Aspen Policy Academy Communications Intern Positions 2026: Paid Social Media and Outreach Roles with Mentorship, Portfolio Building, and Policy Advocacy Experience

The Aspen Policy Academy has announced two new communications-focused intern positions for students who want to gain hands-on experience in social media, outreach, engagement, communications strategy, alumni relations, and policy advocacy support. The announcement, published on June 11, 2026, introduces two openings: Social Media Intern and Outreach and Engagement Intern. Both roles are designed for students who want more than a basic support position. These opportunities offer structured mentorship, real communications responsibilities, practical exposure to policy-focused programming, and the chance to build a professional portfolio while contributing to the Academy’s public-facing work.

The Aspen Policy Academy works at the intersection of policy, civic engagement, communications, leadership, and public impact. Through its programs, webinars, short courses, fellowships, alumni network, and public-facing resources, the Academy supports individuals and communities seeking to influence policy and strengthen democratic participation. These new intern positions are especially valuable for students interested in communications, public policy, nonprofit work, advocacy, digital media, stakeholder engagement, program recruitment, audience development, and community impact.

The two roles are part-time and structured to fit around academic commitments. Each position is expected to last 12 months and requires a commitment of approximately 10 hours per week. Interns will be compensated at $20 per hour or may receive class credit, depending on their situation and institutional requirements. This makes the opportunity suitable for students seeking meaningful professional experience while continuing their undergraduate or graduate studies.

Overview of the Available Positions

The Aspen Policy Academy is hiring for two separate intern positions. Although both roles are connected to communications and engagement, each position has a different focus area.

1. Social Media Intern

The Social Media Intern will help shape and strengthen the Academy’s social media presence. This role is ideal for a student who enjoys creating digital content, developing creative ideas, designing graphics, understanding online audiences, and tracking social media performance.

The Social Media Intern will contribute to the Academy’s digital voice by supporting cross-platform content creation. This means the intern may help develop posts for multiple platforms, pitch new content ideas, create graphics, and analyze which messages connect most effectively with the Academy’s audience. The role also includes support for alumni engagement and program outreach, giving the intern a wider understanding of how communications can support policy education, professional networks, and community-building.

Another important part of this position is the opportunity to support event coverage. Interns may help capture or promote Academy events, which can strengthen their ability to communicate live programming, highlight key moments, and translate policy-centered activities into accessible public content.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Pitching social media content ideas
• Creating content for different platforms
• Designing graphics and visual communication materials
• Tracking audience engagement and content performance
• Supporting alumni engagement efforts
• Assisting with program outreach
• Helping cover Academy events when needed
• Learning how to align content with organizational brand voice
• Using data to understand what resonates with audiences

This role is especially useful for students who want to build practical experience in social media management, digital storytelling, nonprofit communications, advocacy communications, public engagement, and communications strategy.

2. Outreach and Engagement Intern

The Outreach and Engagement Intern will support the Academy’s efforts to recruit participants for webinars, short courses, and fellowship cohorts. This role focuses more heavily on relationship-building, outreach strategy, recruitment support, alumni engagement, community tracking, and program communications.

The intern will help connect people to the Academy’s learning opportunities and support the growth of its community. This may include assisting with recruitment cycles, communicating with prospective participants, supporting alumni engagement, helping with large-scale survey projects, and tracking the policy impact of the Academy’s community.

This position provides a strong introduction to how organizations build and maintain communities around public policy, training, and civic engagement. It is also a good fit for students who enjoy organization, communication, research, outreach planning, data collection, audience segmentation, and stakeholder engagement.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Supporting recruitment for webinars, short courses, and fellowship cohorts
• Helping engage the Academy’s alumni community
• Supporting program outreach efforts
• Assisting with large-scale survey projects
• Tracking community policy impact
• Helping organize outreach and engagement materials
• Attending events when opportunities are available
• Learning how to communicate with different audiences
• Supporting relationship-building between the Academy and its community

This role is especially relevant for students interested in nonprofit program support, public policy outreach, community engagement, alumni relations, program recruitment, civic engagement, survey work, and communications operations.

Time Commitment and Duration

Each position is structured as a 12-month opportunity. Interns are expected to work approximately 10 hours per week. This schedule is designed to provide meaningful professional exposure without overwhelming students who are also managing coursework, research, campus responsibilities, or other commitments.

The one-year structure is significant because it allows interns to experience the full cycle of communications and engagement work. Rather than contributing to a short project only, interns may have the chance to observe how audience outreach, social media strategy, program recruitment, alumni engagement, event communications, and impact tracking develop over time.

A 12-month commitment can also help interns build deeper professional relationships, strengthen their portfolio, and show future employers that they completed a sustained communications or outreach role within a respected policy-focused organization.

Compensation and Academic Credit

Interns will be paid $20 per hour or may receive class credit. This gives students flexibility depending on their academic needs and personal goals.

For students who need professional experience for a university requirement, the class credit option may be useful. For students seeking paid part-time work in a meaningful professional setting, the hourly compensation provides financial support while allowing them to gain career-relevant experience.

The combination of payment, mentorship, and portfolio development makes these positions especially valuable for students preparing for careers in communications, public policy, nonprofit leadership, social impact, advocacy, digital strategy, civic engagement, or public affairs.

Mentorship and Professional Development

One of the strongest features of these opportunities is the structured 1:1 mentorship interns will receive. The Aspen Policy Academy states that interns will be supported in developing practical communications skills and professional confidence.

Mentorship may help interns grow in areas such as:

• Understanding and applying brand voice
• Creating audience-focused communications materials
• Using data to inform outreach decisions
• Segmenting audiences effectively
• Partnering with stakeholders
• Communicating across teams
• Supporting program goals through strategic messaging
• Translating policy-related work into clear public communication

This mentorship component is important because it moves the experience beyond task completion. Interns will not only help produce communications materials; they will also learn why those materials matter, how they fit into broader strategy, and how communications can support civic engagement and policy advocacy.

Portfolio-Building Benefits

Interns are expected to leave the experience with a professional portfolio of communications outputs. This is a major advantage for students who want to apply for future opportunities in communications, media, policy, advocacy, nonprofit work, public relations, or digital engagement.

A strong portfolio can help applicants demonstrate practical skills to future employers or graduate programs. Depending on the role, interns may be able to build samples such as:

• Social media graphics
• Cross-platform content examples
• Communications toolkits
• Outreach materials
• Event coverage content
• Program promotion materials
• Audience engagement reports
• Recruitment communications
• Alumni engagement materials
• Survey support materials
• Policy impact tracking summaries

These portfolio samples can show not only creativity but also strategic thinking, audience awareness, communication clarity, and the ability to support mission-driven work.

Networking and Professional Exposure

Interns will also gain access to a network of Aspen Institute communications professionals. This is a valuable benefit for students who want to understand how communications work inside a respected nonprofit and policy-focused institution.

Networking can help interns learn about different career paths, receive guidance from experienced professionals, understand workplace expectations, and explore future opportunities in communications, policy, nonprofit management, public affairs, advocacy, or civic engagement.

The opportunity also offers first-hand experience supporting policy advocacy. This means interns will see how communications and outreach help connect people to programs, amplify ideas, support community impact, and encourage participation in public policy spaces.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit the following materials:

1. A cover letter
2. A resume
3. A portfolio containing 3 to 5 social media or communications samples

The portfolio requirement is especially important. Applicants should choose samples that show creativity, clarity, audience awareness, and communication ability. These samples may include social media posts, graphics, newsletters, campaign materials, outreach messages, writing samples, event promotion materials, or other communications-related work.

Applicants should make sure their cover letter explains their interest in the Aspen Policy Academy, their relevant skills, and how the selected role aligns with their career goals. The resume should highlight academic experience, communications work, social media skills, design experience, outreach experience, writing ability, event support, research, or any relevant volunteer or campus leadership roles.

Deadline

No specific application deadline is stated in the provided announcement. Since the deadline is not specified, interested applicants should apply as early as possible.

Applying early is important because opportunities like this may close once suitable candidates are selected. Students should prepare their cover letter, resume, and portfolio carefully, but they should also avoid waiting too long to submit their application.

Final Application Note

The Aspen Policy Academy encourages talented applicants to apply even if they are not completely sure they meet every qualification. This is an important reminder for students who may hesitate because they feel they do not have a perfect background or extensive professional experience.

If the role aligns with an applicant’s career interests, skills, creativity, and goals, they are encouraged to submit an application. These positions are strong opportunities for students who want to gain real communications experience, build a professional portfolio, receive mentorship, and contribute to policy-focused work through social media, outreach, engagement, and public communication.

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