender presentation, sex, sexual orientation, race, national origin, immigration status, tribal citizenship, ancestry, marital status, parental status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, veteran status, or history of arrest or conviction. We encourage Two Spirit, transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming+ folks to apply.
Hiring Process Expectations: We understand that Summer months can make scheduling capacity difficult, and we hope to be able to work with candidates to schedule May interviews with the goal of a mid-July start date. Beyond the submission of the materials initially requested, we anticipate an initial screening (by phone or video) and a virtual interview. We will provide interview questions in advance of the interview space. If expectations around timing or process change, we will communicate that with you in as close to real time as possible. If there are accommodations you need or clarification regarding the interview process, please feel free to name those with your application submission and/or by reaching out to info@freedomoklahoma.org with a subject line that includes 2025 INTERN APPLICATION.
How to Apply:
We’re accepting applications via Google Form. We’d like a resume saved as a PDF with a file name including your name and FOK INTERN, and formatted in whatever visualization you find most accessible, that shares a brief employment history, any educational background you find relevant, and relevant details about your experience and skills related to communications and/or programming, or any of the qualifications or skills outlined above. In addition to your resume, you can share something like a cover letter. This can be a standard letter that presents us with more context as to why you’re interested in and would be a good fit for this role. And, we welcome video, visual design, or other mediums sharing this information if you have a preference to share that information in some format different from a letter. This is not required but is available if you’d like another opportunity to communicate information that your resume does not showcase.
The form will also request your best email address, phone number, your name, and pronouns, so that we can connect with you about next steps. If you have any issues with the Google Form or questions, please email info@freedomoklahoma.org with a subject line that includes FOK INTERN APPLICATION and we’ll do our best to get you a prompt response.