• Intern Hours. Provide student a minimum of 10 hours per week interning with your office.
• Program Cost. Budget $3,500 overall to participate as a host. Of the $3,500 amount, $3,000 will go directly to your student for the internship stipend. 
• Host Fee. Of the $3,500 amount, $500 will go directly to the Citizens League to support programming efforts.
• Time at the Capitol. Hosts are only expected to bring their students to the Capitol and their office to the extent that is safe and necessary for their organizational work.
• In-office plan. If you expect your student to come into the office, communicate with them to develop a hybrid plan that works and makes them feel safe.
• Hands-on learning experience and networking. Help facilitate your student’s exposure to policymaking and build their professional network.
• Cohort Meetings. Allow your student to attend 4-hour long monthly cohort meetings for community building with cohort peers and career readiness training. 

Our goal is to provide students exposure to policymaking and first-hand experience with the legislature. Students should support hosts as an intern, be involved in session preparations, and visit the Capitol when possible.

Some examples of activities your student can support with:

• Assist in scheduling, planning and staffing meetings or events
• Research, track and summarize bills
• Informational interviews with co-workers, legislators, Capitol staff and other policy professionals
• Write articles for social media (e-newsletters, blogs, etc.)

Note: All activities will be dependent on the needs and interests of host organization and student.

Students will come from a variety of academic backgrounds and be enthusiastic to learn about policymaking.

• All students are in good academic standing at an accredited undergraduate college or university in Minnesota. .
• Have completed their first year in college or have the equivalent in credits as a full first year student.
• Self-identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
• International students are eligible to apply.
• Students with under documented status are encouraged to apply. 

There are three phases in the selection and placement process: 

Phase One: Pre-selection

Program staff review host and student applications to determine interests and needs. Based on this information, we will pre-select student applicants to move on to the interview phase.

Phase Two: Interviews

Host sites interview with three pre-selected students. Host sites will provide program staff their top two candidates. Not all students who interview will move on to Phase Three.

Phase Three: Official Acceptance into the Program

Program staff will make final selection based on host feedback from interviews along with information from host and student applications. Program staff will notify hosts and students of final placements.

If you have any additional questions or feedback, please contact Program Manager Kalia Xiong:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 651-289-1075